On the heels of approving plans for an extensive interior renovation that will preserve the 1937 mansion on the former estate of reclusive heiress Huguette Clark, New Canaan officials on Tuesday will consider an application to re-establish the famed Dan’s Highway property as a single lot.
Subdivided several years ago into 10 lots—opening the possibility of development for several homes—the 52-acre estate sold in April (the buyer is said to be former Coach creative head Reed Krakoff) for $14.3 million “is being put back together,” said David Rucci, a partner in New Canaan’s Lampert Toohey & Rucci LLC. Rucci applied for the re-subdivision on behalf the property’s owners, and the Planning and Zoning Commission will vet the application during a public hearing at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
“The new owners are committed to preserving the property and renovating the home,” Rucci said. “New Canaan is fortunate that the property is being preserved.”
The estate, known as ‘Le Beau Château,’ went onto the market in September 2008 at $24 million, and was lowered in February of this year to $15.9 million.
A book published last year, “Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune,” finds that the 14,266-square-foot French-style manor house had been unoccupied for decades.
The daughter of a copper baron, Clark when she died four summers ago left behind $300 million, most of which went to charity. Other items—including many paintings, jewels and a Stradivarius violin collecting dust in a closet—have gone to auction.
Asked about what advantages might be had by re-forming the estate as a single lot instead of a subdivision, Town Planner Steve Kleppin said: “From the town’s perspective, there are numerous advantages.”
For example, since the property won’t be developed with new homes, that’s one less road that would need to be maintained and—especially considering that the estate is on the outskirts of town—less strain put on attendant municipal services.
Also, Kleppin said: “One of the few remaining, large and relatively untouched parcels of land remains intact.”
“The site had numerous challenges from a drainage perspective, so most of that will be eliminated” and there are less impacts to wetlands and watercourses, Kleppin added.
The New Canaan Building Department on July 17 approved plans for a $1.4 renovation of the entire house at 104 Dan’s Highway. No new square footage will be added, the application says. The work will include finishing the basement, adding four full bathrooms, one half-bath and four other rooms.
Here’s a video of the estate from Barbara Cleary’s Realty Guild, which handled the sale in April: