Ellen Ruby Blog's: Stamford’s $49.5M Hillandale Estate Is Connecticut’s Most Expensive Listing

Friday, 7 August 2020

Stamford’s $49.5M Hillandale Estate Is Connecticut’s Most Expensive Listing

An enormous European-style estate has come back on the market for $49.5 million. That prodigious price point makes the Hillandale Estate in Stamford, CT, the most expensive home for sale in Connecticut.

“The house is set on roughly 261 acres and 15 tax lots,” says the co-listing agent, Stacey Oestreich. Even though the official listing is in Fairfield County, CT, parts of the property also spill into Westchester County, NY.

Eight bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, and four half-bathrooms are spread over 17,003 square feet of living space. Marble, limestone, onyx, and stained-glass details, as the listing notes, provide “a striking reminder of what can be accomplished when master craftspeople are given the finest materials.”

“It’s a true estate, with the wrought-iron staircase and the marble floors. It just takes you back in time, except everything has been updated,” Oestreich says.

Aerial view of estate in Stamford, CT
Digital Homes

Each bedroom is unique.

“They’re absolutely stunning. All of them have incredible detail and architecture. You could definitely be in a palazzo in Italy—or in France,” says global adviser Lisa Simonsen with Douglas Elliman, one of the other listing agents.

“The closet space alone, the his-and-hers bathrooms, and even the smaller bedrooms, are all very interesting architecture, ceiling height, and detail.”

In addition to the bedrooms, you’ll also find a formal living room, dining room, cloakroom, library, conservatory, game room, and breakfast room.

The kitchen features high-end appliances and fixtures. Two elevators will help the new owners get from one floor to the next.

The mansion was built in 1900 for the Sulzberger family, the longtime publishing dynasty of the New York Times.

The current owner is Charlene Haroche, widow of Gilbert Haroche, the founder of Liberty Travel. The home was listed in 2015 for $75 million, a few months after Gilbert died.

Published reports say it was also listed in the early 2000s for $95 million.

Oestreich calls the new $49.5 million price point a “price improvement.”

The current owners put nearly $30 million into renovating the property and doubling the size of the home, according to Oestreich.

“Some of the mantles and marble are from 17th-century homes,” she says.

One ceiling, she adds, has stained glass that is believed to be by Tiffany.

“It’s just really extraordinary finishes,” she says. “In the dining room, all of the woodwork was hand-carved to replicate another property that they loved.”

A true highlight of the mansion is the Olympic-sized indoor swimming pool.

“It has tile throughout and sets of French doors that run all along the pool [and] open up to the garden,” Oestreich says.

The outdoor pool is large and has two cabanas, each with a different feel.

Other outdoor activities include a maze garden, a children’s maze garden, tennis court, private lakes, and wooded trails. More than 5 miles of roads run throughout the property.

Both Oestreich and Simonsen say this property is perfect for a multigenerational family.

“A lot of families want to create a space for their children and grandchildren to come and play,” Oestreich notes.

She says she believes the opportunity to acquire a place that can so easily accommodate an expanding extended family is at an even greater premium today.

“They’re seeking this out now more than ever,” she says. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”