- The residence in Leverett, Massachusetts, is on the market for $23 million.
- The estate spans additional than 60 acres and has practically 120,000 square toes of dwelling and recreation area.
- It has 25 bogs, 16 bedrooms and four tennis courts.
Standing at one particular of the 5 cooking islands in his kitchen, Mick Kittredge rattles off the outsized data for his freshly outlined home. More than 60 acres. Nearly 120,000 square ft of residing and recreation place. A complete of 14 fireplaces, 25 bathrooms, 16 bedrooms and 4 tennis courts.
The western Massachusetts estate is so big, in fact, Kittredge has shed rely of the kitchens and bars.
“Kitchens? I consider there are at minimum 6, possibly 7?”
“Bars? Eight at the very least, probably 9? I am not just certain. We have experienced pub crawls just on the property.”
Juggler Meadow, as the estate is acknowledged, is one particular of the concealed giants of the mega-household earth. Far from the common mansion habitats of Greenwich, Connecticut, the Hamptons in New York or Bel Air, California, Juggler Meadow is tucked away on a back highway in Leverett, Massachusetts (population: below 2,000). It was constructed by Kittredge’s father, Michael Kittredge II, who made his fortune as the founder of the Yankee Candle Corporation. Now, the residence is on the sector for $23 million.
Like Juggler Meadow by itself, the cost is part fantasyland, section purpose and portion unapologetic excessive.
The most costly household sold more than the past decade in the place, in the vicinity of Springfield, Massachusetts, was $2.35 million, according to Redfin. Juggler Meadow is listed at approximately 10 periods that volume, but is also a unusual combination of room, facilities and sporting activities services. Rebuilding it today would expense well over $50 million, according to genuine estate professionals.
“It can be incomparable to any other estate in the region,” stated Johnny Hatem Jr. of Douglas Elliman, the property’s listing agent. “If someone asks me about the value currently being large, I say ‘try to create it currently for $23 million’.'”
The thriller of why anyone would build Juggler Meadow in the initial area starts with Kittredge’s father, Michael Kittredge, who grew up in close by South Hadley. When he was 16, he designed a candle from crayons as a existing for his mother, and a neighbor was so impressed she purchased one. Kittredge commenced generating extra, and in the early 1970s established Yankee Candle Enterprise.
The organization grew and in 1984, Kittredge bought a little 3-bed room colonial household in Leverett for $144,000. As Yankee Candle expanded, along with Kittredge’s wealth, so did the property. Wings and flooring ended up extra. A tennis courtroom was constructed. A lot more land was obtained.
By the late 1990s, Yankee Candle had turn into the biggest scented candle business in the county. Kittredge offered the enterprise for about $600 million to Forstmann Little & Co., the personal equity firm.
With the flood of income and a non-compete clause that prevented him from launching a further candle business for many years, Kittredge constructed his dream lifetime. He purchased households in Jupiter Island, Florida and Nantucket, Massachusetts. He purchased a yacht and sailed with his family members about the environment. He designed a selection of 80 cars and trucks, a lot of of them scarce Porsches and Ferraris. And he amassed and a wine collection so large it wanted two cellars.
Most of all, he expanded his home with the goal of entertaining his expanding crowd of mates and loved ones.
“The dwelling had 8 distinctive additions set on in the course of the years,” suggests Mick Kittredge. “(Father) would say ‘It would be fantastic if we had an area to get jointly with friends.’ Or ‘We should have a more substantial space to have a Xmas party’.”
The major household ballooned to 25,000 sq. ft, with a official dining area, excellent hall, lavish grasp suite and workplaces. Down a winding driveway is an outside pool and pool dwelling with a kitchen and guest quarters. Two “auto barns” for the automobile selection are as spotless as museums. Brass-plated signals throughout the assets direct to a big signal that reads “The Spa,” a 55,000 square-foot playground and celebration space.
The Spa involves bowling alleys, a billiards area, a two-tale arcade and therapeutic massage rooms. An indoor tennis court docket can be transformed into an auditorium and dance hall with a total concert stage, where by the Doobie Brothers and Corridor & Oats gave personal concert events.
“We’ve experienced get-togethers with more than 400 men and women in listed here,” Kittredge suggests.
The centerpiece of the Spa is an indoor water park that’s generally a steamy 89 levels, even in the cold Massachusetts winters. It has towering palm trees, rock caves and grottos with flickering mood lights, and vaulted ceilings painted with gold clouds and a cerulean sky, modeled after the Bellagio in Las Vegas. There are eating tables on a stone patio, with a kitchen close by to get ready the “pool menu.” The men’s and women’s locker rooms have dozens of lockers, along with modifying rooms and showers.
“On any supplied working day, we would have 20 or 30 persons in the Spa,” Mick Kittredge claimed.
When questioned why his father constructed such a massive playground in western Massachusetts, alternatively than decamping to additional well known millionaire haunts like Palm Seashore or Los Angeles, Kittredge suggests: “Western Mass was dwelling for him. He grew up in this article. He created his enterprise right here. His pals ended up here, his loved ones have been here.”
In 2010, Michael Kittredge joined his son’s rapid-expanding candle company and jointly released Kringle Candle Co., which continues to grow. “He observed what I was performing, understood how much pleasurable it was and wished to get again into the enterprise,” Mick Kittredge reported.
In 2012, Michael Kittredge had a stroke, which constrained his movement and speech. He died in 2019 from liver failure at the age of 67.
The Nantucket house marketed for $19 million in 2019. Mick Kittredge mentioned he is advertising Juggler Meadow simply because “it is far too major for one person. You try vacuuming 120,000 sq. ft. No genuinely, I want to see this assets used to its whole potential.”
Hatem said the excellent consumer for Juggler Meadow is a relatives that enjoys entertaining and recreation as considerably as Kittredge. But given its sizing and scale, a much more probably customer is a resort enterprise or university that could use the total campus.
“The alternatives are infinite mainly because you have so much space below and so a lot of matters that can hold you regularly entertained.”
