WHEN AT KINO AND YOU COULD SPLURGE ON SOME NEW YORK HIGH
FASHION A MEGA MILLIONS JACKP PUT YOU IN PLAY FOR A BERKSHIRES
ESTATE.
IRONICALLY WE FIND BOTH.
OPTIONS FOR SALE IN ONE PLACE AS WE DRIVE WEST TO HISTORIC ELM
COURT IN LENOX, EMILY VANDERBILT THE GRANDDAUGHTER OF CORNELIUS
AND HER HUSBAND WILLIAM SLOAN ARE THE ONES THAT BUILT IT IN
1886.
IT’S NOW 135 YEARS OLD.
THERE’S 90 ACRES.
SO THE LAST 10 YEARS LESS FREEMAN HAS MANAGED THE ESTATE
AND BECOME THE PROPERTIES DE FACTO HISTORIAN NOW, THERE IS
SOME SERIOUS HISTORY HERE THAT PEOPLE MAY NOT B OF VERSAILLES
PARTLY WRITTEN HERE.
THAT IS CORRECT.
APPARENTLY IT WAS EITHER DRAFTED OR CREATED ON THEIR PORCH.
SO ON JUST A LAZY AFTERNOON IN THE BERKSHIRES THERE MAY HAVE
BEEN A TREATY DRAFTED RIGHT WOULD END WORLD WAR WHY EXACTLY
SUCH UNDERSTATED GRANDEUR WAS PAR FOR THE COURSE FOR THE
VANDERBILTS.
THEY CONSIDERED THIS 5,000 SQUARE FOOT PALACE WITH ITS 106
ROOMS SET ON 90 ACRES SPANNING TO TOWNS A COTTAGE EVEN THEIR
GARDENER WAS WORLD CLASS.
FREDERICK LAW OLMSTEAD DESIGNED AT LEAST THE GARDENS IN THE BACK
OF THE HOUSE, BUT I’M SURE THAT HE AND HIS DESIGN FIRM
ENCOMPASSED ALL THE 90 ACRES.
THEY WOULD ESSENTIALLY PICKED UP THE PHONE SAID FRED, YOU KNOW
WHEN YOU’RE DONE WITH CENTRAL PARK.
WE GOT A PROJECT.
THAT’S RIGHT.
TO SEE THE MANY VANDERBILT PROPERTIES ALL LINED UP IS
ENOUGH TO MAKE YOU WONDER ABOUT.
SIBLING RIVALRY THE VANDERBILT COUNTRY ESTATES.
YES THE BREAKERS IN NEWPORT, OF COURSE BILTMORE SHELBURNE AND IN
BURLINGTON VERMONT, AND HERE’S ELM COURT WITH THEY TRYING TO
COMPETE WITH EACH OTHER I BELIEVE SO YEAH AS WE KNOW THAT
THE BILTMORE IS PROBABLY THE LARGEST HOME IN AMERICA FROM
WHAT I UNDERSTAND.
ELM COURT HOLDS THE TITLE OF LARGEST SHINGLE-STYLE HOME IN
AMERICA AND FROM THE LOOK OF THIS MASTER SUITE.
I DON’T IMAGINE EMILY OR HER GUESS AT TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE
ROOM IS DECORATED TO HONOR THE VANDERBILT COLORS, WHICH ARE THE
GOLD AND THE BLACK AND THE MAROON OR DARK RED.
A LOT OF THIS HAS BEEN RESTORED AND IS NOT ORIGINAL.
THAT’S CORRECT.
YOU DON’T HAVE TO KNOW MUCH ABOUT SCULPTURE TO KNOW.
THAT’S THAT AIN’T ORIGINAL.
MANY OF THE HOMES ORIGINAL ITEMS SOME PICTURED HERE DISAPPEARED
IN THE 50 YEARS AFTER EMILY VANDERBILT’S PASSING IN 1946 FOR
YEARS THE HOUSE SAT EMPTY AND NEGLECTED EXCEPT FOR A PARADE OF
LOCAL LOOTERS AND SQUATTERS HOW EXTENSIVELY WAS IT VANDALIZED
THERE REALLY WASN’T A PAINTED GLASS IN THE ENTIRE BUILDING
EVERY DOOR KNOB EVERY LIGHT FIXTURE.
THEY WERE ALL GONE AND MISSING AND THEN IT WAS EARLY ABOUT 2000
OR SO WHEN THE GREAT GREAT GRANDSON OF EMILY VANDERBILT AND
HIS WIFE CAME BACK AND THEY STARTED RESTORING PIECE BY PIECE
ROOM BY ROOM ELM COURT TO BRING IT BACK TO WHAT WE HAVE TODAY
THEIR EFFORT.
HELP BY MORE THAN A FEW GUILTY CONSCIENCES.
THEY WOULD OPEN UP THE FRONT DOOR, AND THERE WOULD BE A DESK
OR A CHAIR OR A DOORKNOB JUST LEFT AT THE FRONT DOOR FROM
SOMEONE THAT HAD DECIDED TO BRING IT BACK ABOUT 60%
RESTORED.
NOW ELM COURT IS IN A STATE OF TRANSITION WHILE WAITING FOR ITS
NEXT OWNER ON THIS DAY, NEW YORK FASHION DESIGNER, ADAM LIPIS IS
USING THE GROUNDS AS A BACK.
FOR HIS LATEST CREATIONS.
I HAVE A LUXURY BRAND WOMEN’S BRAND IN NEW YORK CITY, BUT I
ALSO HAVE A HOME UP HERE AND I LOVE TO SHOOT UP HERE BECAUSE OF
THESE INCREDIBLE SPACES LIKE ELM COURT HE CALLS THIS HIS RESORT
COLLECTION TARGETED AT THE WOMAN READY FOR BREAK FROM WINTER
BUT REIMAGINED FOR THESE COVID-19 TIMES, YOU KNOW, WE’VE
REALLY HAD A THINK MORE ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT TO WEAR AT HOME.
WE USED TO DESIGN A LOT FOR EVENTS, AND THOSE AREN’T
HAPPENING NOW, BUT THEY WILL BE AGAIN WE CAN’T DESPAIR IN THE
MEANTIME LIP IS SAYS DID ONE ITEM THAT NO ONE SHOULD BE SEEN
WITHOUT WE ARE MAKING MASKS OUT OF FABRICS FROM THE COLLECTION.
WHY NOT MAKE THEM FUN AND THEY HAVE BEEN SELLING GREAT, WHICH
IS REALLY GOOD TO SEE.
SOME COURT HAS THE RARE DISTINCTION OF BEING BOTH MOVE
IN READY IN A FIXER-UPPER AS I DISCOVERED WHEN CROSSING INTO
THE BILLIARDS WING UNTOUCHED FOR 60 YEARS.
SO LET’S EVEN WITH ALL THE VANDALIZING THAT HAPPENED HERE
ORIGINAL BILLIARD TABLE.
THAT’S CORRECT.
YEAH.
AN OLD BRUNSWICK BILLIARD TABLE, SO ONE CAN IMAGINE TUXEDO
GENTLEMAN SNIFTER’S A BRANDY.
EXACTLY.
SO VANDERBILTS HUDDLED OVER THIS BILL YOUTUBE.
THAT’S CORRECT.
WOULD YOU LIK TO PLAY A GAME THE LISTING PRICE TO LIVE LIKE A
VANDERBILT 12 AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS FOR HIS PART FREEMAN
BELIEVES.
IT WOULD BE MONEY.
WELL SPENT MY WIFE AND I HAVE BEEN ON THE PROPERTY FOR 10
YEARS.
WE ACTUALLY ENDED UP GETTING MARRIED HERE IT REALLY HAS.
CHANGED OUR OUR LIFE AND AS LONG AS IT’S IN GOOD HANDS AND IT
CONTINUES ON THAT MAKE ME HAPPY.
IT IS A BEAUTY AND WITH A HOUSE AT ELM COURT ENTERTAINING WAS
STANDARD FOR EMILY VANDERBILT.
THERE’S A RUMOR THAT SHE HAD A CALL BUTTONS PLACED UNDER THE
RUG IN CERTAIN AREAS OF THE HOUSE SO THAT SHE COULD
DISCREETLY CALL SERVANTS TO RESCUE HER FROM CERTAIN GUESTS.
WELL CARETAKER LESS FREEMAN CHECKED AND SURE ENOUGH.
HE FOUND THE REMAINS OF CALL.
IT’S EXACTLY WHERE THE RUGS WOULD HAVE BEEN COMING UP A
QUIRKY CON