Blairsden (house)
| Blairsden | |
|---|---|
View of front of house, ca. 1903 | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Beaux-Arts |
| Address | 30 Blair Drive |
| Town or city | Peapack-Gladstone, New Jersey |
| Coordinates | 40°42′51.29″N 74°38′12.26″W / 40.7142472°N 74.6367389°W |
| Construction started | 1897 |
| Completed | 1903 |
| Client | Clinton Ledyard Blair |
| Owner | 30 Blair PG, LLC (Anthony M. Melillo) [1] |
| Technical details | |
| Floor area | 2,077 square feet (193.0 m2) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Carrère and Hastings |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 38 |
Blairsden is a historic 62,000-square-foot (5,800 m2), 38-room mansion located in Peapack-Gladstone, New Jersey.[2] Set high on a hilltop overlooking Ravine Lake, the mansion is part of what was originally an estate of 550 acres (2,200,000 m2).[3] In addition to its 38 rooms, the mansion has 25 fireplaces and 19 bathrooms.[4]
History
Blairsden was built between 1897 and 1903 for Clinton Ledyard Blair (1867–1949), an American investment banker. It was designed by the prominent architectural firm of Carrère and Hastings.[5] Blair spared no expense in building Blairsden, including leveling off the mountain, building a funicular to shuttle building materials and later guests up and down the terraced mountain and purchasing trees and shrubs aged 25-50 years old, as he did not wish "to wait for things to grow."[6] Blairsden also included a 300-ft reflecting pool decorated with a surround of busts of the Roman Emperors. The household employed a large staff of over 70 to support the household and grounds.[6]
Sisters of St. John the Baptist
After Blair's death in 1949, the mansion was sold for $68,000 ($898,646 in 2024) to the Sisters of St. John the Baptist, who operated the house as a religious retreat.[7] In 2002, the Sisters of St. John the Baptist sold the property to the Foundation for Classical Architecture, owned by Victor Shafferman.[8][9]
Present day
The mansion was subsequently listed for sale and sold in 2012 for $4.5 million to a holding company named Blairsden Hall, LLC.[10] Local officials identified the new owner as T. Eric Galloway, a New York developer and president of the Galvan Foundation and the Lantern Organization.[4]
In May 2014, Blairsden was the site of the 2014 "Mansion in May" charity fundraiser designer show house and Gardens.[11] This designer show house was presented by the Women's Association of Morristown Medical Center, and it attracted over 33,000 visitors.[12]
The mansion was last sold in 2022 to 30 Blair PG, LLC, a subsidiary of Gladstone-based real estate private equity firm Melillo Equities.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b Data on 30 Blair Drive, Peapack-Gladstone Boro 2022
- ^ DiIonno, Mark (September 29, 2013). "Blairsden estate's mystique soon to be unveiled". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
- ^ Zavalick, Charlie (September 26, 2013). "Peapack-Gladstone OK's tours of historic Blairsden estate". The Bernardsville News. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
- ^ a b Perry, W. Jacob (September 20, 2013). "Tour request for Blairsden in Peapack-Gladstone ensnared in traffic debate". The Bernardsville News. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
- ^ "The Historical Society of the Somerset Hills". Archived from the original on 2008-06-27. Retrieved 2014-03-13.
- ^ a b Schleicher, William A. and Winter, Susan J. (1997). Images of America In The Somerset Hills The Landed Gentry. Dover, New Hampshire: Acadia Publishing. pp. 34–37. ISBN 0-7524-0899-2.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "The Historical Society of the Somerset Hills". Archived from the original on 2008-06-27. Retrieved 2014-03-13.
- ^ "Blairsden History Video Series". Archived from the original on 2014-05-13. Retrieved 2014-05-12.
- ^ Data on 30 Blair Drive, Peapack-Gladstone Boro
- ^ A Guide to Blairsden Mansion in May Archived May 17, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Mansion in May - Designer Showhouse and Gardens