The first Iron Man movie introduced Tony Stark alongside his impossible Malibu mansion, embodying his billionaire lifestyle... before moving to New York to begin construction on the future Avengers Tower, a base of operations for him and his MCU teammates. Which is a whole lot different than Tony Stark's mansion in the comics... and the invitation extended to the Avengers to become his new roommates.
Found along the steep and jagged coast of La Jolla, California, the "Razor House" mansion, named after its proximity to Razor Point, was designed by modernist architect Wallace E. Cunningham in 2007. The 11,000 square foot, three-story complex of white concrete, stainless steel, and glass overlooking the ocean was a perfect fit for a rich (image-conscious) billionaire like Tony Stark. The actual house was not fully completed until 2011, although the interiors were used for the interiors of Tony Stark's original mansion/base in the Iron Man movie trilogy. The home would make movie history, as the backdrop to the first Iron Man suit's construction, Tony's armored duel with War Machine, and more before its destruction. Well, its MCU counterpart was destroyed... but the actual Razor House sold for an impressive $20.8 million.
Even devoted fans of Avengers co-creator Stan Lee's movie heroes may not know about 'Avengers Mansion,' the home which made its official debut in Avengers #2 (1963), and its own inspiration being taken from the Henry Clay Frick House on 1 East 70th Street. As it turns out, Tony Stark's houses and mansions being inspired by real-life architectural feats is something of a tradition -- be it on the Malibu coast or New York City.
The city-block sized mansion was commissioned by industrialist Frick in 1912, built on the former site of the Lennox Library. Frick lived with his family in the gorgeous Beaux-Arts inspired building until his death in 1919, in which he willed the house and much of its contents including parts of his extensive art collection to be a museum for the public. The building was open to the public in 1935 and since then has become a time capsule of timeless architecture, artwork, and literature and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 2008. Lee claimed that he would receive dozens of letters from children who told him of their search for the Avengers Mansion within New York city, which Lee saw as recognition of creating something realistic within the realm of comic book fantasy.
In the comic by Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the idea was for the original Avengers -- Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Ant-Man and the Wasp -- to meet and get to know each other better. Gathered at the library within millionaire weapons manufacturer Anthony Stark's mansion, the Avengers bicker and quarrel until their battle gets physical, manipulated by their newest foe (the Avengers do not know that Tony Stark and Iron Man are the same, a secret that would not be revealed to his teammates for some time). Having inherited the mansion that his grandfather had built in 1931, and realizing the Avengers would require a base of operations, Tony donated the building to be the home for the Avengers. Over the years, the complex was modified to hold housing, training and medical facilities to multiple incarnations of the Avengers which also included transportation, the occasional paycheck, and the care and maintenance of the Stark family butler the Stark family butler, Jarvis.
In the beginning, Tony Stark simply invited the Avengers to stay at his place, moving into his extra rooms, and slowly getting used to being a team in a relatively short span of time. Although asking such things from people today sounds like a hilarious recipe for reality television, it created the idea of the Avengers as a team that operated more like a family, something that brings to mind the similar ideals reinforced in DC's Justice Society. The property underwent constant damage and reconstruction, as most superheroes bases constantly suffer from, but it became as much a part of the Avengers history as their membership cards.
Of course, when it came time to assemble the Avengers in the MCU, the idea was changed from Avengers Mansion to Tower, and necessitating Tony Stark's departure from the destroyed Razor House to New York (most likely taking inspiration from the similar change in the Marvel Comics a few years prior in the New Avengers series). The idea of the Avengers Tower standing tall among the New York city skyline oddly enough seems to make more sense as the former residency of Tony Stark and his company would eventually become home to him and the rest of the Avengers in 2012 until the events from Age of Ultron (2015) had them relocate. The idea of a mansion complete with its own butler would undoubtedly draw comparisons to Batman and the idea of a mansion as a home base feels more elite, while a tower gives off a more protector vibe.
Unlike a reclusive mansion or even a watchtower orbiting from space, the Avengers Tower stands tall but remains rooted on ground, reminding the people of New York that they are not alone when crazy, weird stuff happens that'll require more assistance than the local authorities can provide. Regardless of the cost, both financial and to its owners, Avengers Mansion, Avenger's Tower, and Tony's Mansion had one thing in common: they were homes that Avengers assembled within and no foreclosure or paint job could ever take that away from them.
Source: Mansion Global
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