Helmsley’s Connecticut estate nearing deal

Dunnellen Hall, the Greenwich, Conn. estate belonging to the late hotel and real estate mogul Leona Helmsley is nearing a deal for less than half of its original $125 million asking price, the Post reported. Sources said the buyers are currently negotiating a contract on the 25-room mansion, which sits on 40 acres and has been neglected in recent years, for around $55 million. It was last listed for $60 million after three years and three rounds of price cuts. The estate, acquired by the Helmsleys in 1983 for $11 million, also includes a 52-foot indoor pool, a 72-foot outdoor pool, a reflecting pool and fountain, wine cellar, theater, tennis courts and two guest cottages. The owner will pay $183,000 per year in property taxes alone. Proceeds of the sale are slated to go to the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, which primarily backs health care and medical research. Leona Helmsley died at age 87 in 2007, famously leaving more than $11 million — later reduced by a judge to $2 million — to her dog. [Post]