Imagine a large glass and steel box enclosing a smaller antique cottage and you have the basic concept of an innovative house-within-a-house designed by noted architect and designer Adam Kalkin in Bernardsville.  Though not actually one of Turpin’s sales, this home is so remarkable that it warranted mentioning as a home Turpin’s Oldwick office recently had on the market!

Tucked at the end of a private lane on the Bernardsville Mountain, this property was once part of the Pfizer estate.  The original 1890s gardener’s cottage encased by a modern steel outer shell is set on three serene acres with pond, stone walls and mature trees. 

Expansive openings and generous rooms within the large box create vast living areas, which are balanced by smaller nooks and crannies.  The resulting layout presents a variety of spaces that are ideal for projects of any size or scope.  The cottage anchors one end of the home, while the other end is detailed with a grid of nine rooms.

The interplay of sleek modern spaces stands in striking contrast to cozy rooms in the former gardener’s cottage.  Of special note are the interiors of the cottage, which were artfully designed by noted New York designer Albert Hadley.  His firm has a long list of celebrity clients including Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Al Gore and Oscar de la Renta.  Windows in the two-story cottage look out on a vast living room and the series of nine rooms grouped together at the opposite end of the home.   Stepping onto the front porch of the cottage and into the contemporary rooms, the distinction is clear in the architect’s use of industrial materials.  Metal staircases, modern fixtures and oversized windows give the outer shell a crisp, clean outlook in comparison to the snug cottage rooms.

When both homes combine, there are a total of 14 rooms with five bedrooms, four and a half baths, two fireplaces, and a chef’s kitchen.  To bring the outdoors in, two enormous glass garage-style doors can be raised to expose countryside views that are close enough to touch.  Using an artistic eye and an appreciation of the whimsical, Adam Kalkin has rendered a space that is both imaginatively designed and exciting to live in.  This innovative residence represents a whole new level of architectural achievement in New Jersey real estate.

Kenilwood is a legendary Bernardsville home which
was originally owned by George B. Post Jr., founder of the Wall Street brokerage firm of Post and
Flagg. Post’s father was the famous architect who designed the New York Stock Exchange and other
landmark buildings. Built in the early part of the 20^th century, Kenilwood is an
excellent example of gothic revival style. The manor house’s façade is fashioned of stone.

Gerry-Jo Cranmer in the Bernardsville Office was involved in the sale of Kenilwood in the 1990s when it was owned by heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson.

The high-profile sale also came with a high price tag, as The New York Times explained in an article from 1994. “When Mr. Tyson bought the mansion, on Memorial Day 1988, many in this part of New Jersey’s hunt country said he had paid too much, especially for the two lots that bracketed the Bernardsville estate. He paid a little over $4 million for the house on 14 acres and $950,000 for each of the two five-acre lots. At the time, similar lots were going for $650,000, according to Jack Turpin of Turpin Real Estate in Far Hills, N.J.” Gerry-Jo Cranmer says the selling price was the highest price of the year for an off-water property in the tri-state region that year.

Tyson added a tennis court where Martina Navratilova reportedly played at least once. The 18,000
square foot mansion was set on 14 acres. He lived there for two years.

Selling Kenilwood didn’t come without an element of danger, according to Gerry-Jo Cranmer. “Mike Tyson’s sometimes vicious dogs were in residence when I was selling the house (Mike was not) and the caretaker was often not there when I had to show it. So I always went armed with meaty bones to throw to them so that I could distract them and be able to show the house.”

Little Brook Farm is a charming and picturesque piece of New Jersey real estate set amid 28 acres on the Bernardsville Mountain.  A long, private drive passing by a spring-fed stream and lush valley enters the property leading to the main residence, a circa 1840 Dutch farmhouse with additions made in 1935.  The setting exudes the romance and charm reminiscent of the English countryside with pastures, woodland, ponds, stone walls, formal lawns and gardens.

Selling agent, Gerry Jo Cramner remembers the sequence of events leading to that Bernardsville home for sale:

“It was not on the market at the time that I sold it, but I knew that my buyers would love it.  I had been working with them for some time and had gotten to know their taste very well.  A Turpin colleague of mine had sold it to the people living in it, so I asked him to approach them about selling it.  They set a price and let me show it to my buyers, who immediately fell in love with it, bought it and were then married there in the rose garden.”

Dr. Frank Babbott, president of Long Island College of Medicine, built the home for his wife and five children and lived there from 1934 to 1961.  The additions and renovations he made were incorporated into the original stone farmhouse and created a unique building encompassing seven levels and 20 rooms.  In 1964, Dr. Babbott donated the main house, outbuildings and 28 acres of Little Brook Farm to Drew University.  He handed the keys to Drew’s president with the hope that the estate “would go on bringing beauty and happiness to others.”  Drew used the property as a retreat and conference center until it was returned to private ownership in 1993.

The stone and frame house with custom made clay tile roof features original architectural details like oak floors and beamed ceilings. In addition to the grand main home, this rambling estate includes a two-bedroom cottage, a barn with a one-bedroom apartment and loft, a two-bay garage/wagon shed and a second large barn.  A stone summer house, root cellar, poultry barn and sheep barn are also found on the property, as well as a pool with pool house.

For more information about Little Brook Farm, refer to New Jersey Country Houses: The Somerset Hills, Volume 2.

Buyers in New Jersey’s real estate market often go straight to the Internet to find out about the latest listings, additional home information, or community amenities.  But sometimes learning about the history of a property is simply the result of the long-lost art of conversation.  A perfect example of that is a land sale that took place in the Washington Valley section of Morris Township.  The property, totaling just over four acres, was sold by Turpin’s Mendham office in 1999.

Barbara Barisonek, currently the Chatham Office Manager and Vice President of Business Development, relates a firsthand story from the former property owners about the land’s unusual background.  “The information on the property when we bought it was strictly word-of-mouth, but from ‘old timers’ who had lived in Washington Valley for a long time.  According to the stories, the property with its log cabin was originally a Boy Scout camp.  No one could ever give me a timeframe as to when it stopped being a Boy Scout camp.”  While the location of the Boy Scout camp was never confirmed, it was local lore that added some color to the sale, Barbara notes.

The owners continued their story, adding, “Apparently the property had been unused for several years before we bought it.  When we started building our house, neighbors were annoyed that they had lost their private park with a cabin and pond.”  Barbara reports that the cabin is still on the property, and the new home is like a private oasis with a swimming pool in the backyard amid the peaceful surroundings.

Turpin successfully marketed this parcel of land, prime acreage which included a stocked pond and stream set back from Gaston Road at the end of a long drive on a flag lot.  It is an enviable location minutes from downtown Morristown and near the protected land that comprises Washington Valley.  “It was a wonderful property to market,” Barbara adds.

Spruce Hill Farm is a landmark estate in Mendham Borough.  The historic all-brick mansion is set on 27.9 acres overlooking a two-acre pond, manicured grounds with formal gardens and stone walls, windswept meadows and a 1,000-tree spruce farm.  In 2002 the Bernardsville Office listed the estate which sold for $4.55 million.  It was again successfully marketed by the Mendham office of Turpin in 2008.

Originally built in 1917, the 22-room main home was completely updated in 2003 and shows pride of ownership throughout.  A long, gated and tree-lined drive leads to the handsome Colonial Revival home, which was designed by the New York architectural firm of Lord & Hewlett.  Its elegant presence amid the open land is reminiscent of a grand manor found in the English countryside.

Timeless interior design details such as hardwood and parquet flooring, ten fireplaces with unique mantelpieces, many original interior doors, wood paneling and hardware, multiple sets of French doors and oversized windows lend character to the spacious rooms.  A delightful layout includes a grand center hall, a paneled library, and a sunroom overlooking the formal garden. Additionally, this noteworthy home has a billiards room, a private study, elevator and a staff wing. There are seven bedrooms, each with a full bath, many large walk-in closets, multiple kitchens, wet bars and powder rooms.

Spruce Hill Farm also features a pool and multiple outbuildings, including a two-story caretaker’s house with an attached six-car garage, chauffeur’s cottage, equipment barn, brick shed, wooden shed, and root cellar. 

Turpin took great pride in handling the transfer of Spruce Hill Farm on two occasions, giving it the same amount of care and attention as it does to every Mendham home for sale, or for that matter, every New Jersey home the firm represents.

Turpin Real Estate sold White Oak, a timeless country property in Peapack-Gladstone, for $4.61 million in 2006.  Listed out of the Far Hills office, perhaps the most memorable aspect of this wonderful listing was the beautiful rolling property surrounding the main home and barns.

This Hunt Country farm presents an incredibly private setting on 50 acres with countryside views of rolling fields and distant panoramas.  The main residence, a substantial antique Colonial farmhouse, has been expanded numerous times through the decades. 

An architecturally interesting barn was built during the early 2000s on the foundation of the original antique barn that burned down in a fire.  A portion of the old barn remained and houses the horse stalls and tack room.  Outbuildings on the acreage include two cottages and several barn/garage structures. 

For recreational purposes, the swimming pool, tennis court and pond add to the relaxed country lifestyle at White Oak.  Additionally, much of the acreage is protected by a conservation easement, ensuring the future of this remarkable piece of New Jersey real estate.

Red Gate Farm was successfully marketed by Turpin’s Bernardsville office in 2005.

Listing agent Molly Tonero recalls the home’s 2005 sale: “The house was in sad disrepair but the bones were fabulous, and I still think of it as one of the two greatest houses in a town full of special properties.  The buyers have since done an historic renovation and the house is, again, fabulous. It seemed destined to happen, and again it was a terrific honor to work with such an important property.”

Red Gate Farm was built in 1925 for Seth E. Thomas Jr. and his wife, the former Josephine Van Beuren Reynolds.  Thomas was president of the clock manufacturing company founded by his great-grandfather in 1813, and his wife was descended from one of New Jersey’s earliest families. 

The estate’s elegant stone Georgian manor evokes timeless images of hunt balls, tea parties on the terrace, and moonlight dances.  This landmark was designed by Harrie T. Lindeberg who, along with Stanford White, was at one time part of the McKim, Mead and White architectural firm. The impressive 27-room home features seven bedrooms—most with their own fireplace–, eight full baths, seven staff rooms and a charming two-bedroom cottage.

All the hallmarks of fine design are found within Red Gate Farm.  The front-to-back foyer opens onto a rear terrace which captures lavish scenery.  Rooms for every conceivable use include a formal dining room, den, family room, media room, kitchen with refrigeration room and more.  An enormous living room was once used as a ballroom and offers a multitude of uses for entertaining on an extravagant scale.  Raised paneling, barrel ceilings, plaster crown moldings, original hardwood pegged oak flooring and marble fireplaces are just some of this home’s impressive interior highlights.

Located in the desirable Red Gate area of New Vernon in Harding Township, the estate property’s 9.27 acres encompass a long entry drive, mature trees, sweeping green lawns and a secluded, brick-walled courtyard with swimming pool. 

As one of the most notable transactions among New Vernon real estate, Red Gate Farm is now a stunning example of how an appreciation for and dedication to the preservation of historic New Jersey homes can revitalize a property!

Maplefield– masterpiece of Far Hills real estate– was listed by Turpin in 2006.

Brandes-Maselli Architects of Bernardsville brought their visionary design approach to this iconic Shingle Style estate home set on ten bucolic acres. 

What began as a 1970s ranch style home was completely re-built using the existing foundation and chimney.  The result of this stunning transformation is an elegant residence created with attention to detail both inside and out.

An ingenious exterior combines brickwork with cedar shingles, a tribute to Old World style seen in country estates at the turn of the last century.  The home is capped by a cedar shake roof and edged with copper gutters.  A seven-car carriage house offers excellent potential for car collectors or future finished space. 

Inside the main home, a gracious floor plan contains over 20 rooms, including six bedrooms and seven full baths.  Thoughtful architectural details include four fireplaces, custom handcrafted millwork and five-inch wide quarter sawn white oak flooring on the first and second levels.

Other highlights of the layout include sun-filled gathering spaces, a mahogany terrace, a chef’s kitchen with finely-detailed cabinetry, a master suite featuring a private stairway and a walk-out lower level with distinctive entertaining areas.

Of special note is the ten-acre parcel, which offers an ideal setting characterized by sweeping lawns, open pastures and captivating countryside views.  Additionally, the property adjoins Natirar’s over 400 acres of protected parkland acquired by Somerset County, assuring an extra degree of privacy for generations to come.

Four Oaks Farm in Branchburg was listed and sold through Turpin’s Far Hills office in 2004.  Constructed during the Revolutionary War Era of the 1700s, Four Oaks Farm began as a simple clapboard farmhouse.  Today’s main dwelling has been transformed over several centuries in to an elegant country home styled in the neoclassic Greek Revival tradition.  The three-story home contains 15 rooms, seven fireplaces, four main bedrooms, three staff rooms, five full and two half baths.

An incredible New Jersey real estate acquisition, Four Oaks Farm contains over 400 acres of unspoiled woods and open pastureland take in vast countryside views.  Professionally landscaped grounds feature perennial and cutting gardens in addition to mature shade trees and an established apple orchard.  A brick-walled terraced, designed by landscape architect Nelva Weber, overlooks a babbling brook.  Bordered partially by the confluence of the Lamington and North Branch of the Raritan Rivers, there is over 3,000 feet of water frontage and a six-plus acre island in Bedminster Township. 

While this exceptional property stands alone as a grand country estate, its owners were equally compelling.

Born in 1912, Mary Morley Crapo was raised in Detroit, Michigan. She attended Vassar College and Columbia University. In 1939, she married Donald Hyde, a New York lawyer. The couple bought Samuel Johnson’s silver teapot in 1941 and threw a tea party in its honor. Over the next 25 years, they became avid collectors of Johnson’s belongings, including hundreds of his letters, several of his diaries and a collection of his poems.

Mary Hyde—as she was then known—purchased Four Oaks Farm in 1943. She added a library to the property, filling the house with the couples’ Samuel Johnson collection. After Donald Hyde’s death in 1966, his wife wrote several literary volumes and developed an Oscar Wilde collection that was second in size only to that of the University of California.

Mary Hyde married David Eccles, first Viscount Eccles in 1984, becoming Mary, Viscountess Eccles. Lady Eccles housed her collection at Four Oaks Farm, a place she readily granted access to researchers, writers and scholars from all over the world. She contributed important scholarly works on a variety of subjects and generously loaned her items from her collection to exhibitions.  Lady Eccles died at the age of 91 in 2003.

This refined Bedminster estate was listed and sold by Turpin Real Estate in 2009.  As a recent Bedminster home for sale, this listing reminds us that homes in all price ranges are selling, even during challenging economic times.

Designed by New York architect Eric J. Smith and constructed in 1992, this custom-built stone Georgian Colonial is beautifully situated on over 21 acres. 

Among the stunning architectural details within the 16-room interior are high ceilings, intricate crown moldings, extensive custom cabinetry and eight distinctively-manteled fireplaces. 

Spanning the back of the house is an expansive bluestone terrace overlooking formal English gardens and a two-level man-made pond accenting the colorful garden views.  A hard surface tennis court and a 50-foot pool are positioned on the side of the residence, adding to the resort atmosphere of this property.  Climbing vines and an extensive rose garden surround the tennis court, while a grassy lawn edged in bluestone surrounds the pool. 

Fieldstone, white clapboard and slate roofing adorn the traditional façade.  A 30-foot gallery hall welcomes guests and connects to a series of grand public rooms to the kitchen wing.  French doors in the living room, library, media room, dining room, family room and breakfast room open to the terrace.

Each of the six bedroom suites features generous room proportions and unique bathrooms with luxury appointments.  Dual fitted dressing rooms and private bathrooms adjoin the master bedroom, offering organized storage for clothing and accessories.  Two of the bedroom suites are located in the kitchen wing, providing private accommodations for guest or staff.