15 Honey Hollow Road
Bedrooms: 5
Bathrooms: 8
Square feet: 9,822
Price: $15,000,000
The long, tree-lined entrance of this 1860 country estate in Pound Ridge, NY, has its fair share of history: It once set the opening scene for the Christopher Reeve-directed In the Gloaming in 1997 and was also the same entrance once used by former homeowner and fashion designer Lily Daché, who flourished in the 1930s and ’40s with high-profile clients including Audrey Hepburn and Carole Lombard. In 2000, it was purchased by the current owners who did a gut renovation, seamlessly tying historic stonework and reclaimed beams to new construction.
“The original house has been thoughtfully expanded over the years by prior owners,” says Benjamin Ginnel of Ginnel Real Estate in Bedford, NY.
The exterior has all the charms of an antique, while the inside has all the amenities of a modern home. A wide graceful staircase with built-in bookshelf on the landing welcomes visitors. A spacious kitchen opens to a breakfast nook surrounded by windows; the family room is also lined with windows. “You can see water from every room in the house,” says Ginnel.
The property, more than 16 acres, includes a pond lined with stone walls, with a small dam so water levels stay constant. The pond is stocked with fish for summer and freezes over for skating in winter.
A few outbuildings include a caretaker’s house, an ice house, a guest house and a barn. The barn has a spacious gym on the second floor. “You could hold a Pilates class with 10 of your closest friends,” says Ginnel. Smaller barns house a few goats and chickens right now but future homeowners could have horses. “It backs up to Ward Pound Ridge Reservation, a 4,000-plus-acre park with two Bedford Riding Lanes Association trails so you could ride right off the property,” he says.
The first floor of the home has a guest suite. Four additional bedrooms are upstairs, including a master suite. On the lower level, the homeowners dug out the basement to allow for higher ceilings and finished the space with media room, billiard room, wet bar and temperature-controlled wine cellar. French doors walk out to the backyard.
Outside, a dining terrace with outdoor fireplace has a pergola covered with concord grapes, a gunite pool and hot tub, vegetable gardens, apple and pear tree orchards, a tennis court and thoughtfully placed landscaping throughout.
Although the current owners are city dwellers who use the home as a family compound for weekend gatherings, many buyers are looking at the property as a full-time estate. Pound Ridge is an easy commute to NYC but with a country setting. “That’s the beauty of this place,” says Ginnel. “It’s a 40-minute drive from Manhattan but you can ride your horse into 4,000 acres.”
CONTACT:
Benjamin Ginnel
Broker, Ginnel Real Estate Bedford and Pound Ridge, NY
917-566-7792, ginnel.com