Crown crony buys Aspen mansion for $31.5 million

The owner of the $31.5 million stone mansion that recently sold in Aspen is a clandestine Chicago fat cat who works and plays with the owners of the Aspen Skiing Company and bankrolls Republican causes.

J. Christopher Reyes bought the 15,000-square-foot pad Oct. 29, setting a new high for a single-family home sale in Pitkin County this year. It sits on 44 acres near the Buttermilk ski area and includes a guesthouse and horse stable. The property, once owned by the Pfisters, was listed for $47.5 million.

Reyes is the chairman of Reyes Holdings LLC, the largest privately held firm in Chicago and the nation's largest beer distributor, with operations in Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington, D.C. It is also the controlling U.S. distributor to McDonald's Corp. through its ownership of Martin-Brower Co.

Reyes prefers to keep a low profile.

"If no one knew me, I'd be just as happy,” he told Crain's Chicago Business in 2005.

But many of America's caviar eaters do know Reyes.

He is on the Forbes list of "The Richest People in America,” where he landed the 205th spot with a net worth of $1.9 billion. Reyes serves as chairman of Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago and on boards for institutions like the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Museum of Science and Industry and Big Shoulders Fund where he serves alongside Lester Crown, the patriarch of the Aspen Skiing Company. Reyes was a former director of the Crown-controlled General Dynamics Corp. He chairs the Museum of Science and Industry with Jim Crown and Cindy Pritzker and the United Way of Metropolitan Chicago with Susan Crown. Penny Pritzker serves with him on After School Matters.

“Beer distribution has not been the traditional path for executives rising to this inner sanctum of Chicago's corporate and philanthropic elite,” Steven Strahler of Crain's Chicago Business wrote. “But Mr. Reyes has done it, while crafting a new, squeaky-clean image for an industry with a shady past, particularly in this town.”

Reyes is also part of Chicago's political machine. He handed out $100,000 to the recently formed Two Party System Inc., which funded mostly Republican candidates for the Illinois General Assembly. From his new West Buttermilk Road home, he will be able to easily participate in the rising tide of Republican strategizing in Aspen.

He bought his Aspen retreat from Bob Zangrillo, founder of Chicago private-equity firm Z Capital.

River Name / Location	Stream flow, ft3/s	Gage height ft
Gore Creek
At Upper Station, Near I-70 Twin Bridges	n/a	4 ft
Booth Creek	n/a	4 ft
Abv Red Sandstone Creek At Vail	182	6 ft
At Mouth Near Minturn	223	7 ft
Beaver Creek
At Avon	21	2 ft
Lake Creek
Near Edwards	80	1 ft
Cross Creek
Near Minturn	100	4 ft
Homestake Creek
At Gold Park	127	5 ft
Eagle River
East Fork Eagle River Near Climax	n/a	2 ft
At Red Cliff	30	3 ft
Near Minturn	234	4 ft
Wastewater Treatment Plant At Avon	675	5 ft
Below Gypsum	826	5 ft
Colorado River
Near Kremmling	404	4 ft
Near Dotsero	1,630	3 ft
Below Glenwood Springs	3,140	5 ft
Near Cameo	3,740	6 ft
Below Grand Valley Div Nr Palisade	2,080	5 ft
Near Colorado-utah State Line	4,120	4 ft
Near Cisco, Ut	4,060	3 ft
At Lees Ferry, Az	12,100	9 ft
Near Grand Canyon, Az	12,200	9 ft
Yuma Main Canal Ww At Yuma, Az	1,010	10 ft
Roaring Fork River
Abv Lost Man Cr Near Aspen	n/a	n/a ft
Ab Difficult C Nr Aspen	52	1 ft
Near Aspen	78	1 ft
Near Emma	480	6 ft
At Glenwood Springs	1,180	3 ft
Hunter Creek
Near Aspen	56	2 ft
At Aspen	48	4 ft
Frying Pan River
Near Ruedi	113	2 ft
Crystal River
Abv Avalanche Crk, Near Redstone	540	2 ft
Arkansas River
Ef Arkansas R At Us Highway 24, Nr Leadville	47	3 ft
Near Leadville	86	5 ft
Below Empire Gulch Near Malta	156	3 ft
Below Granite	429	4 ft
Near Nathrop	451	4 ft
At Parkdale	464	3 ft