The Stevens Estate, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed)
Nov 12th 2009 at 1:04PM

Mark Ecko's Stronghold isn't the only lavish estate in Bernardsville, New Jersey. The area was once a summer colony for Wall Street financiers after the Civil War. The Stevens Estate is a 15-acre property which was originally the summer mansion of Robert Livingston Stevens, whose family was instrumental in the development of steam-powered boats & locomotives and founded Stevens Institute of Technology. Present owner Nat Conti and architect Jeffrey Beer took on the task of restoring and updating the home including the addition of an entire new wing and a main kitchen. The entertainment level replicates a Parisian street scene with a courtyard and a home theater complete with lobby, café, and candy counter. The grounds include formal gardens, a reflecting pool with ornamental water plants and a swimming pool pavilion with a center fountain and cherub fountains. This home is listed at $16.75 million.

Gallery: The Stevens Estate

Tags: bernardsville, estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay, new jersey, NewJersey, stevens estate, StevensEstate

Filed under: Estates

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Spectacular Bid Nov 12th 2009 2:58PM

Eh, not so much.

What was a lovely home in terms of its original bones with the design (that stair hall is wonderful and the leaded glass windows) just seems vastly overworked by a less then sympathetic hand. The 'updates' and current decorative elements just make it look more like a gaudy set design inside.

It doesn't retain the expected feel of a stately manor house with elegant, subtle cues but has more of a forced "I command you to admit I'm rich" tone. The whole home seems more in keeping with a house built in the last decade as opposed to having been there for a century.

Plenty of magnificent mansions to be found in Bernardsville, Peapack, Gladstone which are up to date yet retain a strong amount of historic dignity. This to me just isn't one of them ...

jasonfgd Nov 12th 2009 4:50PM

Generous amount of land, which is a huge selling point. Changing the decor could broaden the property's appeal.

T. Leeflang Nov 12th 2009 5:08PM

Half of the house and all of the grounds are amazing. But whose idea was it to install an ice cream parlour? And who thought that hanging 40 lbs. of dried weeds over the food prep and eating areas was a great plan? More money than taste or sense, obviously.

robert Nov 12th 2009 6:04PM

Weed and food go hand in hand...

I am a decor idiot but it looks to me like the exterior is very different from the interior style. Shouldn't it all meld together?

Kay Nov 12th 2009 8:40PM

IT GOES TO SHOW US THAT TOO MANY OF THE 'NEW' RICH CAN'T BUY TASTE OR CLASS.

LOOK AT THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY AND THE PROFESSIONAL SPORTS INDUSTRY.

YOU CAN TAKE THE BOY OUT OF THE HOOD BUT YOU CAN'T TAKE THE HOOD OUT OF THE BOY.

YOU CAN TAKE THE GIRL OUT OF THE TRAILER PARK BUT YOU CAN'T TAKE THE TRAILER PARK OUT OF THE GIRL..