Mansion Global

Chinese History Hits the New York Luxury Market

A portion of Madame Chiang Kai-shek’s former Long Island estate is now available with an asking price of $11.8 million

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Madame Chiang’s carriage house, barn and bamboo garden all remain intact.

Courtesy of Jump Visual
Madame Chiang’s carriage house, barn and bamboo garden all remain intact.
Courtesy of Jump Visual

A mansion with great appeal for many Chinese buyers has just hit the market on the famed Gold Coast of Long Island. Fieldstone Manor, which listed with the asking price of $11.8 million, stands on Madame Chiang Kai-shek’s former estate of Hillcrest in Lattingtown, Long Island. Madame Chiang, also know as Soong May-ling, was the First Lady of the Republic of China and wife of President Chiang Kai-shek. She had frequented Lattingtown since the 1950s but officially called it home after returning from Taiwan in 1975. She spent more than 20 years of tranquility at Hillcrest before moving to Manhattan in 1998.

The interior of Fieldstone Manor

Courtesy of Jump Visual

Madame Chiang sold the estate to the Stillman Organization in 1998 for $2.8 million and the real estate company split the 37-acre property into three parcels. Built in 2002, Fieldstone Manor sits on approximately 12.8 acres and contains Madame Chiang’s carriage house and barn. More: China's Luxury Home Market Should Weather Stock Turmoil Taking almost three years to finish, the main structure is solid steel and features nine bedrooms and nine full and four half baths. Amenities include a home theater, a bar and lounge, and a gym and sauna, with elevators serving all floors. The property also features a heated swimming pool and par 3 golf hole.

The heated swimming pool.

Courtesy of Jump Visual

Fieldstone Manor’s value will benefit greatly from its linkage to Madame Chiang. In addition to the historical connection, Madame Chiang’s carriage house, barn and bamboo garden all remain intact. “It's a once in a lifetime opportunity to buy a property featuring first class new construction while simultaneously purchasing a piece of history that belonged to perhaps one of the most influential and iconic figures in the last century,” say Jason Friedman, the selling broker. Many Chinese made a pilgrimage to the home to gain perspective on the later life of Madame Chiang, who played a vital role in modern Chinese history and Sino-US bilateral relations. The estate's previous sale, in 1998, caused a stir. Soon after closing the deal, Stillman advertised and staged open houses to auction off some of the belongings of Madame Chiang. People of Chinese descent converged on Long Island from across America to sit on the sofas and chairs Madame Chiang used and reflect on her life and legacy.

An office at Fieldstone Manor styled to resemble the Oval Office.

Courtesy of Jump Visual

According to Friedman, the current owner is an older couple, looking to downsize after they retire.