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Five Estates Up For Grabs on the (Tarnished) Gold Coast

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Once the land of stunning country estates, the so-called Gold Coast of Long Island has experienced a bit of a market cooling lately and many massive historic manors have been left unsold for months, and in some cases, years. One such estate is the 53-acre Whitewood Point, in Lloyd Harbor, N.Y., which boasts a magnificent Georgian mansion believed to have been designed by the legendary architect Stanford White. Unlike many of its contemporaries, which have been hemmed in on the shoreline by modern development, this distinguished nine-bedroom brick home enjoys proper privacy and a full complement of outbuildings, including a chauffeur's cottage, a caretaker's residence, a guest house, a greenhouse, and a detached three-car garage. Now comes the depressing part, at least for the current owner. Originally listed back in March of last year for $21M, the expansive estate has since had its price slashed down to $11.9M without attracting a buyer.

↑ Just a few doors down from Whitewood Point, this sprawling Tudor has undoubtedly been competing for the same potential buyers. Known as Fort Hill, the 28,000-square-foot mansion was originally built in 1879 and then substantially rebuilt in 1900. Today Fort Hill measures a relatively modest 10 acres, with many other parcels since parted off, including a gatehouse that was later owned by Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley. Originally listed for $24M back in 2006, the 19-bedroom, 12-bathroom spread is still on the market five years later, but with the much reduced price of $11.7M. For nearly half off, the buyer will receive a deepwater dock on outer Cold Spring Harbor, a 16-car garage, three acres of formal gardens, and a squash court.

↑ The inland estates haven't fared much better. Just take a look at the Upper Brookville, N.Y. estate known as Fox Hall, formerly named Framewood. Built in 1918 by architects Hoppen & Kohn for stockbroker Stirling Postley, the Elizabethan manor was modeled after a Scottish mansion and contains an entire 18th-century Dutch parlor that had been imported and reassembled on site. On and off the market for years, the 18-acre estate was once listed for as much as $14M, before seeing some serious price reductions. Currently offered at $6.19M, the 10-bed, 15-bath mansion was last sold in 2001 for a reported $17M.

Eventide, the stately Georgian at 874 Cedar Swamp Road, has spent 492 days on the market. Built in 1934 in Old Brookville, N.Y., the estate today measures 8.4 acres and has been only moderately price chopped since debuting on the market in April 2011. Originally listed for $5.1M, the seven-bedroom, 10,000-square-foot mansion has been reduced to $4.59M. Even if the sellers have to stoop even lower to sell the estate, they shouldn't be too disappointed. After all, they paid just $500K for the place back in 2004. (Update: that price was for a neighboring lot. The owners in fact bought the estate in the '80s for much more.)

↑ This Glen Head, N.Y. estate won over commenters when it appeared on these pages as a House of the Day back in February, but, despite spending 640 days on the market so far, has yet to find a buyer. Listed now for almost $7M, Fieldstone Farm was formerly asking $2M more for its 11 gated acres and eight bedroom mansion.
· Whitewood Point [Luxist]
· 35 Lloyd Ln [Zillow]
· 31 Fort Hill Dr [Zillow]
· Upper Brookville [Zillow]
· 874 Cedar Swamp Road [Zillow]
· Glen Head [Zillow]
· Must Love Stone for this Classic Long Island Gold Coast Estate [Curbed National]