Alexander Enmanuel Rodriguez aka A-Rod started his career in baseball in 1994, but he was first drafted in 1993 by the Seattle Mariners, 1st rd. (1st overall). He has played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, and New York Yankees. Rodriguez was one of the sport's most highly touted prospects and is considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time.
Talk about a family man. When Alex Rodriguez began building a new home in Miami, the first people he consulted were his daughters, Natasha and Ella. “Traveling as much as I do, what I really wanted was someplace peaceful, where I could rest and recover and be with my daughters,” says the New York Yankees star. “We started with a pen and paper thinking about all the great things that they would like.”
Of course, it's not all about the kids. Rodriguez collaborated with local architects Ralph Choeff and Paul Fischman as well as interior decorator Briggs Edward Solomon to create a sleek midcentury-style space designed for indoor-outdoor living, with expansive glass walls that open up to the beautiful grounds and Florida warmth. The pool area features grass that extends to the water's edge, a choice Rodriguez made both for its “chic, good look” and the fact that it's “safer for the girls,” and the dining room table—equal parts dinner setting and homework station—is surrounded with paintings by Marilyn Minter and Jean-Michel Basquiat.
“It's fun to tell my girls who Basquiat was, who Warhol was,” Rodriguez says. In this house, it seems even art appreciation is a family affair. Watch the video to see what else went into the making of his home.
This story originally appeared inArchitectural Digest.
