A renovated Gilded Age mansion in Somerset Hills, New Jersey has hit the market.
The 140-year-old “fortress” has been listed for sale by its owners, fashion designer Marc Ecko and his wife Allison Rojas, for $13.75 million, North Jersey Net Report.
The couple bought the property in 2005 and restored and modernized it. Jill Turpin of Turpin Realtors has the listing for this property.
Nestled on 32 acres in the heart of horse country, this 20,000-square-foot mansion was once owned by prominent New York couple James Coleman Drayton and prominent Astor family member Charlotte Augusta Astor.
The home features five half and eight full bathrooms, with the master suite including an elegant bathroom clad in black, gold and white marble with a double shower, steam sauna and freestanding marble tub. Additionally, the property includes a three-bedroom carriage house with pool and a five-car garage on its own 10 acres and included in the sale.
Architect Alan Wanzenberg and designer Oliver N. Carter contributed to the extensive seven-year restoration, which included opening the entrance and creating a rotunda leading to the second floor, reconfiguring the space to expand the dining room and two-story family room, and creating a pool area, the publication said.
The fort’s history includes serving as a summer retreat for John F. Dryden, founder of Prudential Financial Corporation. He added a patio and porch, currently used as a sunroom.
The estate has undergone various transformations over the years, including use as a school before returning to private ownership in the late 1990s.
While modern touches have been added to the estate, the mansion still retains many original features, including Tiffany glass, wainscoting, formwork beams and wooden floors, the outlet said.
Gilded Age properties fetched high prices. The 20,000-square-foot Beaux-Arts mansion was once dubbed Manhattan’s “The last intact Gilded Age mansion” Sold in 2022 with an asking price of $50 million in an all-cash deal
— Ted Glazer
