A renovated mansion from the Gilded Age has hit the market in New Jersey’s Somerset Hills.
The historic 140-year-old “Stronghold,” has been listed by its owners, fashion designer Marc Ecko and his wife, Allison Rojas for $13.75 million, NorthJersey.com reported.
The couple, who restored and modernized the home, bought the property in 2005. Jill Turpin of Turpin Realtors has the listing.
Situated on 32 acres in the heart of horse country, the 20,000-square-foot mansion was once owned by the prominent New York couple, James Coleman Drayton and Charlotte Augusta Astor, a member of the famous Astor family.
The home has five half-baths and eight full baths, with the primary suite including an elegant bathroom clad in black, gold, and white marble, featuring dual showers, a steam sauna, and a freestanding marble bathtub. Additionally, the property includes a three-bedroom carriage house with a pool and a five-car garage, situated on its own 10-acre lot and included in the sale.
Architect Alan Wanzenberg and designer Oliver N. Carter contributed to the extensive, seven-year restoration, which included opening up the entry with a rotunda reaching the second floor, reconfiguring spaces for an expanded dining room and a two-story family room, and constructing a pool area, the outlet said.
Stronghold’s history includes serving as a summer retreat for John F. Dryden, the founder of Prudential Financial Inc. He added terraces and a portico, which currently serves as a solarium.
Over the years, the estate has undergone various transformations, including serving as a school, before being returned to private ownership in the late 1990s.
While modern touches have been added to the estate, the mansion still has numerous original features, including Tiffany glass, wainscoting, stenciled beams, and wood floors, the outlet said.
Gilded Age properties can trade for high prices. The 20,000-square-foot Beaux-Arts mansion, once called Manhattan’s “last intact Gilded Age Mansion” sold for its asking price of $50 million in an all-cash deal in 2022
— Ted Glanzer