Lights, camera… auction: a $65 million architectural milestone in Maui
It’s the light in Maui that gets you. Not just the amber-gold sunsets or the way the honeyed morning light glitters and shatters over the breaking ocean waves. It’s the long, enveloping fingers of the sun in this part of the world that warm you, wrap you, anchor you into this magical island’s spirit of aloha.
It’s also the kind of light that can seduce willing architects into a design dance. Chasing shadows as the day bounces its way around a building. Pausing for a quiet moment in shade, a gentle ricochet back into slivers of bright.
A poem of a canvas for those who feel the home they inhabit. Add a beachfront location with just under an acre to play with, an architect renowned for bold designs that lean heavily into light and shade, color and texture… and you get Casa en Maui. A remarkable residence now publicly on the market for the first time and exclusively under auction from 10-22 April 2025.
Designed by acclaimed Mexico City-based architect Ricardo Legorreta, and built in 2002, Casa en Maui has a unique place among the most significant residences on the island, says Matt Beall, CEO and Founder of brokerage Hawai’i Life. “It’s the combination of the dramatic look and feel, that quiet stretch of Keawakapu Beach and the scale of the property – despite how intimate it feels, it may well be the largest built home on Maui. It’s so dramatic and distinctive – it’s that perfect equation of design, architecture and location.”
The signature of the late Legorreta (who died in 2011; his son Victor Legorreta now leads the studio and was involved in the project) is everywhere. Geometric lines, bold colors, earthy textures, integrated indoor and outdoor spaces. Volume, travel, connection.
Then there’s the location. Not just Hawaii, not just Maui, but a particularly delicious slice of the island.
“When this site was chosen for the build, it was the best location on Keawakapu Beach [a white sandy stretch of Maui’s south shore, with views across to the island of Lanai],” notes Hawai’i Life agent Josh Jerman. “It’s at the quiet end of the beach with a private-feeling cove out front – your morning swim is just there.” And just beyond? One of the world’s best locations for spotting migrating humpback whales.
Casa en Maui spans more than 21,000 square feet of signature Legorreta design, changing with Maui's shifting golden light. (Hawai'i Life)
It was a location that proved irresistible to the home’s current owners, actor Barret Swatek (known for her roles in Yellowstone, Awkward and American Housewife) and retired hedge-fund manager Adam Weiss. The couple purchased Casa en Maui in 2021 and, four years and one daughter later, they told Mansion Global that their next move will be to Swatek’s native Alabama to be nearer extended family.
The accelerated timeline of an auction appealed.
Beall and Jerman agree that a property of this provenance, coupled with its location, commands the attention of a particular kind of buyer. But not always the urgent kind. “The fact is, unless you’re already in Hawaii, you have to get on a plane to come see this home,” Beall says, “and people who are interested will do that on their own schedule.” The auction format, he says, creates an urgency that benefits both buyer and seller.
Jerman adds that virtual tours, as well as tours with principals and representatives of principals, have been keeping him and his team busy every day since the property, valued at $65 million, launched to market on February 26, 2025. Some are local but most are from out state or out of country and seeking second or third homes.
But despite the ease of FaceTime or WhatsApp tours, Jerman stresses that this is a property that “really needs to be experienced in person. The more time you spend in and on the property, the more it reveals itself in ways you can’t possibly experience just from photos or video.”
A quote by Ricardo Legoretta speaks to the soul of this remarkable home and its connection to Maui:“Light belongs to the heart and spirit. Light attracts people, it shows the way, and when we see it in the distance, we follow it.”
Bidding for Casa en Maui opens on April 10, 2025 and ends April 22, 2025. Contact Josh Jerman or Matt Beall of Hawai’i Life to pre-register with Concierge Auctions.
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