Jackson’s last Vegas home, Thriller Villa, offers surprises

After Michael Jackson died at the age of 50 in 2009, dedicated fans flocked to a quiet residential neighborhood on Palomino Lane to drop off small tokens of remembrance at the gates of his Las Vegas residence.

Behind the oversized gated entrance of that walled 1.7-acre compound was where the King of Pop and his three children quietly lived from 2007 until his unexpected death at his Los Angeles home on June 25, 2009.

The Las Vegas residence, once known as “Hacienda Palomino,” is now nicknamed “Thriller Villa” in reference to Jackson’s sixth studio album (released in 1982) and its namesake hit song, “Thriller.”

The home’s uniqueness goes beyond its famous tenant and new nickname.

The unusual structural attributes of the 24,276-square-foot custom residence and guest house at 2710 Palomino Lane, northwest of Charleston Boulevard and Rancho Drive, are attributed to its prior owner, the eccentric theater developer Horst Schmidt, who died in 2004.

According to his Las Vegas Review-Journal obituary, Schmidt built El Portal, Henderson and Red Rock theaters. The Red Rock Theater was in the 5000 block of West Charleston Boulevard. He operated the theaters until they were sold in 1983 (they were later demolished).

Ornate interior elements reflect a massive redesign by Thriller Villa’s current owner Aner Iglesias, a businessman who is the honorary consular of El Salvador in the Nevada Consular Corps. He purchased the property in 2004 for $3.5 million as a second home.

HACIENDA PALOMINO STARTED SMALL

A cobblestone driveway, large fountain and a Spanish-style hacienda with a bell tower are on the other side of the compound’s gated entrance. The building was rebuilt and expanded in the mid-1990s by its third owner, Schmidt.

The main entrance into the Spanish Mediterranean-style estate leads to a sunlit foyer that features a custom wood ceiling, arched windows and a wrought-iron door offering access to an expansive courtyard. Off to the left is a lifesize portrait of Jackson sitting on a red chair, reminding visitors of its most famous tenant.

The residence was not always so grand in size or style.

“The first home here was a small ranch home that was built in the 1950s. Then in the mid-1990s, Schmidt made it into a ‘home improvement project’ … which eventually became this unique, 25,000-square-foot compound,” said Iglesias’ friend Jonathan Warren, who is the honorary consular of Monaco. Warren, along with designer Paulina Biggs Sparkuhl and Jackson’s former Realtor Zar Zanganeh led Real Estate Millions on a private tour.

“Schmidt liked to collect artwork, and his home had all white walls and was designed to display the art that he had collected throughout his life. He built a basement and used it for art storage and as a place to display it. He turned his home into what was like a private gallery,” Warren said.

BELOW-GROUND ART

Although basements are a rarity in Las Vegas, Schmidt built one anyway — a large one at that, measuring 7,394 square feet. Called the “artist’s vault,” the basement’s temperature, low humidity and lighting make it a good place for art storage, Zanganeh said. The basement walls display art created by musician Jimi Hendrix and one that is a portrait of him by another artist. These pieces were shown in a private art exhibit held recently at the residence.

The supersized basement served a secondary purpose: It also provided an underground passageway between the mansion and the guest house.

This huge basement and its tunnel were among the home’s attributes that impressed Jackson, who had a love for art, collected it and needed ample space to display and store it. He also appreciated the privacy of moving from one building to the other underground.

Zanganeh of Luxe Estates and Lifestyles helped Jackson find a previous rental home at Monte Cristo Way in Las Vegas. He said Jackson asked him to find another high-end residence to rent, and that was the Palomino Lane home. Zanganeh said Jackson viewed Hacienda Palomino differently than his previous rental.

“When I first worked with Michael Jackson to find a home to rent, he asked me to help him find not only the home but everything that he needed to live in the home, too, like furniture, dishes, towels, everything. He did not move a lot of his personal things into that home.

“This home here on Palomino Lane was different because I think Michael felt comfortable and like he was at home here,” said Zanganeh, who also became Jackson’s friend.

“Michael moved his personal things here, unlike his other rental house in Las Vegas. He moved his artwork from the Neverland Ranch here, covered the walls with his art, and stored millions of dollars of artwork in the basement. He spent a lot of time here and he made it into his home.”

Jackson ended up using the basement and underground passageway quite a bit, from storing artwork to moving freely between the main house and the 3,900-plus-square-foot guest house where he and his three children lived.

Zanganeh said that using the basement to get from the main house to the guest house was for convenience and security. Like other big-name stars, Jackson employed full-time security at the Palomino Lane residence, which was not located in a gated neighborhood.

EXTENSIVE REDESIGN

Another area where Jackson displayed his art was an unusual room called the “chapel” that is reminiscent of an old-fashioned theater, where second-story balcony seating overlooks the first floor. The acoustics and sound quality of the room is described as “pitch perfect.”

The chapel no longer looks like it did when Jackson lived there. Jackson’s art was returned to his estate. Its white walls are no more thanks to a redesign for which the property owner enlisted Sparkuhl of Chez Paulina.

“While working on the design, I thought of Michael Jackson’s unique style and the hacienda style, and brought that together into the décor and into the ornate design,” Sparkuhl said.

She redesigned the chapel with an Old World charm, adding wrought-iron accents and red curtains to the theater-style box seats above. Earth-toned hues replaced the white walls, and the ceiling features a mural with blue sky and clouds as well as an exquisite chandelier.

“The chapel was unique in that there was no second-floor access or stairs leading up to it, but they had somehow placed statues up there (in the box seats). We created a beautiful staircase up to the second level and now the area can be used,” she said.

Another unusual aspect of the chapel was Schmidt’s decision to create the illusion of a large Medieval-style entrance door that did not really exist. Since Jackson’s death, the faux entrance was replaced with a real door that provides a direct entrance into the chapel, which has been used for private performances and a few weddings.

Another area that Sparkuhl redesigned is the grand salon. Said to be a favorite place of Jackson’s, the salon features wood floors and ceiling beams, expansive windows, a fireplace, and a large Murano glass chandelier. This room has been the site of private fundraisers and gatherings.

The salon, foyer and a bar area offer access to the courtyard, which features plenty of outdoor entertaining space, a fountain and a statue. A small stable and paddock are situated along the back property line.

FUTURE OF THRILLER VILLA

After Jackson’s death, the property remained vacant until 2011, which is when Iglesias, the owner, decided to begin renovations and redesign.

According to zillow.com, the property has been listed for sale four times since 2009, with asking prices ranging from $4.8 million to $19.5 million. The last time that it was listed for sale was in August for $19.5 million, with the listing removed at the end of September.

To some, the compound is known as Thriller Villa. However, for Iglesias, it serves as a second home. He also uses the property for his own events and community events from time to time. According to Iglesias, the property will likely continue to be used in its current role.

Security and a caretaker are onsite. Thriller Villa is not open to the public.

Thriller Villa is a prime example that one never knows what lies behind the walls and gated entries of a residence … or in this case, what lies under the ground.