It appears that Gideon’s and Joe Barbieri’s joint bid on the place has been turned down, and another buyer’s accepted
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Reached for comment by FWIW, Barbieri was sanguine, and denied that the two mega-investors had wanted Great Island in the first place. “Meh”, he said, “we thought we were bidding on Great Captains Island, and it all got mixed up. Once we realized our mistake, we pulled that bid and moved on to island we really wanted all along. We haven’t heard back from Freddie C. yet, but I’m pretty sure your next trip to Great Captain’s will have to be by invitation only, and you’ll be aboard the H.M.S. Susie. Stay tuned.”
From last month:
April 4, 2022
DARIEN — The town has begun negotiations to purchase Great Island, a 60-acre estate that has belonged to one family since 1905.
The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously Monday to approve a resolution to authorize First Selectman Monica McNally to negotiate the purchase of the property, currently listed for $100 million.
The property was first listed in 2016 for $175 million and then relisted in 2019 for $120 million. The property’s monthly real estate taxes are $49,159, totalling $589,907 annually.
Before the vote, the board discussed the potential acquisition of a portion of the property in a 70-minute executive session.
McNally said that Great Island not only has a unique history, it is the last and best property of its kind that is available on the entire East Coast United States.
“There will never be another opportunity for the town to control this property’s destiny, or to add an asset to benefit all of us like this, for us and for generations to come.”
Baking powder entrepreneur William Ziegler built the estate in 1905 and his descendants, the Steinkraus family, are the current owners.
