David Rockefeller’s 75-acre Westchester estate asks $22M
Some call it the end of an era of understated wealth. David Rockefeller, philanthropist, art collector and former CEO of Chase Manhattan bank–and the last surviving grandson of oil baron John D. Rockefeller–died in March at the age of 101. His properties have been up for sale since then, including his legendary art collection featuring works by Matisse, Cezanne, Gauguin, Seurat, and Picasso that headed for auction at Christie’s, his Upper East Side townhouse with an ask of $33 million and a retreat in Maine asking $19 million. The billionaire’s treasured Westchester estate, Hudson Pines, has just been listed at $22 million. Only 45 minutes from New York City, the property, which was home to the aforementioned art collection as well as the owner’s antique carriage collection and his collection of 250,000 beetle specimens–Rockefeller was an avid entomologist–seems a world away from the bustle of daily life.
On the grounds of the 75-acre estate, which includes stables, cattle barns, greenhouses, staff quarters and a carriage house where Rockefeller kept his collection of antique carriages, the main residence is a 11,000-square-foot, Georgian-style mansion with Hudson River views. Built in 1938, the house, which has been described as “understated” by today’s mansion standrads, was built from recycled bricks from a New York City townhouse and is surrounded by trees and apple orchards (h/t New York Times).
Designed by architect Mott Schmidt, whose work was favored by tycoons of the day, the house contains 11 bedrooms and 15 baths. The three-level home begins with a floating staircase, past which is a living room overlooking a sweeping lawn, a private side terrace and dramatic river views.
The library has a carved fireplace as does a nearby separate office.
If you don’t want to take the stairs, an elevator gets you to the second floor where you’ll find a master wing with a private balcony, two dressing galleries, five bedrooms and five baths. A third has more bedrooms.
It’s the lower basement level where the former owner’s spirit really comes through. Here you’ll find a wine vault, hobby rooms and offices. As mentioned, in addition to antique horse carriages and art Rockefeller had a collection that contained some 250,000 beetle specimens with over 10,000 different species accounted for. The collection will be finding a new home at the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University.
Outside the mansions’s doors are magnificent specimen gardens, lawns and woodlands a wanderer could get lost in. Nearby are a round heated pool, a playhouse, a large carriage house, a gate house, a six-stall barn, three greenhouses with potting benches and another office–and a private helipad.
Offered for sale for the first time, Hudson Pines is also adjacent to the Rockefeller State Park, with over 30 miles of riding, walking and carriage trails.
[Listing: 180 Bedford Road by Anthony Cutugno for Houlihan Lawrence]
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Images courtesy of Houlihan Lawrence.
