Barbi Benton’s enchanting Aspen house retreat, known as “The Copper Palace,” is a distinctive 24,000-square-foot home located on 35 acres in the Starwood area of Aspen, Colorado. Completed in 1995 after six years of design and construction, the house is renowned for its distinctive, multitiered, pod-like structure with a copper roof. The home features two heated swimming pools with underwater speakers, a ballroom, a disco, a gym, a dark room, office spaces, a main bedroom with a revolving bed, and a projection room. Benton’s design vision aimed to create an interior that was both fun and elegant, filled with whimsical and eclectic details, such as forty-seven interior doors painted with famous portraits that allude to the room’s function.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Barbi Benton |
| Date of Birth | January 28, 1950 |
| Age | 75 years (as of 2025) |
| Birthplace | New York City, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Model, Singer, Actress |
| Height | 5 feet 2 inches |
| Weight | 58 kg |
| Spouse | George Gradow (married since 1979) |
| Children | Two (Alexander Benton Gradow, Ariana Gradow) |
| Net Worth | Approximately $20 million |
| Current Residence | Aspen, Colorado, USA (also has a condo in Los Angeles, California) |
| Notable Properties | Luxurious home in Aspen valued at ~$5 million; 3,000 sq ft condo in Los Angeles bought for $1.6 million |
The house also boasts practical luxury elements, including separate practice rooms for piano and guitar, a massage room, and spaces designed for entertaining large groups, such as a ballroom and disco for up to 150 people. The home’s interior is noted for its creative and playful style, combining modernist architecture by Bart Prince with Barbii Benton’s artistic touch, including custom-made furniture and decorative features such as Perspex handrails filled with marbles and fibre-optic lighting in office desks. The retreat exemplifies a blend of art, design, and experiential living, making it a standout residence in Aspen’s luxury real estate market.
Who is Barbi Benton?
Originally born Barbara Lynn Klein in New York City on 28 January 1950, Barbi Benton is an American former model, actress, television personality, and singer. She started her career as a teenage model and became well-known for appearing in Playboy magazine and co-hosting the Playboy After Dark show alongside Hugh Hefner, with whom she had a relationship from 1969 to 1976. She also appeared regularly on the comedy series Hee Haw and acted in various TV shows and movies throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. Benton recorded several albums, mainly in the country and pop music genres, and retired from show business after the birth of her first child in 1986. She later married George Gradow in 1979 and has two children. Benton is credited with influencing Hefner’s purchase of the Playboy Mansion and discovering the Playboy Mansion West.
Where Does Barbi Benton Currently Live?
Barbi Benton currently lives in Aspen, Colorado. She resides in a luxurious and uniquely designed home known as “The Copper Palace,” located in the Starwood area just outside the ski resort of Aspen. The house is a modernist masterpiece designed by architect Bart Prince and sits on a large piece of land with stunning mountain views. Benton lives there quietly with her husband, enjoying a peaceful life away from the public eye.
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Barbi Benton’s Aspen House Interior and Exterior
Barbi Benton’s Aspen house, known as the “Copper Palace,” is a sprawling modernist home designed by architect Bart Prince.Aspen, Colorado, house is about 23,000 to 27,000 square feet and sits on a large lot. It features a very unique, eclectic, and playful interior with custom art, disco-themed décor, and bespoke furniture designed or commissioned by Benton herself. The house includes features like two swimming pools at different temperatures, a ballroom/dance studio, a disco room that fits over 100 people, a rotating bed in the main bedroom, There are multiple dressing rooms, a massage room, a gym, a music room, a yoga space, office suites, and a screening room. Benton incorporated artistic and whimsical touches, such as fibre-optic lights, handrails filled with marbles, ceiling floral displays, and specially painted doors that represented the contents of the rooms.
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Specifications | – Size: Over 20,000 sq ft (around 23,000 sq ft including all floors) |
| – Bedrooms: 5 | |
| – Bathrooms: 7 | |
| – Features: Multiple pools with different temperatures, disco for at least 100 people, screening room, gym, massage room, yoga space, offices, large entertaining spaces including a dining room for 150 guests | |
| Architectural Design | – Architect: Bart Prince |
| – Style: Modernist with a distinct futuristic and experimental design, with rounded shapes, cantilevered pods, and a copper exterior known as the “Copper Palace” | |
| – Unique elements: Four steel-and-concrete stairwell pods lifting the house, visionary custom art and furniture, 47 door portraits reflecting room contents | |
| – Location design: Built to conform with steep hillside, maximizing views and privacy | |
| Worth | Estimated worth: Around $8 million (was purchased in 1998 for $4.1 million) |
| Address | Located in Starwood, Aspen, Colorado. No precise current street number publicly disclosed, but near Aspen Mountain. A previous house owned by Barbi was at 1150 Red Mountain Road, Aspen, CO 81611 |
| History | – Originally purchased Aspen home (different from Copper Palace) in 1974 for $300,000, sold in 1988 for $1.6 million |
| – Copper Palace home took 6 years to build, completed in the 1990s-early 2000s | |
| – Designed to meet Barbi Benton and George Gradow’s extensive lifestyle wish list | |
| – Known for extravagant, distinct style blending personal taste and high functionality |
The exterior architecture adapts to the steep site of the property, featuring a distinctive, multi-tiered, pod-like design that lifts parts of the house off the ground, providing unobstructed valley views from each area. It took approximately six years to build, featuring numerous custom and highly artistic details both inside and out. The modern home is described as fun, elegant, and highly original, reflecting Benton’s creative personality. It also has extensive use of amethyst, quartz, and pyrite crystals in the disco area. The interior is a blend of organic forms and playful extravagance, with meticulous attention to detail.
Overall, Barbii Benton’s Aspen house is a one-of-a-kind large mountain retreat that combines the luxury of a private estate with the vibrant personality of its owner, featuring remarkable craftsmanship and imaginative design inside and out.
Barbi Benton’s Aspen House History, Worth, and Address
Barbi Benton’s Aspen house history includes two notable properties. Initially, in 1974, she purchased a 3,700-square-foot home at 1150 Red Mountain Road, Aspen, Colorado, designed by architect Harry Weese, for $300,000. She sold this home in 1988 for $1.6 million. This property featured four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a sauna, an indoor hot tub, and a sunroom. By today’s standards, this house is estimated to be worth around $5 million.
However, Barbii Benton and her husband George Gradow live in a much larger and unique modern home called “The Copper Palace” in the Starwood area near Aspen. This home is vastly different and more extravagant. It is a 24,000-square-foot multitiered residence on 35 acres, designed by architect Bart Prince and completed in 1995 after six years of planning and construction. The property includes features such as separate swimming pools, a ballroom, a disco, a gym, a projection room, and much more. The house is known for its eclectic, artistic interior and striking copper roof, earning it the nickname “The Copper Palace.”
The current value of this residence is estimated at around $25 million. The address for Barbi Benton’s original Aspen home was on Red Mountain Road, while the Copper Palace is located in the gated Starwood community near Aspen, Colorado.
In summary:
- 1974 home: 3,700 sq ft, Aspen, purchased for $300k, sold for $1.6M in 1988; worth ~ $5M now; located at 1150 Red Mountain Road.
- Current home (Copper Palace): 24,000 sq ft, Starwood, Aspen; built 1995; designed by Bart Prince; worth ~$25M; features extensive luxury amenities.
Barbi Benton Aspen House
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