Field Point (William T. Grant House II)

 estate (manor / mansion land), historical building

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Field Point is undoubtably one of the most important properties on the Connecticut coast, sprawling over 10.13 verdant acres at the tip of the peninsula in Belle Haven. This is more than double the standard 4-acre lot on Field Point Circle. The 10,000 square foot mid-century modern was designed by famous architect Edward Durell Stone in 1948 for W.T. Grant (control-F on the USModernist link for "William T. Grant House II" or "60 Field Point Circle" for some photographs of the property). Attached to the modern portion is a Tudor‐style complex that includes a superintendent's home and a seven‐car garage with two apartments and a greenhouse.

Grant derived his fortune from a successful department store chain. When he died, he donated the property to Greenwich Hospital, which had no practical way of using it due to zoning. It was listed in 1973 for $1.85m—which was considered astronomical at the time—eventually selling for a record $1.325m. Even in the early 70s the house was considered out-of-date, with the Stone structure being described as a "contemporary motel" by the New York Times. It was understood that the land was the main selling point—it makes up $31.8m of the $32.2m (2020) assessment for the property. In terms of assessed value, Field Point is the most valuable parcel of land in Greenwich, and the second most valuable property (house + land) altogether behind the E.C. Benedict Estate on Indian Harbor Point. This is one of a handful of properties in Greenwich that could believably list in excess of $100m.

While the buyer was not known at the time, it was eventually revealed to be Raymond and Beverly Sackler of Purdue Pharma (Jonathan Sackler lives across the street at 75 Field Point Circle, suggesting that it was sold in 1973 as part of the 12.3 acres cited in the article). At some point, the property was passed on to attorneys Stuart Baker and Leslie J. Schreyer.

usmodernist.org/stone.htm
virtualglobetrotting.com/map/raymond-sacklers-house/vie...
www.nytimes.com/1973/01/21/archives/buyers-scarce-when-...
www.nytimes.com/1973/06/03/archives/w-t-grant-estate-so...