Enormous 126-Year-Old Estate That Spreads Across 2 States Returns to the Market With a $30 Million Price Bump

An extraordinary Connecticut estate that spans more than 268 acres has made an eyebrow-raising return to the market—complete with an asking price that is almost $30 million higher than when it was last listed five years ago.

Straddling the New York-Connecticut border, the impressive "legacy estate," which is known as Hillandale, was placed on the market most recently on Feb. 17 with a sky-high list price of $75 million—a figure that dwarfs the $49.5 million it was last listed for in September 2020, when it failed to find a buyer.

Yet the price increase is just one of many reasons why the Stamford-area estate is making waves.

The property's impressive history is certainly noteworthy: The property was built in 1900, and it has had just three, very high-profile owners since then.

First, George W. Hill, a tobacco baron who once served as the president of American Tobacco Co. After that, it was purchased by the Sulzberger family, the longtime publishers of The New York Times, who then sold it to Liberty Travel founder Gilbert Haroche and wife Charlene.

After Haroche's death in 2015, the property was put on the market for $75 million for a brief period before being delisted until 2020, when it popped back up with the much lower price tag.

Having been owned by just a handful of stewards in its 126-year history, the home has been impeccably maintained, according to Leslie McElwreath of Sotheby’s International Realty - Greenwich Brokerage, who is co-listing the property with Joseph Barbieri.

“Everyone has lovingly maintained it and kept it up to the highest standards,” she notes.

But it’s the property's rare “best of both worlds” aspect that will likely lure a buyer, McElwreath adds.

“You have ... manicured property that’s very beautiful to look at, but you can immediately immerse yourself in the woods,” she says. “It’s a combination of very usable property—a beautiful lake with a beach and a dock, formal gardens, the pool, the pool house, and the tennis court (which lights up at night)—but you also have hiking trails through the woods.”

Another intriguing aspect of the property is that it is spread across two states, with 95 of its acres as well as the main residence located in Stamford, while the remaining 173 acres are in Pound Ridge, NY, a popular haven for NYC dwellers seeking to escape the city.

“I think so many people will be intrigued because of the amount of acreage,” says McElwreath.

Within the 17,000-square-foot main house—with its clay-tiled roof and stone masonry—are eight bedrooms, 10 full bathrooms and four half bathrooms. There are also four guesthouses, which can be used for overnight guests or housing staff, plus a detached garage with an apartment above.

Examples of grandeur in that main house are an indoor Olympic-size swimming pool, and—throughout the home—imported marble, limestone, onyx, and stained glass. Hand-carved paneling marks the formal living and dining rooms. The 11 fireplaces throughout the massive home are all original.

Plenty of spots are designed for quiet, reflective moments, such as in the sun-filled conservatory, the sauna, or the library.

For a buyer who loves to entertain, all of the goods are here, including a cloakroom dedicated to storing coats, plus two elevators to whisk guests around, particularly those with mobility concerns. The billiard room is also ideal for entertaining groups.

Outside the home, the property also houses a pool, greenhouse, two horse barns, a hedge maze, and private lake for the ultimate countryside retreat.

“The original house was more of a Colonial-style house,” says McElwreath. “The seller had a vision to make it much more of a European manor. As a collector, she collected things far and wide around the world. She was the one who put in the beautiful stained-glass window and historic paneling from France.”

In fact, the current owners invested more than $30 million in upgrading and restoring the home, with an eye on preserving historic details while still modernizing for today’s conveniences.

Proximity to New York City is another draw for the home’s next steward. By train, the trip to Grand Central Station takes about an hour. Even so, Stamford—a community of 135,000 people—has evolved in recent years and now offers plenty of amusements worthy of a major city.

“Stamford has come a long way as a big city,” says McElwreath. “They’ve got a lot of terrific restaurants, museums, and the Palace Stamford, a theater where they have a lot of significant shows. Most of our buyers like the proximity to the city, but the ability to own a piece of property that makes you feel like you’re in a very remote, private publication.”

Based on activity since the listing went on the market, the buyer could be seeking relocation to this part of the tristate area.

“We’ve had interest from literally around the world. People know how wonderful our community was and how rare it was to have this amount of acreage,” says McElwreath.

This is true of the buyer pool for Connecticut homes as of late. “We have a lot of people coming from California, which is new to our area—both Northern and Southern California,” she says. “We still have a lot of people coming from overseas. And then we have a lot of people returning to the area, people who’ve lived here and grown up here.”