In 2004, a secluded country estate located in Connecticut’s historic Litchfield County set a local record when it sold for $4.75 million, marking the highest price ever paid for a residence in the quaint town of Roxbury. Roxbury, situated approximately 60 miles from Manhattan, has long been a favored retreat for media and entertainment industry luminaries. Over the years, notable figures like Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller, Gay Talese, William Styron, Stephen Sondheim, Frank McCourt, Dustin Hoffman, Graydon Carter, and Candace Bushnell have all found solace in the rolling hills surrounding Roxbury.
The current owners of this estate, who have expanded the property to over 20 acres from its original size of around ten acres, have decided to list it for .5 million. This asking price could once again set a new local sales record for Roxbury, surpassing the previous high of $5.54 million achieved in 2021.
The sprawling residence, custom-built in the early 1990s, was originally the home of Joseph and Hilary Califano. Hilary Califano was the late daughter of CBS founder and chairman Bill Paley, while Joseph Califano is a distinguished attorney and professor who served as a White House Domestic Affairs Advisor to President Lyndon B. Johnson in the 1960s and later as the U.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare during President Carter’s administration in the late 1970s.
The estate comprises the main house, boasting four bedrooms and five and a half bathrooms within its approximately 5,600 square feet. Additionally, there is a 1,500-square-foot guest cottage featuring two bedrooms and two bathrooms, as well as a one-bedroom, one-bathroom caretaker’s apartment located above the three-car garage.
The main residence boasts gracefully proportioned public rooms with high ceilings, extensive millwork, four fireplaces, and mullioned windows and French doors that frame picturesque views. The double-height foyer leads to a living room with a fireplace and access to a stone-floored sun porch, as well as a formal dining room. A more relaxed and inviting great room includes a gourmet kitchen with minty green cabinets, an informal dining area, and a stone fireplace flanked by built-in bookshelves. Adjacent to the great room is an elevated deck offering an ideal space for dining and relaxation, with panoramic views of the property stretching towards the Steep Rock Preserve in the neighboring town of Washington.
Situated at the end of a secluded, winding driveway, the residence is surrounded by mature gardens and expansive lawns bordered by dense woodlands. The estate features a tennis court for recreation and a swimming pool with blue stone trim located below the house for cooling off during the warmer months. Privacy is paramount, as there are no neighboring homes in sight.
The property is currently available for sale through Rick Distel and Susan Vanech of Compass.
