Cobble Close Farm has been put on the market for $10.9M. The French Norman-style New Jersey compound was built in the 1920s by the children of Isidor Straus with the wealth he amassed as co-owner of the first Macy's department store, before going down with the Titanic. It comprises a number of stables and cottages originally built to support a planned baronial estate that was scrapped when financial woes during the Great Depression caused the Straus family to abandon the project. "Eh, these butler's houses are lavish enough, let's just use them," the thinking probably went.
The family sold off the compound in the 1950s in four parcels, each to different families who shared use of the colonnade and swimming pool. Yes, the place has tons of history. It also has a few hilarious asides in the listing text, about how the new owners rented these "luxury homes" to "a colorful cast of New York's glitterati which included European royalty, a film star, society dames and even a woman whose claim to fame was that she befriended Hitler and spied on the Nazis." Other fun facts: Bon Jovi lives nearby, and the place was once the backdrop for a Victoria's Secret catalogue.
The total livable square footage, according to Zillow, is a 29,000, spread out across 13 acres. Tour the grounds below, and head this way for some amazing interior shots.
Photos via New York Social Diary
Photos via Cobble Close Farm
· House of the Week: 1930 Estate Frozen in Time [Zillow Blog]
· Cobble Close Farm [Official Site]
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