From a 787-acre oceanfront estate in Palm Beach, Florida, to a 14.5-acre ranch in Wellington, New Zealand, to a 27-hole golf course in Boca Raton, Florida, here’s a look at some of the property holdings of International Speedway Corpation.
Million Dollar Plus Properties
If you’ve ever shopped at Walmart, you’ve undoubtedly heard of billionaire entrepreneur and investor J. C. Welch. As the founder of the mammoth retailing powerhouse, he built his fortune selling low-cost housewares and clothing to American consumers. He’s since spent his time traveling the world, acquiring numerous properties, and now makes his home in Florida.
One of his more notable purchases is a 9.3-acre waterfront estate, with a million-dollar swimming pool and tennis courts, in Palm Beach, Florida. It features a fully equipped spa, private dining room, and nine bedrooms.
Welch also owns a 35-acre, custom-built farm in Scotland, a 100-acre vineyard in Bordeaux, two luxury hotels in Marrakech, and a 27-hole golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus in Boca Raton, Florida. In the U.S. alone, his retail stores and restaurants generate $25 million in annual retail sales. He’s been called the “King of Walmart,” and is the largest individual private landowner in Central Florida.
New Zealand’s Ultimate Playground
Another property worth a million or more is New Zealand’s Pureora Park, located in the North Island. It is the former homeland of William Colquhoun, an early Irish settler and politician. In 1832, he arrived in New Zealand with his family and began working on his 640-acre estate. Since then, the land has been passed down through the Colquhoun family, with the park itself being open to the public since 1901.
The estate’s main features are its five freshwater lakes, an outdoor pool, and a 9-hole golf course. A country club offers a putting green, tennis courts, and a chipping area. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Pureora Park is that it is completely private. The only access to the estate is by boat, plane, or helicopter. Tourists are only allowed to stay overnight in the main house and can only take photographs.
This level of privacy is what made the estate so appealing to billionaire real estate investor and developer Leonard Blavatnik. In February of this year, Blavatnik bought the estate for a reported $12.6 million. He has since spent over $20 million upgrading the property’s amenities and adding more features. Most notably, he has built a nine-hole golf course, designed by none other than Jack Nicklaus. It is rumoured that Blavatnik plans to host international events at the estate, such as the Open Golf Championship, which is currently scheduled to be held in 2021.
The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club and Residences
Another property owned by the investment company is the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club and Residences in Boca Raton, Florida, where the company’s COO, George P. Borge, lives. It is the same Borge who previously served as chairman and CEO of Markel Corporation, an insurance and financial services conglomerate. He also serves on the board of directors of numerous other companies, including IFCO, an international conglomerate which owns, among other things, a 51% stake in the Miami Heat.
Borge purchased the Ritz-Carlton in 2018 for a reported $25 million. Like many of the other properties owned by IFCO, the golf club features a 9-hole, Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course. The estate also has a private swimming pool, two tennis courts, a racquetball court, and a bocce ball court. A six-bedroom, 7.5-bathroom main residence features a private pool and sits on a 0.6-acre lawn surrounded by a security fence.
The property is situated in Boca Raton, Florida, a city which has become quite the hub for high-end real estate investment. Property values in the city have risen by an estimated 38% in the last year alone. It’s easy to see why: the Atlantic Ocean is just a few minutes away by boat, and the Everglades National Park is just 20 minutes away by car. Nature lovers will rejoice at the opportunity to explore the Everglades and its array of native fauna without having to leave the city limits.
Palm Beach’s Grand Hotel
Billionaire real estate investor Donald Trump has been known to purchase property for leisure purposes. Just this year, he spent $30 million on a 66-room hotel building, the Trump Palace, in West Palm Beach, Florida. The 71-year-old business magnate has also purchased a 102-room hotel, the Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach County. Not content with one hotel in Palm Beach, he also owns another, the Ritz-Carlton, which he has renovated and expanded. The Grand Hotel and Mar-a-Lago are situated on a bluff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. There is also a third hotel, the Del Ray Beach, down the road from the Mar-a-Lago.
Even Mr. Trump’s most devoted fans might find it hard to top the unique property collection of Marjorie Merriweather Post, the heiress to the Post Cereal fortune. In 2015, she bought and renovated a Georgian manor house, known as the Little White House, into a single residence. The mansion offers guests a private indoor pool, nine bedrooms, 13.5 bathrooms, and a fully equipped gym.
Although international Speedway Corpation owns numerous properties around the world, there are still a few that it doesn’t own. After all, the company was founded by a man from Indiana, and he still resides there today. You can find out more about the company and its properties by visiting its website, or you can follow them on social media to keep up with all of their latest news and happenings.