Connecticut’s $190 Million Mansion!

Connecticut’s $190 Million Mansion!

Connecticut's $190 Million Mansion!

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Built in 1898 and now offered for public sale for the first time since 1902, Copper Beech Farm isn’t just all about the house, but also about owning 50 acres of prime Greenwich waterfront (4,000 feet) and two islands. In other words, don’t scoff at the price tag.

Though kept out of the public limelight, this grand estate comes with intrigue and a touch of scandal . After construction, the estate was purchased by the cousin and financial advisor of Andrew Carnegie, George Lauder, for his retirement in 1901. After his death it was later owned and occupied by his daughter, Harriet Lauder Greenway, and her husband, Dr. James Cowan Greenway. In Harriet’s obituary of November 20, 1913, a scandal was made public wherein it was reported that the couple had imported $100,000 of jewelry from Europe without declaring it with U.S. Customs. Her husband, James, was required to pay $33,000 in customs, making it the highest personal customs declaration in U.S. history at the time. To add even more intrigue, a woman’s body was found by the gardener stuffed in a trunk that had apparently been thrown over the boundary wall in the 1950s.

In 1982, timber tycoon John Rudey and his wife quietly purchased the property from the Lauder family in a private sale. Manicured and maintained to perfection, the French Renaissance mansion consists of 13,519 square feet and includes 12 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms, paneled library, elaborate dining room, solarium and wine cellar. The home still contains the original basement kitchen (no longer used), dumbwaiter, and sitting area for staff along with the third floor staff wing. It also retains the original sleeping porches off the main bedrooms which were used on warm nights prior to air conditioning.

The exquisitely landscaped grounds contain a stone carriage house with clock tower, a 3 bedroom gatehouse, a six-car garage and multiple greenhouses, pool, pool house, grass tennis court and an apple orchard.

Since the real estate market has lately been inching uphill, more high end listings and sales are happening every day in the $50 million to $100 million range, from land-locked California estates to the newest Big Apple skyscraper penthouses. Though the $190 million price tag places Copper Beech Farm as the most expensive U.S. listing today, it will be interesting to see how it will fare on today’s market.

Source: www.davidogilvy.com