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Dr. Seuss' $19 million estate hits market for first time in 75 years

As real estate goes, the view alone might knock the hat right off a cat. 

For the first time in 75 years, the opulent estate once belonging to Theodor Seuss Geisel — better known as Dr. Seuss — is hitting the market. Asking price: $19 million for a four-acre compound high atop a hill in La Jolla, California, according to the real estate firm listing the property.

According to the New York Post, the estate is currently owned by the University of California San Diego, which received the property in 2019 in a donation by Geisel's late wife, Audrey Stone Diamond. 

The property consists of four sites that come with what the Jason Barry Team at Barry Estates describes as some of the "most spectacular 270-degree ocean, coastline and mountain views in Southern California." 

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The La Jolla, California, compound once owned by author Theodor Seuss Geisel — better known as Dr. Seuss — is listed for $19 million, Barry Estates
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The roughly 5,000 square-foot home includes ocean and mountain views, according to the real estate firm selling the four-acre property.  Barry Estates

Interested parties can bid for the entire compound or for separate lots. The roughly 5,000 square-foot home, which includes four bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms, is priced at nearly $12 million, while two adjoining lots go for $4.5 million and a smaller parcel lists for just under $4 million. 

The proceeds will go toward creating the Geisel Fund in the UC San Diego Foundation, with funds used for campus projects, according to the Post.

Bids on the property are due on Wednesday at 5 p.m. Pacific time, with only cash offers being considered.

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An aerial view taken from the La Jolla, California, estate formerly belonging to children's book author Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. Brent Haywood Photography

Since his death in 1991, Geisel's reputation has come into question over his use of racist and insensitive imagery. Dr. Seuss Enterprises, which oversees his legacy, said last year that six of the author's books would no longer be published

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