Semi-monthly news and updates about the homes, people, businesses and communities that are featured in Lake Washington 130 Homes. This covers the Lake Washington waterfront in Seattle’s Madison Park, Denny-Blaine and Madrona neighborhoods, Mercer Island, and The Eastside communities of Bellevue, Medina, Hunts Point and Yarrow Point.
(The above home belongs to Charles Simonyi. See 5/31/11 post.)

Monday, February 22, 2010

Nathan Myhrvold’s T-Rex House




Nathan Myhrvold became fascinated with dinosaurs and visited the filming of the “Jurassic Park” sequel in 1996 and met the film’s consultant and world-leading paleontologist, Jack Horner. Horner convinced Nathan to use some of his Microsoft multimillions to fund a dinosaur bone digging foundation. His foundation has recovered more tyrannosaurus rex skeletons than the total previously found by everyone else. He has given most of them to museums including the Smithsonian. In-side the big rounded windows of his living room he has one of the t-rex skeletons he helped dig up.

He co-founded Bellevue-based Intellectual Ventures in 2000 and the company has been featured in recent news. Intellectual Ventures invests in invention. The company has created and purchased thousands of patents and original inventions with the purpose of protecting the inventors and collecting royalties from larger companies. Nathan personally holds 18 U.S. patents and has applications pending for 100 more. He was born in Seattle, earned a PhD in theoretical and mathematical physics from Princeton at the age of 23 in 1981. He joined a computer startup company, Dynamical Systems, Inc., and became CEO. The company was purchased by Microsoft in 1986 and he joined Microsoft as Chief Technology Officer. He is a prize winning nature and wildlife photographer and a master French chef, occasionally working as an assistant chef at top-of-the-line restaurants.
The mansion along with more information is in my book, Lake Washington 130 Homes, on page 97 (www.hundredhomes.net).

9 comments:

  1. Great post, David. I've always admired the home from the lake, but didn't know the T-Rex side of the story.

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  2. I just cruised past this house on waterways cruise -- this is by far the most amazing thing I've heard someone does for his house... Jaw = on the floor when I saw it

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  3. We cruised past the house and I was surprised to be looking at an actual T-Rex skeleton. It was amazing! Imagine living with actual T-Rex ... my grandson cannot wait until he visits his aunt and uncle so he can see this marvel.

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  4. ...or buy one at an auction, cast it, and donate the original to a museum and take the write-off. http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2000/0612/6514418a.html

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    1. Or just keep what you already paid for. He can let a museum have it when he dies, not like it's going anywhere!

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    2. You know what I feel he has given ten times that back to science , geologist , ECT..including "full fossils of T-Rex's to museums and to the hands of aspiring future geologists" so I think you should find other trees to shake SMH ..I am myself very grateful for him allowing his home to be showcased so not just himself but all can see something like this I think he is beyond very givng !! and for those that are less fortunate and not able to afford going to a museum he makes it possible for them to see one !! Very grateful

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  5. He added patent troll to an otherwise impressive list? That's unfortunate.

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  7. I saw it in person once. My father build his library, and we got to go see the house after they installed the dinosaur. It was the coolest thing ever.

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