Waterfront Wonder Crowned Connecticut’s Most Expensive Home at $150M
Realtor.com
Imagine waking up just steps away from your own mile-long beach, only 35 miles from midtown Manhattan.
That’s exactly what Copper Beech Farm, in Greenwich, CT, offers. That is, if you have $150 million.
The state’s most expensive property is listed with Leslie McElwreath and Joseph Barbieri, of Sotheby’s International Realty – Greenwich Brokerage.
The home last hit the market in 2014, when it reportedly sold for $120 million—a drop from its initial $190 million asking price.
The estate was built in the 1890s and is home to hundreds of copper beech trees, as its name suggests. It is Greenwich’s largest waterfront parcel and possibly the largest in the entire tri-state area of New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey, says McElwreath.
The 50-acre property is perched 40 feet above water on a private peninsula with Long Island Sound views, alongside a private island.
Although the island is undeveloped, that’s part of the charm.
“You can row out and have your picnic and, in the evening, watch the sunset,” says McElwreath.
Included in the compound is a 13,519-square-foot, eight-bedroom, eight-bath house at the end of an 1,800-foot cobblestone driveway. Nearly every room in the house offers beautifully framed water views.
Storied estate
In 1893, New York City native John Hamilton Gourlie bought the land and built the main house.
His children inherited the property after his death and later sold it to Harriet Lauder Greenway, whose father helped Andrew Carnegie create the company later known as U.S. Steel.
She expanded the property to around 100 acres and turned it into a working farm. After her death, it was reportedly sold for $7.5 million in a private transaction to timber tycoon John Rudey. The current owners bought the place in 2014.
Despite the home’s age, it isn’t a money pit or desperate for a renovation. Everything has been fully modernized.
“The family has brought the property back to life and preserved it,” says McElwreath. “It’s as good as new in that it feels like the original home. They did millions of dollars of work.”
That includes updates to the plumbing, electrical, kitchen, and baths.
Oak paneling, fireplaces, and plaster friezes are among the preserved historical details. The main rooms boast 12-foot ceilings.
EntryDaniel Milstein for Sotheby’s International Realty
Dining roomDaniel Milstein for Sotheby’s International Realty
KitchenDaniel Milstein for Sotheby’s International Realty
One of the bedroomsDaniel Milstein for Sotheby’s International Realty
PoolDaniel Milstein for Sotheby’s International Realty
Tennis courtDaniel Milstein for Sotheby’s International Realty
GreenhouseDaniel Milstein for Sotheby’s International Realty
Gracious grounds
Other structures include a stone carriage house (featuring a clock tower and one-bedroom garage apartment, plus vehicle storage), a three-bedroom gatehouse, original milking stalls, and a pool house.
Also on property are a 75-foot-long heated pool, spa, grass tennis court, two greenhouses, an apple orchard, and two beaches.
According to the Wall Street Journal, if the property sells for its $150 million list price, it will rank as one of the highest-ever residential real estate transactions in the U.S.
Greenwich is an affluent town with a population of about 63,000. People are drawn here for the “high quality of life,” says McElwreath. “It’s a wonderful place to raise a family.”
And she believes potential buyers see it as a place to unwind.
“It is a vacation retreat all on its own, once you pass through the gates,” she says.
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