US beauty mogul lists replica White House for $54m

When Thuy Ai Kathy Lam arrived in America with her family they had little money to their name.

It was 1995 and Lam had travelled almost 15,000 kilometres from postwar Vietnam to end up in the south east state city of Atlanta. 

As a 20-year-old, she remembers driving through the streets of her newly adopted country and passing a local icon – a replica of the US president’s official residence, the White House.

As she recalled to The Wall Street Journal, she considered herself lucky if one day she could tour the 13-bedroom home. 

Yet, almost two decades later, Lam – who went from painting nails door-to-door to building a successful beauty empire – would own the unique estate.

“It’s an honour to live in this house,” she told The Journal, referring to the property as an “American dream”.

Lam purchased the property at 3687 Briarcliff Road in 2013 on a whim with her then husband, Daniel.

They had been looking for a property with extra room for their children and Daniel had joked they should buy the Atlanta White House. Lam took him seriously.

The mansion wasn’t on the market so Lam approached the owner. She knew his son.

Within weeks, Lam and her family moved in.

The Atlanta White House was built in 2001 by builder and real estate developer Fred Milani.

Milani created the home after sending designers to Washington DC to study the original White House firsthand. The home was his private residence.

Like the real White House in Washington, the mansion has an Oval Office.

With Lam’s children now university age, she is looking to move on from the property.

“This is no ordinary property. This symbolises the American dream,” Tuy Dewey Luong, a co-listing agent with Serhant said in a listing video posted to YouTube.

Luong is listing the property alongside Serhant agents Annie Tran and Tiffany Powell.

The sale includes two complete residences totaling 1858 square metres of interior living space across just under three private, manicured acres.

“The main residence offers six bedrooms and 11 baths, while the guest residence adds seven bedrooms and six baths, dramatically expanding the estate’s capacity without compromising privacy,” the listing reads.

“Inside the main house, a grand foyer sets the tone with an elegant statement staircase, intricate ceiling murals, and a custom chandelier, all supported by a discreetly integrated home elevator that provides convenient access to every level.”

On the property’s grounds, there are manicured gardens, an oversized pool and jacuzzi and a dedicated pool house. The pool house has an outdoor kitchen and a half bath.

The estate is on the market for US$35 million ($54 million), the media outlet reports.