Now that word is out about Olympic champion and Baltimore native Michael Phelps’ marriage to Nicole Johnson, it’s also possible to see where the newlyweds and their son Boomer are living.
Real estate website Trulia and Architectural Digest magazine have run photo spreads on the couple’s residence, which is in Scottsdale, Ariz. The house is newly constructed, and they are the first occupants.
TMZ broke the news this week that Phelps and Johnson were secretly married in Arizona on June 13, just before the 2016 Olympics. Their home’s desert location is “a far cry from Phelps’s native Baltimore,” AD states in its article, under the headline, “See Where Michael Phelps is Retiring After the Rio Olympics.”
Phelps reportedly purchased the house for $2.5 million in late 2015 and moved in after construction was completed in mid-2016. He grew up in Rodgers Forge, graduated from Towson Senior High School and previously owned a series of homes in Baltimore’s Canton neighborhood.
“Word is that Michael, his fiancée, Nicole Johnson, and their baby boy…will put down roots in Arizona so Michael can train with longtime coach Bob Bowman and work with the Arizona State University swim team in nearby Tempe,” Trulia stated.
According to Trulia, the single-story house has five bedrooms, six-and-a-half bathrooms and 6,010 square feet of space in all – plenty of room for 28 Olympic medals. It was designed by Henry Mohrschladt, an award-winning builder of sailboats and yachts, and features views of the Camelback Mountains.
“The expansive living/dining room showcases a vaulted ceiling, glass doors that open to the outdoor entertaining area, and a double-sided fireplace, which separates the space into two distinct sections,” AD observes.
“European stone and imported hardwood floors complement custom lighting, four fireplaces…and top-of-the-line kitchen appliances,” Trulia states. “Ideal for entertaining, the home has an outdoor living area in back with lush landscaping, fruit trees, and of course, a resort-style swimming pool and hot tub. You wouldn’t expect Michael to buy a home that was entirely on dry land, right?”
Ed Gunts is a columnist writing about real estate and design for Baltimore Fishbowl.
