Sotheby’s International Realty
23 May 2016
Bestriding the Connecticut-New York border near Stamford, the illustrious historic estate known as Hillandale is the largest and most significant private property in the area.
The centerpiece of the wooded property, which extends gracefully over 262 acres, is a regal residence dating to 1900. Formerly home to a handful American business magnates, it is still widely unsurpassed for its classical refinement.
The home stands sentinel over its acreage from a perch atop a knoll, where it overlooks the cascading land beyond Lake Susan, a seven-acre picturesque private lake.
At just over 20,000 square feet, this is the epitome of a majestic manor, with eight bedrooms, 10 full and four half baths, formal living and dining rooms with intricate paneling, and a pristine chef’s kitchen.
In addition, it offers a host of exceptional and enjoyable auxiliary spaces, from a home theater, a library, a conservatory, and a wine cellar to an office, a fitness room, a steam room, an indoor swimming pool, and an expansive stone terrace adjoined by colorful arbored walkways.
Numerous materials and fixtures were imported from Europe — including surfaces of rare marble, limestone, and onyx; eye-catching mosaic tilework; alluring Tiffany stained-glass; and nearly a dozen antique fireplaces.
The acreage that envelops the residence cossets it in serene seclusion. Close in, outdoor recreation and enjoyment are encouraged by a second, open-air swimming pool, a tennis court, a greenhouse, barns, impressively manicured formal gardens, a life-size chess board and a teepee donated by the Smithsonian.
Guests and staff can be comfortably accommodated in the four freestanding private residences. Further out, five miles of scenic private roads wind throughout the property.
A stone meditation tower is sited regally on a bluff overlooking a reflecting pool; constructed in France, it was shipped to the U.S. and reassembled on the grounds of Hillandale.
