LPGA Sybase Match Play Championship Comes to Hamilton Farm

The top 44 players from the Ladies Professional Golf Association will be participating in the Sybase Match Play Championship at Hamilton Farm Golf Club in Gladstone.  The four-day event starts this Thursday, May 19 and runs to Sunday, May 22.  Practice rounds begin today, with the Pro-Am on Wednesday.  The excitement is building at the club as the tents are raised and television and concession stands go up.  The Golf Channel will broadcast live coverage of the event on Saturday.

2011 is the second year that the Sybase-sponsored tournament is being held at Hamilton Farm.  Players will include Tour favorites Michelle Wie, Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel and last year’s winner, Sun Young Yoo.  Other notable players are Angela Stanford, Cristie Kerr, Juli Inkster, Karrie Webb and Jiyai Shin.

The Hamilton Farm Golf Club in Gladstone is hosting the event with charity beneficiaries including the Somerset Medical Center, The First Tee and TGA-Premier Junior Golf.

Situated on about 600 acres in the Somerset Hills, the Hamilton Farm Golf Club is sited on the former country estate of James Cox Brady, a New York financier.  Comprised of two distinct courses, The Highlands and The Hickory, Hamilton Farm is known as one of the country’s premier golf clubs and was named a Platinum Club of America. 

If living in a historic and scenic area like Gladstone sounds appealing, contact our Far Hills office for information about local real estate as well as golf facilities, equestrian farms, recreational events and cultural offerings.

Historic c. 1765 Bernardsville Colonial

Two notable aspects of this home are its vast acreage and its Early American history, making it a rare gem among Bernardsville homes for sale.  A beautifully-maintained fieldstone Colonial built in 1765 is the centerpiece of 30+ acres featuring a guest house, small barn, swimming pool and pool house.  The leafy surroundings are dotted with Koi ponds, foot bridges, a charming gazebo, woodland paths, native plantings and mature trees.

Several additions over the years enhance the original structure while adding well-appointed living space.  The expansive 20-room floor plan includes eight bedrooms, five full and two half baths as well as a three-car garage.  Among the gathering spaces are a great room with coffered ceilings, a four-season sunroom off the large master suite, and a spacious kitchen.  For the homebuyer seeking a serene property that’s close to major highways and amenities, this enchanting and historic Bernardsville Colonial is a superior choice.

Classic Bedminster Estate

Estate living in Bedminster reaches a whole new level in an exceptional Colonial home that embraces the traditional New England architectural styles of Cape Cod and Nantucket.  A gated entry marks the sweeping five-acre property set along a private lane.  Deer fencing around the perimeter ensures that the fabulous gardens will bloom throughout the season.  An innovative dark-toned Gunite swimming pool is surrounded by Ipé decking and stone walls.  The climate-controlled barn is ideal for horses since the acreage offers direct access to Bedminster’s network of riding trails.  Alternately, the barn can be used for a car collection.

An intense renovation using careful attention to detail was recently completed, including behind-the-walls wiring for flat screen televisions.  Other interior highlights are extensive millwork, arched room openings, custom paneling and intricate moldings.  Of special note is the stylish all-white kitchen balanced by black countertops of honed absolute granite.  Custom finishes also detail the gracious master suite of rooms which offers two baths.  A total of four bedrooms, four full baths and a powder room enhance the meticulously-designed floor plan.

A jewel among Bedminster homes for sale, this grand estate is close to equestrian facilities, recreational pursuits and golf at Hamilton Farm or Trump National.  Historic and cultural offerings are a short drive away in Morristown.  Bedminster Township is about 45 minutes from New York City and about 35 minutes from Newark Liberty International Airport.  A network of local roadways includes Interstates 78 and 287 for commuters.

May Day Celebration at Scherman Hoffman on May 7

After last year’s resounding success, The Scherman Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary is once again offering its May Day Celebration on Saturday, May 7 from 10am to 4pm.  This free event will feature music and entertainment; hands-on nature activities; live animal demonstrations, face painting and displays from local organizations.  Scherman Hoffman is located at 11 Hardscrabble Road in Bernardsville.  It includes 276 acres of scenic woodland, field and floodplain habitat supporting about 200 species of wildlife. The registration table will have event programs highlighting the day’s events.

This springtime celebration is a great way to get children involved and interested in nature.  There will be a wildlife radio telemetry classes which will help children track wildlife on the grounds of the sanctuary and will also show how professional wildlife biologists track different species as they travel around the world.  There will be a Tour the Young Audubon Art Show, featuring the works of young masters from area schools. 

A special visit by Ranger Rick is sure to be a May Day Celebration highlight. 

All ages will appreciate the live animal displays from The Raptor Trust, Rizzo’s Reptiles, birds from The Chimney Swifts and a close look the sanctuary’s own corn snakes and box turtles.  Musical performances on the schedule include Eco-Man, the NJ Folk Project: Circle Round the Sun, The Fabulous Furry Harmonica Brothers, Kathy Moser, and Tom Picard.

Nature presentations will be given by Peter Dunne, director of the Cape May Bird Observatory, vice president of the New Jersey Audubon Society’s vice president of Natural History Information, and founder of the World Series of Birding.  Gordon Thomas Ward: The New Jersey natural history author, presenter, and educator returns to offer his popular “Hike through History” within the sanctuary and the neighboring Cross Estate.  Pat Kane, the retired New Jersey Audubon vice president of education will tell stories of nature’s most beautiful and creative images.

The Scherman Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary is a magical oasis in the heart of Bernardsville.  It’s just one of the many reasons homebuyers are drawn to Bernardsville real estate.  The Turpin Office at 163 Morristown Road in Bernardsville is always ready to answer your questions about local amenities.

Far Hills Train Station

One of the area’s most-recognized landmarks is the historic Far Hills train station.  Located a short walk up Route 202 from our Far Hills Turpin office, the station provides NJ Transit service to Hoboken, Secaucus Junction or New York’s Penn Station in midtown Manhattan.  Spanish Revival in style, it was built in 1914 and in 1984 it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Trains run on the Gladstone Branch of the Morris and Essex line, and the trip to New York City generally takes about an hour and a half, usually involving a transfer in Summit or Newark.  Midtown Direct service is also available from the Far Hills station, reducing the New York-bound ride to about 80 minutes.  Parking on holidays, weekends, or after 9AM on weekdays is free of charge, with a nominal fee at other times.  Permit parking is a good idea for commuters; a six-month permit is available at Far Hills Borough Hall.  Train tickets can be purchased on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.

If you arrive early at the station (or if you miss the train), take advantage of The Butler’s Pantry Trackside.  This homey restaurant offers sit-down meals or to-go orders, and is a local favorite.

For more information about Far Hills, whether it’s about commuting times, train schedules or Far Hills real estate, visit the Turpin Office at 21 U.S. Route 202 in the heart of our hometown.

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.

Sundays in the Park with Leonard J. Buck

Spring is in the air, and one of the best places to see how the season is progressing is the Leonard J. Buck Garden in Far Hills.  Stop by the garden on Sunday afternoons in April and May (except for holiday weekends) to join an afternoon Woodland Walk.  You’re likely to spy native wildflowers, colorful flowering trees and shrubs, and springtime perennials.  As the days get warmer, dogwood trees and azalea bushes will come into full bloom.

Tours take place on Sundays at 2PM on April 10, 17 and on May 1, 8 and 15.  There is a $4 fee per person for this informative tour led by a naturalist.

The Leonard J. Buck Garden is one of the premier rock gardens in the eastern United States.  Begun in the late 1930s, the garden has reached a breathtaking point of maturity. It consists of a series of alpine and woodland gardens situated in a 33-acre wooded stream valley.  Named for Mr. Leonard J. Buck, who developed the garden as part of his estate, it was donated to the Somerset County Park Commission by Mrs. Helen Buck in 1976.

The Leonard J. Buck Garden is part of the Somerset County Park Commission.  It is located at 11 Layton Road.  For more information or directions, call 908-234-2677.

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.

Grand Country Estate Home

It would be hard to imagine a more perfect Colonial estate than this 10-plus acre property on the Bernardsville Mountain.  Originally built in the 1700s, its sun-filled rooms brim with charm and sophistication.  The enchanting grounds include a long drive marked by stone pillars, sweeping green lawns, perennial gardens, rustic stone walls and a picturesque pond. 

The main house has been meticulously cared for and extensively renovated through the years, resulting in a bright, fresh interior graced with timeless design elements.  An open floor plan of six bedrooms and six full baths also includes elegant spaces for entertaining, an updated chef’s kitchen, plus a newer addition featuring a family room and home office.  Outbuildings include a three-car garage.

As one of the earliest homes on the Bernardsville Mountain, this estate is a rare offering in a coveted part of the state.  For more information about Bernardsville homes for sale, contact our Bernardsville Office.