The Dells Are Letting Boston Go, and the Opening Number Is $6.5 Million

Michael and Susan Dell have put their penthouse atop Boston's Millennium Tower on the auction block. Bidding is set to open at $6.5 million, and the residence goes to whoever is willing to climb highest from there. An auction is a different sort of sale than a quiet listing with a broker: it names a floor, sets a date, and invites the room to decide the rest. For a home at the top of one of Boston's tallest addresses, that is a confident way to let go. Readers from Palm Beach to Naples will recognize the type of property, if not the climate: the city perch that goes with a life split between several zip codes. Whoever wins the paddle inherits a view of a very old city from a very new height.

With reporting from Robb Report.