Long Island estate with 15 bedrooms sells for Nassau County record $21M
Completed in 1935, the 15-bedroom Georgian-style estate in Old Westbury known as Erchless includes four greenhouses and other buildings on the 92.7-acre property. Credit: Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty
A historic Gold Coast estate in Old Westbury sold Monday for $21 million in the largest publicly listed sale of the year so far in Nassau County.
The 15-bedroom Georgian-style estate, known as Erchless, was completed in 1935. It includes four greenhouses and several other buildings on the 92.7-acre property, Newsday previously reported.
The property offered the rare combination of abundant land with space for horses within 45 minutes of Manhattan and is close to cultural institutions and shopping, said Lois Kirschenbaum, an associate broker at Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty, who listed the property.
"There are no more grand estates like this close to the city," she said.
Kirschenbaum said the property has not been subdivided but the buyer would be able to divide the estate into dozens of 2-acre lots for single-family houses as of right, meaning the owner wouldn’t need the Village of Old Westbury to approve a zoning change. The owner would need to work with the village to create a subdivision, she said.
“There’s definitely a development opportunity here,” Kirschenbaum said.
The home was owned by the Phipps family, which acquired the land in 1901. Howard Phipps, a philanthropist and horticulturalist, lived there with his wife, Harriet, until his death in 1981. Phipps' father, Henry Phipps Jr., was a business partner of steel magnate Andrew Carnegie.
The family's horticultural heritage is reflected in the estate's award-winning gardens. The property includes a stable with a turnout paddock and several barns, according to the real estate listing.
The home has a heated swimming pool with two pagoda-style cabanas. There is also a superintendent's house and a chauffer's house with a garage on the grounds, the listing shows. Inside, there are modern amenities such as central air conditioning and an elevator. The home has an attached four-car garage.
The estate was last listed at $23 million, according to OneKey MLS, the multiple listing service that includes Long Island, where the final $21 million price was recorded.
Maria Babaev, an associate broker at Douglas Elliman Real Estate, brought the buyer.
The second-most expensive deal this year was the nearly $12.7 million sale of Fox News host Sean Hannity's waterfront home on Centre Island, according to sales data from OneKey MLS. That data only includes homes that were publicly listed.
The last time a property sold for as much in Nassau was in 2021, when luxury housing developer Toll Brothers paid $38.4 million for 30 acres in North Hills.
That property had been the site of a 1920 Gold Coast mansion, known as Inisfada, which was later donated to the Jesuits and converted to the St. Ignatius Retreat House until it closed in 2013.
With Rachel Weiss
Check back for updates on this developing story.
A historic Gold Coast estate in Old Westbury sold Monday for $21 million in the largest publicly listed sale of the year so far in Nassau County.
The 15-bedroom Georgian-style estate, known as Erchless, was completed in 1935. It includes four greenhouses and several other buildings on the 92.7-acre property, Newsday previously reported.
The property offered the rare combination of abundant land with space for horses within 45 minutes of Manhattan and is close to cultural institutions and shopping, said Lois Kirschenbaum, an associate broker at Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty, who listed the property.
"There are no more grand estates like this close to the city," she said.
Kirschenbaum said the property has not been subdivided but the buyer would be able to divide the estate into dozens of 2-acre lots for single-family houses as of right, meaning the owner wouldn’t need the Village of Old Westbury to approve a zoning change. The owner would need to work with the village to create a subdivision, she said.
“There’s definitely a development opportunity here,” Kirschenbaum said.
The home was owned by the Phipps family, which acquired the land in 1901. Credit: Douglas Elliman Real Estate
The home was owned by the Phipps family, which acquired the land in 1901. Howard Phipps, a philanthropist and horticulturalist, lived there with his wife, Harriet, until his death in 1981. Phipps' father, Henry Phipps Jr., was a business partner of steel magnate Andrew Carnegie.
The family's horticultural heritage is reflected in the estate's award-winning gardens. The property includes a stable with a turnout paddock and several barns, according to the real estate listing.
The home has a heated swimming pool with two pagoda-style cabanas. There is also a superintendent's house and a chauffer's house with a garage on the grounds, the listing shows. Inside, there are modern amenities such as central air conditioning and an elevator. The home has an attached four-car garage.
The house, called Erchless, was completed in 1935. Credit: Douglas Elliman Real Estate
The estate was last listed at $23 million, according to OneKey MLS, the multiple listing service that includes Long Island, where the final $21 million price was recorded.
Maria Babaev, an associate broker at Douglas Elliman Real Estate, brought the buyer.
The second-most expensive deal this year was the nearly $12.7 million sale of Fox News host Sean Hannity's waterfront home on Centre Island, according to sales data from OneKey MLS. That data only includes homes that were publicly listed.
The last time a property sold for as much in Nassau was in 2021, when luxury housing developer Toll Brothers paid $38.4 million for 30 acres in North Hills.
That property had been the site of a 1920 Gold Coast mansion, known as Inisfada, which was later donated to the Jesuits and converted to the St. Ignatius Retreat House until it closed in 2013.
With Rachel Weiss
Check back for updates on this developing story.
Jonathan LaMantia covers residential real estate and other business news on Long Island. He previously covered the business of health care for Crain's New York Business.
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