By Dan Murphy
For those of us who have lived in Westchester for 50 years, we have watched as many of the farms and greenspaces across the county, especially in northern Westchester, have been sold and then subdivided by developers into an enclave of large private homes. The result has been fewer and fewer large-scale properties where you can escape for a moment and drive through a Westchester country road and relax, smell the fresh air and appreciate Mother Nature.
One of those special places still exists. It’s in the hamlet of Granite Springs, in the town of Somers, along Mahopac Avenue. For more than 50 years, both sides of Mahopac Avenue traveling north to Route 6 have featured greenspaces and wooden fencing for the many horses that enjoy what seems to be a never-ending pasture.
I have also enjoyed a walk along the north county trail from Yorktown to Somers for many years. Long before it officially became a county trail it was a railroad path, which we used to ride our bikes on or walk the 5 miles or so from Yorktown to Baldwin Place, and to the old Baldwin Place Mall, long ago torn down to be replaced today by Somers commons. If you walk along the trail you will see the horse farm on Mahopac Avenue and get a glimpse of the large mansion that sits back on the farm.
This property, better known as Stonewall Farm, is now up for sale. It sits on 740 acres, and the estate is a rarity – the largest privately-owned property in Westchester County. The property belongs to and is being sold by Calvin Klein, Inc., co-founder Barry Schwartz and his wife, Sheryl, for $100 million. The Wall Street Journal first announced the listing, and the property is being offered by Kathleen Coumou of Christie’s International Real Estate and Andrew Emery of Christie’s International Real Estate Westchester.
This magnificent equestrian estate is a true thoroughbred: Four decades in the making, the property is set amid winding roads, apple orchards, rolling hills, ancient stone walls, woodlands and ponds, with sweeping vistas of the Westchester countryside – all just an hour from New York City.
The Schwartz’ have used the estate to raise champion thoroughbred racehorses over the last 40 years. Their passion for racing shows in the estate’s superbly maintained grounds and world-class equestrian facilities. While driving by the property, one could image driving by a Kentucky horse farm in bluegrass country.
Several of the horses bred at Stonewall have gone on to run in the Kentucky Derby, and the Breeder’s Cup in Saratoga. The Schwartz’ purchased Stonewall Farm in 1979 and its 673 acres for $3.25 million, adding another 67 acres in the 1980s.
A network of private roads and paved trails links the 40-stall yearling barn and two 24-stall broodmare barns with professional racing facilities, barns and paddocks, agricultural land, the working cattle farm, staff quarters, and the owner’s compound. There are hayfields and pasture, and outbuildings including several garages, and an original stone spring house taps the aquifer, supplying hundreds of gallons of water a day. The estate’s auxiliary housing includes eight staff residences, a guest house and caretaker’s residence.
The heart of this private demesne is the 24,000-square-foot colonial plantation-style manor house, set on a rise to take in all the pasture, vale and woodland that surround it. A long, winding drive passes a stocked pond surrounded by weeping willows – a pastoral scene to introduce the main house, designed in 2004 by New York-based architect Rebecca Rasmussen.
There are eight spacious bedrooms and eight full bathrooms. The master suite on the third floor is an expansive private sanctuary, Zen-like in its symmetry and tranquility. Additional features include a private elevator; a 2,200-bottle wine cellar, tasting room, game room and pub; 740 contiguous acres of land – the largest in Westchester County; a 40-stall yearling barn, two 24-stall broodmare barns, round pens, paddocks and a turf racetrack; formal grounds and French gardens designed by landscape architect Edmund Hollander; a 4,000-square-foot pavilion-style pool house with a 60-foot swimming pool, spa and gym; auxiliary housing including a guest house, eight staff residences and caretaker’s residence; state-of-the-art security and technology systems; and a two-story library.
The Schwartz’ say they are selling because they no longer spend a lot of time in New York, with most of their year spent in Santa Barbara, Calif., and Saratoga horse country.
Barry Schwartz and his childhood friend, Calvin Klein, founded the famous clothing label in the 1960s and sold it to Van Heusen for more than $700 million in 2003.
Schwartz got into horse racing in the 1970s and said the purchase of Stonewall Farm was “the easiest negotiation of my life. The seller asked $3.5 million, I offered $3 million and we settled on $3.25 million,” he said.
One real estate broker joked that, by listing the property at $100 million, “the owners aren’t horsing around with that price.”
One of the listing agents, Kathleen Coumou of Christie’s International Real Estate, said the recent volatility in the stock market will lead buyers toward investing in land. Hopefully, the next buyer will keep the property as it is – a special memory for those who have lived nearby, and for future generations.
We have yet to add up all of the property taxes for this home and farm. The owners purchased several additional, adjoining properties over the years and we await the total property tax bill from the Town of Somers, and will report back.
Some frequent walkers along the North County Trail claim the owners and their security detail aren’t the friendliest, and we will leave it at that. But a drive along Mahopac Avenue with your daughter, reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen’s song “My Hometown,” still works for me.
