Dunnellen Hall, Estate of the Day

I first mentioned back in February that Leona Helmsley's Greenwich estate, Dunnellen Hall had hit the market for $125 million but at that time I hadn't found the listing. But it turns out that David Oglivy has the listing and some pictures giving a good look at this huge mansion. Like many other homes in Greenwich, it's a traditional brick mansion, it's just incredibly large and lavish. The entrance features iron gates and a long driveway culminating in a courtyard with a 70-foot marble reflecting pool with a three-tier fountain. Once inside there is a huge entrance hall with a cove ceiling and a cross arched center hall with a travertine marble floor, and limestone walls running the 86 foot length and a double-height plaster tracery ceiling. And then there's that stairway, a decadent marble, red-carpeted expanse crowned by a crystal chandelier. At 1,125 square feet the living room is larger than some homes.
The home is approximately 23,0000 square feet with seven upstairs bedroom suites, a glass-walled music room, a wood- paneled library with a 15th century fireplace mantel, formal dining room, family room with a bar and much more. The kitchen and pantry include plenty of storage, serving and cooking areas and there is a separate staff dining and sitting area. The back wing is home to the staff area which has six bedrooms. The indoor pool has four exposures and includes areas for sitting and changing. There is also a 75-foot outdoor pool with a terrace and a cabana with a kitchen. There are also brick cottages with an additional six bedrooms total.
The Helmsleys bought Dunnellen Hall in 1983 for $9 million (paying an extra $2 million for the furniture) and later picked up another 14 acres bringing the total to 40 acres. It's one of the grandest homes in the area but $125 million would stretch the budget even in a town famous for its lavish homes. After all, Mel Gibson's Old Mill Farm is only $39.5 million and that's been sitting on the market for nearly a year.
UPDATE: This home has now been reduced to $

























Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
mjk Jun 9th 2008 1:47PM
Alright EOTD, way to get back on track! This is a fantastic home.
DAP Jun 9th 2008 6:50PM
While a nice property one must compare it to the likes of Fox Hall in Upper Brookville. Fox Hall's history and its less to maintain at 19 acres, closer to NYC and LGA. Just new to the market.
C.K. Dexter-Haven Jun 10th 2008 12:21AM
Agreed FoxHall is really nice, it has long been a favorite o fmine...(and I have been in it) However, it has been on & off the market for years...
Dunnellen is being sold by Helmsley's foundation...they have the responsibility to get every cent they can since that will likely be the primary funding for them...it is however, absurd at $125m.
Where is Spec Bid??? They will have the real inside info...Spec??? You still here???
designer38305495 Jun 10th 2008 12:59PM
Do you have a link for Fox Hall listing? Don't see it in realtor.com for Upper Brookville.
MikeSwe77 Jun 10th 2008 2:20AM
I've seen the brochure form Ogilvy. It is a laugh! Hardly any photos, but there is a lot of text, but not really any good information about the estate.
I would expect an estate of this caliber to have a better presentation!
Deidre Woollard Jun 10th 2008 1:39PM
Here's a video from Inman that shows Fox Hall
http://www.inmanstories.com/movies/newplayer.cfm?name=foxhall