Properties on Saturn Street in Joshua Tree are few and far between.
“When you drive there, you’re trying to find the property, [and] you can’t,” real estate agent Charlie Price explained. “There’s this long road and then all of a sudden you’re like, wow, okay.”
The “wow” in question? A 4,200-square-foot modern home situated on 160 acres of desert known as The Saturn Haus.
Built in 2017 by the current seller, the property is an ode to glass, steel and concrete. The goal was “to have this property feel like it just got pulled down from the heavens and planted down,” Price, an agent with Coldwell Banker, told Homes.com in an interview.
More than that, the estate has its own self-sustaining microgrid, meaning it powers itself with the sun and wind.
“We’ve had the pleasure of transacting on some beautiful estates, and I’ve not once had a microgrid luxury pitched to me before,” Price said. “This thing just runs on its own."
Now, the desert escape is looking for its next steward, and it’s asking $14 million, according to a listing on Homes.com.
Creating an off-the-grid sanctuary in California
The mind behind Saturn Haus is Wendy Wacker, a name that might ring a bell for Chicagoans.
Wacker is the great-granddaughter of Charles H. Wacker, the chair of the Chicago Plan Commission in the early 1900s. In fact, Charles Wacker’s influence on the city was so great that Wacker Drive, a street along the Chicago River, is named after him.
When it came to planning her own estate, though, Wacker set out to build a getaway. She purchased the Joshua Tree acreage in 2012. It wasn’t until 2017 that the project was completed.
“[She] picked up raw land and wanted to kind of build a sanctuary that was just a retreat for herself, and a quiet space to get away, to write to be creative,” Price said.
And that’s just what she did. The property includes a guest house, rooftop viewing deck, recording studio and heated lap pool.
Wacker is now selling the home for health reasons, according to Price.
Selling a quiet respite away from the hustle and bustle
Price said he sees someone with “the same background” as Wacker purchasing the property. In other words, an artist or creative looking to “add this to their portfolio or add this for a getaway and to have this creative space for their next chapter.”
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, there’s been an increased interest in Joshua Tree from buyers, especially those looking to find quiet respite from some of California’s more urban regions, according to Price.
“I’m from Orange County and even commuting there, you’re leaving this hustle and bustle city, car horns beeping and sirens,” he said. “Then you get out [to Joshua Tree], you open your car door and you literally cannot hear a thing. It’s so peaceful.”
The property could also serve as more than a residence, Price said, noting that Wacker has previously been contacted with requests for hosting retreats at the property.
“It really is a vast piece of architecture that can be manipulated in many ways,” he added.