September 17, 2013

Castle in Connecticut

I was strolling through some real estate website and stumbled across a gorgeous castle in Connecticut. I have to say one thing right up front – regardless of how much money you have and how much you throw at a new house, you can’t buy patina and natural weathering. You can try and fake it, but it will never look like what’s accumulated with the passing of the seasons and the years. {end rant}image

The house, which the original owners referred to as a chateau, was built in the 1920’s by a crew of 100+ Italian stonemasons, for a New York surgeon and his socialite wife.image It was designed by the architect Edward C. Dean in the Storybook style.

The estate is at the end of a mile-and-a-half long driveimage and sits on more than 250 acres, with more land available. The property has ponds, waterfalls, old growth woods, meadows and streams.image

The main house has seven bedrooms and seven full baths, and three partial baths. But there is also a stone gatehouse with two 2-bedroom apartments, imagea 1-bedroom guest house adjacent to the pool and spa, a potting shed, a 3-stall horse barn with tack room, a chauffeurs garage with an apartment above, and another garage, which together provide garaging for 18 cars.

The original owners travelled extensively and brought back souvenirs of their travels to both build and fill the house. image

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After almost 100 years, the house has settled into its site and the trees and bushes have grown up around it, imagegiving it that look that’s attempted frequently, but achieved rarely.image

So, if you have a spare $8 million lying around, not doing much, or if you win the big lottery pool, this might be a house for you to consider!image

Naturally, it’s being listed through Sotheby’s in Litchfield, CT.
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Click here for more images and the specifics.

18 comments:

  1. Thank goodness for people with money. They have kept 250 acres out of the hands of "developers" that would subdivide and build cookie cutter houses that will fall apart in 20 years, thank goodness 250 acres are un developed. Yes this country needs people with money to keep the economy chugging along. The wealthy are necessary they keep the economy chugging along.

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    1. This area of CT has some really strict development laws, so no ticky-tacky houses!

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  2. I have never understood why, if they have that much money, don't they buy a real one!
    Di
    xoxo

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    1. Ha! Because they want to live in Connecticut, not the wilds of Wales (See: Wm. Randolph Hearst)

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    2. The original owner, a Dr. -- well, he no doubt had a successful practice and worked and lived in NYC during the week and this was where what, weekends summers for the family were spent. it could have been rented out for weddings etc etc . However, The socialite wife back then, thank goodness for socialite wives. now that was a job-- being a socialite decades ago, A socialite constantly hosted dinner parties, fundraisers for the hospital perhaps and for research programs . what "socialite/parasite" in today's celebrity performs such tasks, tirelessly without a barrage of photographers snapping away. Now location location location this estate is probably a reasonable commute from NYC/Manhattan but then there is the chauffeur . ( Remember dinner parties need GUESTS!!!) Let's give the tirelessly social conscious celeb/socialites their due with a nomination...
      Doris Day dedicated here life to animal welfare

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  3. wow -this is magnificent! And a 1920s version of this is better than a REAL version -it has plumbing and more comfortable features!

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    1. tell me about it! having spent a year walking down three flights of stairs to use the loo, which was located in the former dungeon!

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  4. Meg I would feel like I was living in a Storybook if I had this home!

    xoxo
    Karena
    2013 Artists Series!

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  5. This is wonderful + 250 acres + Wow xxpeggybraswelldesign.com

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  6. Magnificent!

    What you say about "Patina"; oh so true! The proportions of the rooms are so "NOT Mcmansion"! It is a big house; but cozy!

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    1. They knew proportion back then! How to make a comfortable house!

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  7. I prefer the gatehouse! And, that bench on the terrace!!

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  8. Hardly an old property at only 100 years old (for those of us from Europe used to houses 400 to 500 years old but still quite an impressive design and replica of a French type castle.

    whathouse

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