From the manicured lawns of Greenwich to the historic retreats of Litchfield County, Connecticut is known for its genteel country estates that date to the 19^th and 20^th centuries. Even among these bastions of heritage, however, few private domains can match the singular grandeur of Hillandale.

About 50 miles outside of Manhattan and abutting the pleasantly low-key Rockrimmon Country Club, the epic 270-acre Stamford spread spans a dozen tax parcels that straddle the border between New York and Connecticut. The stately stone manor house at the heart of the private idyll was built around the turn of the 20^th century for the Sulzberger family, the longtime publishers of The New York Times. 

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The current owner, Charlene Haroche, acquired the vast property with her late husband, travel booking tycoon Gilbert Haroche (co-founder of Liberty Travel), from the Sulzberger family in the 1990s. It has since been carefully restored and upgraded with over $30 million in improvements and additions that doubled the size of the original home. 

With its rusticated stone masonry and its clay-tiled roof, the European-inspired estate is an opulent pastiche of Italian, English, and French styles. Ornate period detailing can be found throughout the mansion’s nearly 16,000 square feet, including gilt-trimmed moldings and stained glass, while natural materials such as imported marble, limestone, and onyx evoke a sense of baronial timelessness. 

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The long driveway winds through a sylvan setting, transporting you to a rarefied residence with a strong sense of legacy and permanence. Updated for modern life, the home’s numerous reception rooms include a grand foyer, an intricately embellished living room with a carved stone fireplace—one of a half dozen in the house, a paneled dining room, and a club room with a seated wet bar. Elsewhere are a study, a modern eat-in kitchen, and a breakfast room, all with open views over the forested landscape, as well as a mosaic-tiled indoor swimming pool.

In all there are eight bedrooms and 10 bathrooms (plus another five powder rooms), including a sumptuous homeowner’s retreat complete with a ballroom-sized bedroom and lounge, a luxe bath, and a huge walk-in closet where clothing and shoes are concealed within built-in wardrobes.

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A broad stone terrace and a vine-laden colonnade anchor the rear of the residence, which sits above a grassy slope that rolls down to a private lake with a small dock, while the formal gardens include a classic hedge maze. More than 5.5 miles of private roads and wooded trails link the main house to the outdoor swimming pool and pool house, tennis court, greenhouse, and two horse barns. Two independent residences are ideal for housing guests and resident caretakers.

This is not the first time at the real estate rodeo for the Haroche family. Records show they gave it an unsuccessful go back in 2007 with an overly optimistic $95 million price tag. They tried again in 2015 at $75 million and, most recently, in 2020, at just under $50 million. Leslie McElwreath and Joseph Barbieri of Sotheby’s International Realty have now brought the historic estate back to market at $75 million.

Click here for more photos of the Connecticut estate.