Mountaintop home overlooking Lake Mead lists for $3.45M in Boulder City — VIDEO

The mountaintop home, overlooking Lake Mead, was donated to the school in 1990 by the late Sarah D. Barder. She and her husband purchased the 2½-acre property as a lake retreat. Unfortunately, her husband, Allen, died prior to its completion.

The funds from the sale of Barder’s donated property to the current owner, Dr. Scott Baranoff, led to the construction of the approximately $3.5 million high school building. The building, named after Barder, opened in the fall of 1993.

According to Carolyn Goodman, Las Vegas mayor and founder of The Meadows School, Barder was an avid supporter of education. Barder’s philanthropy included the founding of the Sarah D. Barder Fellowship program for talented youth at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

“She was somebody who was dedicated to education,” Goodman said. “She gave substantive scholarship funding to The Meadows School for low-income families.”

Meadows is a nonprofit, “nonsectarian, independent college preparatory school” for pre-K through 12th grade, according to the school’s website, www.themeadowsschool.org.

In addition to her property, she donated funding to Meadows in various other ways, including funding the construction of the preschool building, the last facility needed on campus. This building was named after Goodman.

“She insisted,” Goodman said of the building donation. “She said she would fund constructing the building if they would name it after me.”

Baranoff purchased the property in 1992 to support the school.

“I have been well-acquainted with Carolyn and The Meadows School for many years,” Baranoff said, whose brother, Seth Baranoff, works at the school. “So when the residence came up for auction, the idea of being able to donate to the school and live in Boulder City was appealing.”

As with Barder, Baranoff is no stranger to philanthropy. Belonging to the Las Vegas Southwest Rotary for over 30 years, he has championed several local causes, including feeding the homeless, Opportunity Village and providing shoes and socks for at-risk students. His additional charitable work includes spearheading a project to place computers in an orphanage in Rio de Janeiro and donating time to proctor medical students at Touro University School of Medicine.

Now an empty nester, Baranoff is ready to downsize and travel.

“I’ve raised two wonderful children here,” Baranoff said. “It’s a wonderful property. Another family will get to enjoy it.”

He listed the home for $3,450,000 through Luxury Lifestyle Realtor Lee Medick-Riseman of Luxury Estates International.

Designed and constructed by Southern California architects Buff and Hensman, the three-level, 4,655-square-foot contemporary home incorporates several key Wright architectural design elements.

“It was the only property they had built in Nevada,” Baranoff said of the architects. “This is a very unique property.”

The 2½-acre private gated property, comprised of five scenic lots, overlooks Lake Mead National Recreation Area. The mountaintop siting of the home led to several construction challenges. It took two years to complete. The first year of construction focused on blasting the rocky mountainside to provide the area for the home. A 30-foot mountain wall on the west side of the property is a reminder of the challenging construction.

Though not built over an iconic waterfall, like Fallingwater, the design does symbolizes the harmony between people and nature. The open floor plan blurs the boundary between inside and outside with stone floors leading out onto terraces, as well as floor-to-ceiling corner windows, cantilever walkways and rock walls.

“You don’t have to be looking for the outside,” Baranoff said. “The outside is always there where you are. That’s what’s nice being up on the mountaintop.”

The home’s four bedrooms includes a private master. It also features four baths, expansive den, exercise room, elevator, high ceilings, plaster walls, clerestory windows, negative-edge pool/Jacuzzi, poolside loggia and three-car garage.

The home’s position on the property offers passive energy savings with overhangs as well as no windows on the southern side of the home. The “L” shape design provides afternoon shade for the pool deck.

“They positioned the home in relation to the sun,” Baranoff said. “It makes it so enjoyable.”

Featuring real teak wood cabinetry, imported Japanese ceramic flooring, granite counters and hand-scrapped wood flooring, the Wright-inspired interior creates a balance of natural elements with modern architecture.

“I like the feeling of being connected with the environment,” Medick-Riseman said.

“The custom Japanese imported floor goes with the integrity of the rocks, enhancing the indoor-outdoor feeling.”

The discreet entryway leads into a sunken main living area with two distinct sitting areas. Expansive walls of glass on the east side frame the lake and mountain vistas.

Asian influences are found throughout the formal dining area that overlooks the main living area and borders the expansive gourmet kitchen.

Its sliding teak doors between the kitchen and formal dining area offer privacy.

The kitchen’s professional grade appliances include an integrated refrigerator and freezer with teak cabinetry exterior, granite counters and long counter that provide easy entertaining.

“I’ve had a lot of parties here,” Baranoff said. “It has excellent flow for entertaining.”

The master suite features a luxurious master bath and private balcony, which offers views of the lake and surrounding environment.

“I love it,” Baranoff said. “I wake up every day and I’m so happy to look out and see all the natural wonder around me. It’s hard to go to work sometimes.”

Concrete walkways meander through the property, providing easy access to the lush, mature landscaping that surrounds the home. A Japanese-inspired garden is off the main living area.

“There are unobstructed views from every room of the house,” Baranoff said. “It gave me the ability to enjoy the outdoors, have privacy but still be in a wonderful community.”

Only a 25-minute drive to Las Vegas, Boulder City is what Baranoff calls a ‘hidden gem,” with wonderful restaurants and outdoor activities.

“It’s a very community-minded place,” Baranoff said. “Where people know their neighbors. It’s a wonderful, wonderful town.”

Besides the incredible vistas, the property comes with the ability to use a small community complex. The complex features a pool, Jacuzzi and clubhouse. Access to Lake Mead National Recreation Area is close to the property.