By Kelly Potts
Upon entering the Stone Mansion, a 30,000-square-foot estate offering five floors of breathtaking living spaces, I was immediately aware of the attention to detail and exquisite finishes. The grand estate in Alpine, New Jersey, is built of solid granite and steel infrastructure, featuring 12 bedrooms, 19 baths and endless outstanding details throughout.
The majestic entryway welcomes you with views to the spacious backyard, a grand staircase featuring subtle 18-karat-gold accents and just one of the $2 million worth of chandeliers and sconces from renowned antiquarian Cedric Dupont of Palm Beach that can be found throughout the home. Materials were sourced from around the world to give the upscale home its distinct feel, including rare marbles, exotic woods, metals and glass to create custom curved windows.
The estate is owned by real estate investor Richard Kurtz, who was interviewed for “The Stone Mansion, An American Masterpiece,” a 26-page brochure prepared to market the estate, along with Terence Mack of interior design firm Terence Mack Associates, and James Paragano of James Paragano Architecture.
Paragano describes how every detail was conceived within the content of overall goal. “From the massive iron entry gates to the richly detailed interiors, pool house, pergola and limestone terraces, all are designed to contribute to a common thread of ‘timeless elegance,’” he says.
A light and bright Christopher Peacock-designed kitchen offers top-of-the-line appliances, marble countertops, large pantries and refrigerated drawers, as well as a built-in vacuum system in the floorboards. The master suite offers roomy his and hers closets and baths, an elegant sitting area, and views to the lush green backyard from the bedroom, which features one of the home’s many marble fireplaces.
“Designing the interior of a home with 2-feet-thick stone walls takes finding a balance between grandeur and intimacy,” says Mack. “This home is both inspiring and warm.”
The estate’s private movie theater is spacious yet cozy. A 4,000-bottle wine cellar is accompanied by three bars, one of which opens to the elegant ballroom with 18-karat-gold trim. The lowest level of the estate features a regulation-size indoor basketball court fully equipped with a scoreboard, adjustable nets and a locker room.
The $48.8 million estate is in an exclusive neighborhood — Forbes’ most expensive ZIP code — just eight miles from New York City. It rests on the former estate of steel and railroad tycoon Henry Clay Frick.
“We started with the question, ‘If Henry Clay Frick built a new home today, what would it be?’” Kurtz reports. “And then we went further. Much further.”
Photos courtesy The Kamson Corporation
This story originally appeared in Unique Homes Ultimate ’17. Click here to see the digital version.
