Listing of the Day
Location: Darien, Connecticut
Price: $18.9 million
Despite being over 100 years old, this home on the coast of the Long Island Sound has had only five owners—a testament to its unique charm. It was built in 1915 by John McCormack, a famous Irish tenor, as a weekend party house. The home retains an original wood-paneled music room, which was "acoustically perfect" for the time, according to the current owners, who wished to remain anonymous.
Recent renovations, undertaken by the same owners when they bought the property 17 years ago, have returned the main structure as much as possible to its gracious original design—they worked from old blueprints, restoring even the tiniest of details.
The house has expanded throughout their ownership, with a contemporary addition enhancing its floor plan with a few thoughtful glass boxes—these newer, light-filled spaces honoring the home’s historic structure while embracing modern living.
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"I am not sure that I have seen such a beautiful and seamless transition of a pre-war manor home with an architecturally significant contemporary addition," said Shelly Tretter Lynch, the home’s agent. "The owners are very sophisticated and it shows."
Both the old and new sections take full advantage of the unparalleled vistas of sunrise, sunset and the New York City skyline over Norton Harbor and Long Island Sound.
Stats
The three-story home has eight bedrooms, seven full and three half-bathrooms. At 13,047 square feet, the home sits on 4.2 acres of rolling, manicured lawn.
Amenities
Activities abound in this amenity-packed home. There are indoor and outdoor basketball hoops, a game room, a yard large enough for baseball games or big parties, and extensive outdoor decking/lounge areas. As well as a library and sun room, there is a tennis court, a gym, a heated outdoor pool, an art room and a yoga room, as well as cozy fireplaces both inside and out. And of course there is the harbor for sailing, tubing and fishing, as well as a private boat dock. "There is simply so much to do here," the owners say, "so many gathering spaces and plenty of room to hide if needed."
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Neighborhood notes
Located on Connecticut's "Gold Coast," Darien, with a population of around 21,000, is the wealthiest city in the United States, according to data from the 2018 American Community Survey. Two Metro-North railroad stations–Noroton Heights and Darien–link the town to New York’s Grand Central Terminal and the rest of the New Haven Line.
Situated just off of I-95 between the cities of Norwalk and Stamford, the town has been shaped by its location on the shore of Long Island Sound as the main route from Boston to New York City. Its attractions includes four small parks, two public beaches on Long Island Sound, four country clubs, a hunt club, and two yacht clubs. Its properties are a mixture of grand old homes with sweeping verandas, converted and expanded cottages, and new waterfront homes.
Agent: Shelly Tretter Lynch, Greenwich Brokerage of Sotheby’s International Realty
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