This Sunday marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, the ill-fated ocean liner that infamously struck an iceberg in the north Atlantic and sank to the ocean floor on the morning of April 15, 1912. Perishing with the ship were over 1,500 passengers, including the ship’s captain Edward John Smith and Macy’s department store owner Isidor Strauss. The unprecedented loss of life left the world reeling and has captivated the imagination of the global public ever since.
One of the 1,500 passengers who met their fatal end that night was the Titanic’s wealthiest passenger, John Jacob “J.J.” Astor IV, an American businessman and investor. He and his pregnant young wife, Madeline, were returning to their home in Rhinebeck, NY, aboard the ocean liner. Madeline survived to return to their estate, called ‘Ferncliff’; J.J. Astor did not.
Now, part of the unfortunate millionaire’s estate is on the market. This extraordinary 5-bed, 5-bath Italianate mansion, set on over 50 acres overlooking the Hudson River, was once part of J.J. Astor’s Ferncliff. The beautiful residence was originally built in 1904, and was designed by Stanford White, the venerated Beaux-Arts architect who met with his own unfortunate demise at the hands of a society it-girl’s jealous husband – but that’s another story for another time…
The 24,300 square foot structure known as ‘Astor Courts’ was originally intended to be a sporting pavilion, with indoor tennis courts, a swimming pool, a bowling alley, a shooting range, and spacious quarters for guests. Ferncliff was handed down to J.J. Astor’s son, Vincent, who had The Courts remodeled to allow for more everyday usage. Following Vincent’s death in 1959, Ferncliff was divided by his surviving wife, Brooke, who gave half the estate to the creation of the Ferncliff Forest Preserve while the rest was donated to the Catholic Archdiocese of New York.
The house was bought in 2005 for $3.2 million, and extensive renovations were completed, overseen by Stanford White’s great-grandson, Sam White. The estate was then placed on the market in 2009 for $12 million, but despite its beautiful lines, pedigreed history, and listing on the National Historic Register, the Astor Courts have yet to find a buyer. Three years after its initial listing, the estate’s price has been reduced to its current $8.5 million.
This listing is presented by Ann Dyal.
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