rhinebecknewyork

Astor Courts To Be Sold At Auction

Filed under: Estates

Over the summer the Astor Courts estate in Rhinebeck, New York was in the news for hosting Chelsea Clinton's wedding, now it is up for auction. The home has been up for sale for a while, it was our estate of the day back in September 2009 and was listed for $12 million. Tranzon Asset Advisors, a national real estate auction firm, is organizing the auction in conjunction with H.H. Hill Realty Services of Rhinebeck, NY. The auction is open to qualified, pre-registered bidders and will start with a sealed-bid process that has an October 14th deadline.

The home was built at the turn of the century by John Jacob Astor, IV and his wife Ava. It was designed by Stanford White and was inspired by Louis XIV's Grand Trianon at Versailles, Astor Courts. The home was originally part of the Astor family's Ferncliff estate and Astor Courts (also known as the "Astor Casino" or "Ferncliff Casino") was designed as a guest lodge and sporting pavilion. The beautiful Beaux-Arts mansion was completed in 1904 and is on 50 acres. The expansive main living area has five bedrooms and spans over 15,000 square feet. The truly stunning details include the indoor clay tennis court topped with a glass ceiling and framed by Gothic arches and a white marble pool surrounded by arches and graced with a pale sky-blue ceiling.

In 1964 Brooke Astor gave the home to the Catholic Church. The current owners, real-estate developer Arthur Seelbinder and his wife, Kathleen Hammer, a former producer for Oxygen Media, bought the home in 2005 for $3.2 million and spent a fortune restoring it. Stanford White's great-grandson, Sam White led the restoration. The property is listed on the National Historic Register, and a Letter of Patent from New York State ensures access to the Hudson River in perpetuity and a Special Use Permit allows the property to be rented for corporate retreats, conferences and other functions. It has an estimated appraised value of $15 million but will sell to the highest bidder above $7,500,000.

Gallery: Astor Courts

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Leibovitz Picks up 30 Days (and Another Lawsuit)

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

In the ongoing legal struggle between celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz and the art community's financial institution, Art Capital Group, the judge has decided to extend the clock. Though the photographer's payment is still due on September 8, 2009 (Tuesday), the next hearing with New York State Supreme Court Justice Bernard Fried won't occur until October 2. The experts, according to Bloomberg News, are chiming in that Art Capital Group is unlikely to declare Leibovitz in default, as that could push her into bankruptcy, which could cost the lender some cash and control over its own financial fate. Her real estate is estimated to be worth close to $40 million, and Art Capital Group puts the worth of her photo archive at above $50 million ... a bit higher now, thanks to the recent LeBron James shoot for Vanity Fair.

As if a lawsuit in state court weren't enough, Leibovitz may find herself in front of a federal judge, soon. Italian photographer Paolo Pizzetti filed the complaint, alleging that Leibovitz had hired him to take site-scouting photos and then used his product – without permission – in a LavAzza calendar, passing the photos off as her own. Specific sites shot include the Trevi Fountain in Rome and Plaza San Marco in Venice. The calendar was released last October. Pizzetti is looking for $150,000 per infringement and other unspecified damages. The Leibovitz camp has no comment yet, as it hasn't reviewed Pizzetti's filings.

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New Destination Spa Planned For Rhinebeck, New York

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spas

A new spa resort is planed for the small town of Rhineback, New York. The Poughkeepsie Journal reports that the new project calls for 80 hotel rooms in an upscale retreat. The new structure would include a 15,000 square-foot spa and two floors with hotel rooms and parking spaces. The project is being created by the same people behind the Mirbeau Inn & Spa (shown here) in Skaneateles, Onondaga County but this is a bigger project. Townspeople have concerns about the sudden influx of traffic and there are concerns that the architecture won't fit in with the rest of the village. The plans were recently unveiled for the village planning board and more studies regarding the potential impact of the project must be done before the project is a go.

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Tags: destination spa, mirbeau spa, rhinebeck new york, RhinebeckNewYork