Connecticut Georgian estate where Harry Houdini hung out is up for auction for $4.75M

An incredible Georgian estate in Ridgefield, Connecticut is up for auction at an asking price of $4.75 million. The 10-bedroom mansion at 162 Old West Mountain Road, also known as Sunset Hall, was owned 100 years ago by Harry Houdini’s brother, Dr. Leopold Weiss, and it’s said that the magician practiced his underwater escapes in the pool. It’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places and sits on nearly seven acres of land with sweeping views of the Long Island Sound and Catskill Mountains. As the New York Post learned, it also has quite the celebrity pedigree. It was originally built in 1912 for U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain James Stokes and was subsequently owned by the Brooklyn beer baron Samuel Rubel and famed actor Robert Vaughn; and after WWII, it was considered for an official site of the United Nations.

This 19,450-square-foot estate sits atop Ridgefield’s highest point, with 50-mile views of NYC’s skyline and the adjacent Round Lake. Over the past 100 years, Sunset Hall has been restored while keeping its historic details intact. Its current seller, Jennifer Nobandegani, has owned the mansion since 2008 but lives in NYC with her children.

This elegant estate sits atop Ridgefield’s highest point, with 50-mile views of NYC’s skyline and the adjacent Round Lake. Over the past 100 years, Sunset Hall has been restored while keeping its historic details intact. Its current seller, Jennifer Nobandegani, has owned the mansion since 2008, but lives in NYC with her children. Amazing light fixtures and interesting wallpaper designs are featured in every room. Plus, a beautiful marble-floored, 50-foot ballroom is on the first floor.

There’s no shortage of dining and entertainment space in this Gilded Age estate. A gourmet kitchen with oversized windows and an adjacent large dining room with a fireplace is perfect for dinner parties.

The century-old mansion has been maintained well and features 22 rooms in total, with nine uniquely designed fireplaces.

The property also includes a 1,500-square-foot, two-bedroom guest house, tennis court, 65-foot heated pool, 4,000-square-foot limestone pool terrace, and incredibly landscaped grounds complete with fountains, hedges, and regal planters. Just one hour from NYC, Ridgefield, CT is home to some of the most affluent residents in the country.

[Listing: 162 Old West Mountain Road by Laura Freed Ancona and Kathy Schmitt for William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty]

[Via NY Post]

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Photos courtesy of William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty