Move over, Leona Helmsley. After a recent $7 million price cut, a 40-acre retreat in Greenwich, CT, once owned by the " Queen of Mean" is no longer the most expensive listing in the state. That crown has been passed to a glorious 80-acre estate on Conyers Farm, also in Greenwich.
It's all yours for $65 million. "It's an amazing piece of property," says listing agent David Ogilvy, head of David Ogilvy & Associates.
A curving driveway leads to the"superbly restored" 8,000-square-foot home.
Classic touches blend with new additions, including a recently remodeled two-story, mahogany-paneled office just a few feet from the house.
An original firehouse has been converted to a guest cottage, and the ruins of a stone barn make a dramatic setting for outdoor entertaining. "It looks like a European hill town," the agent adds.
The sellers, who bought the residence in 2004 for $45 million, added a solarium, along with other upgrades. "The house has evolved," Ogilvy says. "You don't know what's new and what's old."
Old or new, it's all picturesque: the rolling grounds, meadows, and trails. There's also a pool, a pool house, tennis courts, a garden, and stables. (Ogilvy notes that horses aren't mandatory. The space could also be used to house a car collection.)
The affluent neighborhood has a storied past. Conyers Farm was built in 1904 by one of the U.S. Steel founders, Edmund Converse, who dubbed the estate Conyers after his ancestral Scottish roots, according to the agent.
The working farm sprawled over 1,460 acres and included apple orchards, paddocks, and stables.
After Converse died, the place fell into disrepair. Businessman and polo enthusiast Peter Brant scooped it up in the 1980s and converted it into an exclusive gated community , according to Ogilvy.
At the time, it was "one of the the largest undeveloped sites" near an urban area, The New York Times reported. The high-end housing development is less than an hour from New York City.
The private association comes with 24-hour security, polo grounds -- and plenty of peace and quiet. The agent notes that there are only 60 private properties. "It's beautifully quiet," he adds.
The exclusive neighborhood has attracted celebrities along with the uberwealthy. Ron Howard and Mel Gibson are among its elite residents.