The Most Expensive Houses on Lake Minnetonka: Landmark Homes & Estates, Record Sales, and a Quiet Offering at $68 Million

Lake Minnetonka’s shoreline has always told a deeper story—of legacy homes and mansions, generational wealth, and access that isn’t always visible from the street. The most coveted addresses? You won’t find them scrolling through MLS.

From the historic $54 million Southways estate on Bracketts Point to modern architectural compounds on Ferndale and Bohns Point, the lake's top-tier homes are rarely sold publicly. Instead, they’re handed off quietly—one relationship at a time.

Now, a new offering is reshaping the conversation.

2770 Gale Road, Woodland, MN

Featured in The Wall Street Journal, The Star Tribune, and Realtor.com, this newly completed estate is quietly being offered at $68 million—positioning it as the most expensive home ever marketed in Minnesota. With more than 655 feet of shoreline and over 29,000 square feet of living space across a private 8-acre setting, the home includes:

• 8 bedrooms, 17 bathrooms
• A $750,000 marble-clad spa suite with a 1,400-lb hand-carved tub
• A 20-bed bunkroom
• Indoor theater, arcade, wine cave, and cigar lounge
• Dual 2,000 sq ft guesthouses, a lakeside porch, and private putting green
  
  

If it sold at $68 million or near it it would shatter the record for the Most Expensive House on Lake Minnetonka.

If the property quietly offered at $68 million were to sell anywhere near asking, it would not just set a new benchmark—it would shatter the record for the most expensive home ever sold on Lake Minnetonka. . A successful sale at $68 million would signal a dramatic shift in the upper bracket, cementing Lake Minnetonka’s place among the most elite residential markets in the country.

Because 2770 Gale Road is a non-MLS listing, there’s no public tour, no open house, and no flashy marketing. Access—like the estate itself—is granted, not given.

500 Bushaway Road, Wayzata

There are addresses on Lake Minnetonka that speak before you arrive. Bushaway Road is one of them.

Nestled along one of the most storied and tree-lined corridors on the lake, 500 Bushaway Road represented a rare combination of location, privacy, and presence. Just minutes from downtown Wayzata, this estate encompassed a generous lot, with a graceful slope down to the shoreline and commanding views across Wayzata Bay.

Originally constructed in 1935, the home offered 6,000 finished square feet, including six bedrooms, six bathrooms, and three fireplaces. Traditional architecture in form and understated in tone, it served as a quiet lakeside retreat—one built for longevity, not limelight.

The property was listed in September 2006 at $18,000,000 and closed the very next day, on September 21, 2006, for $17,500,000. It remains one of the most significant sales ever recorded on Lake Minnetonka in terms of setting, acreage, and discretion.

1400 Bracketts Point Road, Orono

There are homes that rise with time—and others that become time itself.

Southways was the latter.

Perched at the tip of Bracketts Point, the estate stood for more than a century as a symbol of Lake Minnetonka’s gilded era. Designed in 1918, the residence sprawled over 32,000 square feet, with 16 bathrooms, 9 bedrooms, and a quiet grandeur that echoed across Browns Bay. Built for Eleanor and John Pillsbury—the grandson of Minnesota’s eighth governor—Southways was not merely a home, but a lakefront legacy rooted in philanthropy, politics, and permanence.

Its demise in the fall of 2018—exactly 100 years after its construction—marked the end of an era. Locals mourned the loss. So did architectural historians, including Bette Hammel, who told the Star Tribune, “I am just horrified — absolutely sick.” Hammel, whose final professional writing assignment was as a columnist for Lake Minnetonka Real Estate™, had long chronicled the legacy of estates like Southways. Subdivided and razed, the land changed hands—and changed character.

And yet, the numbers remain: Southways made our list of Lake Minnetonka’s most expensive homes four times, with a staggering 2,493 cumulative days on market—over 6.5 years of visibility in the modern real estate era. It was once offered at $53.5 million with 14 acres. On August 27, 2018, the final sale recorded just over $11.3 million for 5.42 acres.

Southways remains one of the most expensive and iconic properties ever sold on Lake Minnetonka. Despite trading well below its original list price, its $11.3 million sale still ranks among the highest publicly recorded residential transactions in lake history. The estate’s scale, provenance, and visibility over multiple listing cycles captured the attention of national media and set a modern precedent for what the Lake Minnetonka market can bear. Even in a subdivided state, Southways commanded a number few properties have reached—cementing its place in the upper tier of Minnesota real estate.

Today, the original structure is gone. But Southways is not forgotten. It lives on in the archives, the shoreline, and the memories of a lake that remembers its legends.

1500 Bracketts Point Road, Orono

Bracketts Point has long been a synonym for legacy—home to some of Lake Minnetonka’s most storied estates, from Southways to Pennhurst. At its southernmost tip, on a private 5.25-acre parcel with over 1,575 feet of shoreline, stands one of the most significant properties to ever sell on the lake and the second property on Bracketts Point to make our most expensive homes on Lake Minnetonka list: 1500 Bracketts Point Road.

Originally constructed in 1951, the estate was a sweeping family compound, encompassing a main residence, lakeside cottage, guest cottage, carriage house apartment, tennis court, pool with dual cabanas, and expansive grounds that seemed to float over Lower Lake Minnetonka.

The main home alone offered 7,066 square feet, with 11 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms—including four bedrooms on the main level, multiple wood-burning fireplaces, formal and informal dining rooms, a main-level family room, and dedicated spaces for both library and office. Architecturally modest on approach, the home revealed its grandeur in orientation and reach—angled to drink in views from sunrise to sunset.

But the real story here is the land.

With over 1,500 feet of waterfront, 1500 Bracketts Point held court as one of the largest contiguous stretches of shoreline ever assembled on the Lower Lake. The offering included two legal parcels at the very end of the point—private, protected, and possessing commanding views across Browns Bay and beyond.

First listed at $18,000,000, the property closed on January 2, 2007, for $12,250,000. A landmark number at the time, and still among the top historical sales on Lake Minnetonka.

What makes 1500 Bracketts Point special isn’t just its acreage or square footage—it’s the sense of scale, proportion, and quiet power. A home that didn’t need to announce itself because the shoreline already had.

It’s no surprise that those who understood the full weight of Bracketts Point’s history were drawn to this one. It’s not just a property. It’s a peninsula with provenance.

2209 Huntintonton Point Road, Minnetonka Beach

Tucked into the coveted Huntington Point shoreline—where Minnetonka Beach's estate-lined Lafayette Road dissolves into privacy and open water—2209 Huntington Point Road E ranks among the most architecturally exacting and expensive homes ever sold on Lake Minnetonka.

Built in 2012 and sold in August 2021 for $10,375,000, this 8,374-square-foot residence sits on 1.35 acres with 160 feet of level, riprapped shoreline. Every line, material, and finish was selected with intention. This wasn’t built for show. It was built for permanence and the price tag it traded for puts it in near the top of the list for the most expensive house on Lake Minnetonka.

Inside, the home offers 5 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms, and a carefully balanced mix of formal and informal living. French doors open to expansive stone patios, and walls of glass frame the lake like a living canvas. A private owner’s suite includes its own deck, spa bath, and boutique-style dressing room with a center island worthy of a Manhattan penthouse.

Upstairs, a large guest suite and three junior bedrooms share a deck with panoramic views. A 44-foot bonus room, hobby space, and upstairs laundry offer flexibility for modern living.

Outside, the estate blends indoor refinement with lakeside functionality: a heated pool, an outdoor fireplace lounge, dual staircases to the shoreline, and a separate heated garage for six vehicles—plus boat and pool storage.

While others may shout their luxury, 2209 Huntington Point whispers it—in scale, precision, and confidence. Its swift sale after just six days on market only affirmed its status: homes built this well, on shoreline this good, don’t linger.

Considering a Move at the Top of the Market?

While landmark sales like Southways, 500 Bushaway, and 1500 Bracketts Point have shaped the upper tier of Lake Minnetonka real estate, they also reflect a deeper reality: the most extraordinary homes often change hands quietly—off market, off radar, and off limits to the general public.

Case in point: a newly completed estate on Gale Road in Woodland is currently being discreetly offered at $68 million. With over 29,000 square feet, 655 feet of shoreline, and resort-level amenities, it’s the most expensive residential property ever shopped in Minnesota. But it’s not available online. There’s no open house. This is a relationship-first, invitation-only transaction.

That’s the world I work in.

I represent a small, select group of buyers and sellers at any given time—by design. This allows every client to receive true white-glove service, grounded in privacy, professionalism, and trust. Whether you’re preparing to bring a legacy estate to market or searching for something no one else knows is available, you deserve more than broad marketing. You deserve tailored advocacy and early access.

Now, let’s shift from the most expensive sales—including what’s being offered behind the scenes—to the most exceptional homes currently listed on Lake Minnetonka. If you’re considering buying or selling a property of this caliber, I invite you to reach out for a confidential conversation grounded in trust, timing, and discretion.