"La Beau Chateau," the Connecticut mansion that belonged to the late heiress Huguette Clark, was sold to Reed Krakoff, the famous fashion designer, for $14.3 million.
Huguette Clark was the daughter of copper magnate and industrialist William A. Clark, who left a massive fortune behind him. Clark grew up in one of the largest homes in New York City, but the publicity-shy heiress wanted to live life her own way.
Her story is beautifully encapsulated in a book titled "Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune" by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Bill Dedman.
While doing his research for the book, Dedman found that Clark's several mansions in Santa Barbara, Connecticut and New York remained empty for more than 20 years. However, servants maintained these empty homes religiously. After Clark passed away in 2011 at the age of 104, three of her Manhattan apartments sold for a collective $55 million, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Clark's Santa Barbara estate was donated to the Bellosguardo Foundation, USA Today reported.
The Connecticut estate was perhaps the last remaining property of her noteworthy real estate portfolio. Clark purchased the property because she wanted to get away from the horrors of the nuclear war, reports Curbed.
According to Business Insider, "La Beau Chateau" first hit the market for $34 million in 2006. It was relisted for $25 million two years later and was pulled off the market before resurfacing with a lower price tag of $19.8 million last year.
The residence's official website states that the 52-acre estate offers a 10-estate lot subdivision. There is a main house that spans an area of 12,766 square feet and has nine bedrooms and six full and three half bathrooms.
"Gracefully blending historic luxury and superior craftsmanship, the residence features a grand gallery, 11 fireplaces, a full basement, a walk-up attic, a terrace, and a service courtyard for parking cars," the website states.
Take a video tour of the home below: (courtesy: Christie's International Real Estate)
