This house listed on Miami’s Star Island used to belong to Rosie O’Donnell until she sold it for $16.5 million — now it’s asking $54 million

Miami’s tony Star Island, a private enclave that has long attracted A-listers, has a new, and currently only, listing: Rosie O’Donnell’s former waterfront estate, now on the market for $54 million.

O’Donnell, who snapped up the property in 1999 for just $6.75 million, later sold it in 2003 to Dr. David Frankel for $16.5 million, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Frankel is a prominent physician and real estate investor, and his wife Linda Frankel was a former Vogue editor and the sister of news icon Diane Sawyer.

The Frankels left their mark on the property, renovating it to suit their love of elegant yet relaxed luxury before their deaths – Linda in 2023 and David in March 2024.

Now, their son, attorney Greg Frankel, is overseeing the sale while he finishes a temporary stay at home with his family.

The sprawling estate spans approximately one acre, offering approximately 11,000 square feet of living space.

The Mediterranean-style main house boasts eight bedrooms, complemented by two guesthouses, a large pool with a slide, and a private dock complete with a massive 40,000-pound boat lift.

The kids in the family have spent countless hours splashing in the pool, racing around the island in Go Karts and even catching lobsters, Greg told the Journal.

The house dates to the 1920s, and when O’Donnell took over, she added her own touches, suspending a mounted hammerhead shark above the grand staircase, which the Frankels later replaced with a contemporary piece of art.

At the entrance, a massive banyan tree welcomes visitors, anchoring a circular motor court.

Inside, the Frankels opened up the entryway, remodeled the kitchen and created a rooftop terrace overlooking the lush grounds.

Greg remembers his mother’s passion for botany – she especially enjoyed tending to a small mango grove on the property.

“They were a big treat for everybody when they came in the spring,” he said.

For potential buyers, however, it’s all about choices. Greg acknowledges that some may keep the property intact, while others may tear it down to build something bigger, noting a trend across Star Island where older homes are being replaced by high-rise mega-mansions.

“You don’t know what to think anymore at this level,” he said.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to secure a waterfront complex that offers not just a residence, but a lifestyle surrounded by Miami’s most prominent figures in the heart of the city,” listing agent Liz Hogan told The Post in a statement. from Compass.

Nearby, billionaire Ken Griffin has snapped up properties on the island, joining the ranks of stars like Gloria Estefan and Shaquille O’Neal who have also called Star Island home.

And while luxury in Miami is nothing new, the heat has been on, the luxury market in the Miami area has been extremely active, Hogan told the Journal, with Star Island prices rising.

Just last year, a property on La Gorce Island fetched $100 million, while David and Victoria Beckham closed on a $72.25 million home in Miami Beach.

Meanwhile, this isn’t the only former home of the O’Donnells in the Sunshine State. O’Donnell unloaded her bed in West Palm Beach in 2016 near Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate shortly after his presidential victory.