On Friday, May 19th, the 7-acre, residential estate known as Sunset Hall in Ridgefield, Connecticut will be sold to the highest bidder at a live auction held on the property site. Although previously listed for $5.75 million, the home is being offered “without reserve,” and will be sold to the highest auction bidder regardless of the amount of the hid bid price. Miami-based auction firm Platinum Luxury Auctions is managing the sale in cooperation with listing agent Laura Freed Ancona of William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty. The property owner retained Platinum, a firm specializing in the non-distressed auction sale of multimillion-dollar properties on behalf of their private owners, to assist in the sale of the home after growing tired of the traditional brokerage sales process.
“The seller spends most of her time in New York City, and as her family grows up, they have much less opportunity to spend time at a large estate in Connecticut,” noted David Ashcroft, Platinum’s director of business development. “It’s simply a matter of a seller wanting to take charge of the marketplace, rather than suffer at the whims of the marketplace. She’s ready to move on to the next opportunity.”
With sweeping views of Long Island Sound and the Catskill Mountains, the Georgian-style estate sits on 7 manicured acres in Ridgefield, a posh community within Connecticut’s Fairfield County. Original owner James Stoker (U.S. Ambassador, banker and active supporter of the YMCA) built the mansion in 1912 on one of the highest elevation sites in Ridgefield. As such, the skyline of Manhattan is visible from the property on a clear and sunny day. (A drive into the city requires only one hour).
Stoker was followed in his ownership of Sunset Hall by a series of well-known individuals, including the brother of Harry Houdini, Brooklyn multi-millionaire and beer baron Samuel Rubel and famed actor Robert Vaughn. In fact, the estate was even anointed the home of the United Nations in 1946.
In total, the property offers 10 bedrooms, 8 full and 4 half baths. The main residence boasts nearly 12,000 sf, while a separate guesthouse adds 1,500 sf. Property features include a tennis court, 65-ft heated pool, a 4,000-sf limestone pool terrace, 9 fireplaces, a marble-floored, 50-ft ballroom, formal dining and a gourmet kitchen.
While the residence has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1984, the owner notes that it is not burdened by the excessive limitations that can be placed on such properties – such as strict rules on repairs and renovations – because it is not located within Ridgefield’s own historic district. To be sure, the owner performed various renovations and improvements to the property when she and her family purchased it in 2008.
“While the home has a very stately, historic appearance from the exterior, it’s filled with modern creature comforts inside,” stated Jude Black, Platinum’s project manager for the sale. “It’s an absolutely brilliant space for entertaining as well.”
Bidders must register to attend and participate in the auction sale, and the deadline by which they can do so is Thursday, May 18, 2017 at 5pm EDT. Registration stipulates that a bidder makes a refundable deposit of $100,000, in addition to signing the auction’s terms of sale. Bidders can participate in the auction on-site, or remotely via telephone. Interested parties are encouraged to contact a Platinum associate at 800.215.3183. Additional details can be found at SunsetHallLuxuryAuction.com.
