Astor Courts estate

In September we heard that the Astor Courts estate in Rhinebeck, New York, the property which hosted Chelsea Clinton's wedding, would be sold at auction. The was our estate of the day back in September 2009 and was listed for $12 million. Tranzon Asset Advisors, a national real estate auction firm, organized the auction in conjunction with H.H. Hill Realty Services of Rhinebeck, NY but the NY Post reports that the sealed-bid auction passed its October 14th deadline without yielding a buyer willing to pay above $7.5 million. The property is now back on the market with an $8.9 million list price.

The home was built at the turn of the century by John Jacob Astor, IV and his wife Ava. It was designed by Stanford White and was inspired by Louis XIV's Grand Trianon at Versailles, Astor Courts. The home was originally part of the Astor family's Ferncliff estate and Astor Courts (also known as the "Astor Casino" or "Ferncliff Casino") was designed as a guest lodge and sporting pavilion. The beautiful Beaux-Arts mansion was completed in 1904 and is on 50 acres. The expansive main living area has five bedrooms and spans over 15,000 square feet. The truly stunning details include the indoor clay tennis court topped with a glass ceiling and framed by Gothic arches and a white marble pool surrounded by arches and graced with a pale sky-blue ceiling.

In 1964 Brooke Astor gave the home to the Catholic Church. The current owners, real-estate developer Arthur Seelbinder and his wife, Kathleen Hammer, a former producer for Oxygen Media, bought the home in 2005 for $3.2 million and spent a fortune restoring it. Stanford White's great-grandson, Sam White led the restoration. The property is listed on the National Historic Register, and a Letter of Patent from New York State ensures access to the Hudson River in perpetuity and a Special Use Permit allows the property to be rented for corporate retreats, conferences and other functions. Source luxist.com

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