Description

Blairsden: The legendary country home of C. Ledyard Blair, financier, banking heir and sportsman is offered for sale on 34 acres overlooking the Somerset Hills. Only 47 miles to New York City, it was designed by Carrere & Hastings with a sympathetic landscape design by James Lyle Greenleaf. The result is considered one of the finest examples of the Beaux Arts movement. Blair chose a bucolic hilltop setting within easy reach by rail of New York City in what is now Peapack-Gladstone, and assembled 500 acres of farmland with breathtaking vistas. Constructed between 1898 and 1903 it was regarded as a marvel of planning and engineering using steel and concrete floors on all levels, electrical service, elevators and the finest materials available. Its sumptuous interior of limestone, marble and rich woods reflects Blair’s lifestyle during the Gilded Age. Italianate gardens were created, extensive rose gardens added by the tennis courts, and a stone and brick staircase linked to a mosaic ramp that once led to Ravine Lake. Elegant weddings for his four daughters took place in this exquisite setting overlooking the countryside. Inside, the basement then held a pool, Turkish baths and a squash court. Expansive public rooms on the first floor opened to terraces or the veranda that joined the tea house, or Belvedere. Marble columns and doorways¸ unique and elaborate mantels for the 25 fireplaces, and exquisite moldings accent the home. Designed to accommodate the prestigious list of visitors and weekend guests, the second floor was for the family and special guests while the third floor was largely dedicated to staff. When Blair died in 1949¸much of the land was divided and sold off, and Blairsden sold in 1950 to the Sisters of St. John the Baptist who owned it until 2002. The grandeur of Blairsden remains wonderfully intact with recent renovation and will benefit from continued refinement.

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