"Blairsden"

USA / New Jersey / Far Hills /
 residence, country house, historic remains, French Renaissance (architecture)
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Found in the Bernardsville Mountains, it was originally owned by the banker/railroad magnate/stock exchange tycoon Clinton Ledyard Blair. Construction of the 62,000 sq. foot Louis XIII style was designed by Carrère & Hastings in 1898 with an antique interior installed by Lenygon & Morant. The driveway leading to the mansion is a mile long. It was most recently restored for the 2014 Mansion in May Designer Showhouse for the Women's Association of Morristown Medical Center.

As of 2024, the owner is reportedly Anthony Melillo.

www.historicalsocietyofsomersethills.org/blairsden.php
archive.org/details/americanestatesg00ferruoft/page/n28...
archive.org/details/sim_architectural-record_1910-01_27...
digitalcollections.smu.edu/digital/collection/ryr/id/26...
archive.org/details/artsdecoration1920newy/page/n92/mod...


www.youtube.com/watch?v=_idqQvojboE
Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blairsden_(house)
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   40°42'50"N   74°38'12"W

Comments

  • when I was a young girl in the early 1970's my aunt was a resident at the villa and I would visit her for a few days or a whole week during school breaks. She lived on the third floor facing the reflecting pool. She shared the bathroom that linked the two front rooms with another resident. I would be given one of the other rooms on the third floor for my visit. When my aunt would nap, I would get to explore the house. It was amazing! Did you know that the nuns had their bingo nights in the famous "den"? I won a coffee mug there once... The doors that lead to the reflecting pool were so big and heavy, and the little elevator was noisy! It was a beautiful place to be, though my brothers thought me strange to want to hang out there. Any stories of it being haunted are just stories. you can e if you want....
  • This house is not Italian in style- it is French: specifically, Louis XIII
This article was last modified 12 months ago