–
Leona Helmsley was accused by the Federal government of tax evasion for using company funds on the property’s renovations.
–
Will you offer us a hand? Every gift, regardless of size, fuels our future.
Your critical contribution enables us to maintain our independence from shareholders or wealthy owners, allowing us to keep up reporting without bias. It means we can continue to make Jewish Business News available to everyone.
You can support us for as little as $1 via PayPal at [email protected].
Thank you.
For $65 million you can own the Greenwich Connecticut estate that belonged to “The Queen of Mean, ” New York hotelier Leona Helmsley.
Helmsley and her husband bought it for $11 million in 1983.
The property was last acquired by an anonymous buyer in 2012, for $35 million. It was put back on the market a year later and the new asking price was $43 million.
Located on Round Hill Road, the red brick mansion was built in 1918 by the New York City financier Daniel G. Reid as a present for his daughter. The Greenwich Historical Society described the pre-renovation house as “one of the last intact historic estates left” in their city.
The realtor responsible for the listing was quoted as saying that the current owners “took it from looking like a museum to becoming a home.”
The gated property has a total of 40 acres.
The sellers renovated the house, which now has a total floor space of 17, 000 square feet. It also has nine bedrooms and 11 bathrooms. The current owners also added a new staircase, new kitchen and new mechanical systems.
Someone, tell Santa: the house has six chimneys.
The main entrance has limestone walls and new Bourgogne limestone floors. The living room has a Neo-Gothic Romanesque limestone fireplace, a forty five foot high ceiling and teak floors.
The gallery hall has teak herringbone floors and “south facing windows to the breathtaking vista.” The master suite has a fireplace and views of Long Island Sound.
Some of its wings were removed, reducing its size from the original 23, 000 square feet. Its Ludowici tile roof was also reconstructed. The main hall has an antique fireplace and, according to the listing, “a majestic curving stairway and three sets of French doors.”
The listing also says the estate is “set on a magnificent scenic crest with a breathtaking plateau. The property, 600 feet in elevation with amazing East, South and West views is stunning, and surrounded by old stone walls and stately trees.”
The Helmsleys spent $1 million adding a special dance floor for parties, back in the 80s.
When Leona Helmsley owned it, she was accused by the Federal government of tax evasion for using company funds on the renovations and on the salaries of the estate’s servants.
