Connecticut Tobacco Farm Priced at $9.5 Million Houses Private Wellness Retreat

Take the chicest penthouse atop the most desirable ultra-luxury development in New York City, place it on a sprawling farm in the most picturesque and charming country town, and you have Hedgelawn Farm, an 18th-century Connecticut tobacco farm situated on 28 acres in Litchfield County, which has been meticulously transformed into an extraordinary compound. Purchased by the current owners in 2007, the property has since undergone an extensive reconstruction with a rigorous dedication to craftsmanship intended to maintain the integrity of the land, the farm, and the original structures.

Three residences (and several outbuildings) were retained, all of which have been meticulously disassembled and reassembled with a fortified and up-to-date “exoskeleton.” Each of the three residences was rebuilt in its same location, so the farm itself retains true to its historic layout.

In addition to the three homes (the Barn House, the Guest House, and the Cottage), there is a six-car garage and a three-stall barn that was originally home to Derby favorites Little Miss Sundance and Donnybrook. A so-called Summer Garden Pavilion overlooks the wildflower pasture, and just for fun, the original three-seater outhouse was relocated to the berry patch. True to its agrarian roots, Hedgelawn is a certified organic farm, with apple, pear, plum, and peach trees, as well as blueberry bushes and various berry vines.

The Barn House serves as the main residence. The 1865 barn was built on the same footprint as it sits today. The structure was sited at the highest elevation of the farm because it was used as a tobacco-drying barn and the breezes on the hilltop from the Shepaug River Valley helped dry the crop.

Sometime in the 1970s, former owner Thomas Porter Whitney, a thoroughbred breeding diplomat and writer, converted the old barn into an art studio and living space. He installed a pink kitchen in the northwest corner of the barn, where it remained until only a few years ago. (The current owners even catered their wedding out of the pink kitchen!) When the kitchen was removed, and the beams dismantled before reassembly on their new foundation, a stripe of pink paint was discovered on one of the beams from where the kitchen ended. As a nod to the past, that pink stripe remains on the reassembled corner beam.

Today, the one-of-a-kind residence includes some very modern features, including a custom Francesco Librizzi staircase, built in Italy, shipped to Connecticut, and installed by Italian fabricators under Francesco Librizzi’s watch. And what could be more modern than the home’s “wellness level” that’s complete with dedicated weightlifting and cardio areas, an oversized hydrotherapy tub, and a zen garden for yoga and quiet contemplation. In all, the Barn House spans about 4,500 square feet of living space, with three en-suite bedrooms, plus an additional bath on the wellness level and a couple more powder rooms.

Built circa 1770, with several additions between 1790 to 1850, the Guest House is the oldest structure on the property. Connected to the main house by a glassed-in breezeway the Guest House boasts about 2,800 square feet of living space, with two bedrooms and two and a half baths. A sophisticated mix of old and new, the dwelling includes new framing, roof, windows and doors, insulation, and mechanicals, while retaining the original post and beam frame.

Finally, the tiny, adorable Cottage is ideal for an artist-in-residence, caretaker or lucky teenager. At just about 500 square feet, it is configured as a studio unit with a full kitchen and a marble bath.

All this history, space and gorgeousness doesn’t come cheap; Hedgelawn is available for a scorching $9.5 million via Susan Vanech and Rick Distel of Compass.