You'd have thought they might donate the land for a homeless shelter, but the Rockefeller heirs don't part with their dimes so easily
/A few weeks after selling about 80 acres in Greenwich, Conn., to billionaire Len Blavatnikfor $32 million, descendants of the Rockefeller family are listing the last large portion of a once-sprawling family estate for $21.5 million.
The roughly 54-acre parcel of forestland is part of a real-estate portfolio that spanned approximately 500 acres in the early 1900s, said Carol Zuckert of Sotheby’s International Realty, who is listing the property with colleague Joseph Barbieri. The property is owned by the Indian Spring Land Co., whose shareholders include more than 100 descendants of William G. Rockefeller, a nephew of industrialist John D. Rockefeller, said Gregg Stone, a great-grandson of William G. Rockefeller.
In 2009, an entity tied to Mr. Blavatnik purchased an 11-acre estate once owned by the family for $22.5 million, records show. Known as Rockfields, the property has a roughly 19,000-square-foot house and was once owned by James Stillman Rockfeller.
In recent years, the entity tied to Mr. Blavatnik has purchased more than 75 acres around the estate in Greenwich. In October, the entity purchased an additional 80 acres from Indian Spring for $32 million, said Mr. DuBois. Ms. Zuckert said the company also offered Mr. Blavatnik the 54-acre parcel, but “he didn’t go for it.”
Mr. Blavatnik is the founder of Access Industries, which has major investments in Warner Music Group and other companies. Representatives for Mr. Blavatnik and Access Industries didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Ms. Zuckert said a potential buyer for the Rockefeller parcel could be a private school or senior housing developer. The town of Greenwich may also be interested in buying the land to conserve the open space, she said. [how about a combination homeless shelter/skating rink? Ed]
Prices in Central Greenwich, where the property is located, have been steady despite a slowdown in the luxury market nationwide, Ms. Zuckert said. She said the number of sales has fallen by about 35% from last year but prices haven’t fallen. “We’re still suffering from a lack of inventory,” she said.
The Stillman Rockefeller house was badly rundown when it was on the market back in ‘09, but it did have one interesting feature: the Linberg kidnapping had terrified rich parents across the nation (my mother said the panic in Beverly Hills was palpable) and a system was installed here so that, with the press of a single button, the entire children’s wing was sealed off. Xi would have loved it.