1 year ago
91 Standing astatine 1 of the 5 cooking islands successful his kitchen, Mick Kittredge rattles disconnected the outsized statistic for his recently listed home. Over 60 acres. Nearly 120,000 quadrate feet of surviving and recreation space. A full of 14 fireplaces, 25 bathrooms, 16 bedrooms and 4 tennis courts.
The occidental Massachusetts property is truthful big, successful fact, Kittredge has mislaid number of the kitchens and bars.
"Kitchens? I deliberation determination are astatine slightest six, possibly seven?"
"Bars? Eight astatine least, possibly nine? I'm not precisely sure. We've had pub crawls conscionable connected the property."
Juggler Meadow, arsenic the property is known, is 1 of the hidden giants of the mega-home world. Far from the accepted mansion habitats of Greenwich, Connecticut, the Hamptons successful New York oregon Bel Air, California, Juggler Meadow is tucked distant connected a backmost roadworthy successful Leverett, Massachusetts (population: nether 2,000). It was built by Kittredge's father, Michael Kittredge II, who made his luck arsenic the laminitis of the Yankee Candle Company. Now, the spot is connected the marketplace for $23 million.
Like Juggler Meadow itself, the terms is portion fantasyland, portion relation and portion unapologetic excess.
The astir costly location sold implicit the past decennary successful the area, adjacent Springfield, Massachusetts, was $2.35 million, according to Redfin. Juggler Meadow is listed astatine astir 10 times that amount, but is besides a uncommon operation of space, amenities and sports facilities. Rebuilding it contiguous would outgo good implicit $50 million, according to existent property experts.
"It's incomparable to immoderate different property successful the country," said Johnny Hatem Jr. of Douglas Elliman, the property's listing agent. "If idiosyncratic asks maine astir the terms being high, I accidental 'try to physique it contiguous for $23 million'.'"
The enigma of wherefore anyone would physique Juggler Meadow successful the archetypal spot starts with Kittredge's father, Michael Kittredge, who grew up successful adjacent South Hadley. When helium was 16, helium made a candle from crayons arsenic a contiguous for his mother, and a neighbour was truthful impressed she bought one. Kittredge began making more, and successful the aboriginal 1970s founded Yankee Candle Company.
The concern grew and successful 1984, Kittredge bought a tiny three-bedroom assemblage location successful Leverett for $144,000. As Yankee Candle expanded, on with Kittredge's wealth, truthful did the house. Wings and floors were added. A tennis tribunal was built. More onshore was purchased.
By the precocious 1990s, Yankee Candle had go the biggest scented candle institution successful the county. Kittredge sold the institution for astir $600 cardinal to Forstmann Little & Co., the backstage equity firm.
With the flood of currency and a non-compete clause that prevented him from launching different candle institution for years, Kittredge built his imagination life. He bought homes successful Jupiter Island, Florida and Nantucket, Massachusetts. He bought a yacht and sailed with his household astir the world. He built a postulation of 80 cars, galore of them uncommon Porsches and Ferraris. And helium amassed and a vino postulation truthful ample it needed 2 cellars.
Most of all, helium expanded his location with the purpose of entertaining his increasing assemblage of friends and family.
"The location had 8 antithetic additions enactment connected passim the years," says Mick Kittredge. "(Dad) would accidental 'It would beryllium large if we had an country to get unneurotic with friends.' Or 'We should person a bigger country to person a Christmas party'."
The main location ballooned to 25,000 quadrate feet, with a ceremonial eating room, large hall, lavish maestro suite and offices. Down a winding driveway is an outdoor excavation and excavation location with a room and impermanent quarters. Two "car barns" for the car postulation are arsenic spotless arsenic museums. Brass-plated signs passim the spot pb to a ample motion that reads "The Spa," a 55,000 square-foot playground and enactment space.
The Spa includes bowling alleys, a billiards room, a two-story arcade and massage rooms. An indoor tennis tribunal tin beryllium converted into an auditorium and creation hallway with a afloat performance stage, wherever the Doobie Brothers and Hall & Oats gave backstage concerts.
"We've had parties with implicit 400 radical successful here," Kittredge says.
The centerpiece of the Spa is an indoor h2o parkland that's ever a steamy 89 degrees, adjacent successful the acold Massachusetts winters. It has towering thenar trees, stone caves and grottos with flickering temper lights, and vaulted ceilings painted with golden clouds and a cerulean sky, modeled aft the Bellagio successful Las Vegas. There are eating tables connected a chromatic patio, with a room adjacent to hole the "pool menu." The men's and women's locker rooms person dozens of lockers, on with changing rooms and showers.
"On immoderate fixed day, we'd person 20 oregon 30 radical successful the Spa," Mick Kittredge said.
When asked wherefore his begetter built specified a monolithic playground successful occidental Massachusetts, alternatively than decamping to much fashionable millionaire haunts similar Palm Beach oregon Los Angeles, Kittredge says: "Western Mass was location for him. He grew up here. He built his concern here. His friends were here, his household were here."
In 2010, Michael Kittredge joined his son's fast-growing candle concern and unneurotic launched Kringle Candle Co., which continues to expand. "He saw what I was doing, realized however overmuch amusive it was and wanted to get backmost into the business," Mick Kittredge said.
In 2012, Michael Kittredge had a stroke, which constricted his question and speech. He died successful 2019 from liver nonaccomplishment astatine the property of 67.
The Nantucket location sold for $19 cardinal successful 2019. Mick Kittredge said he's selling Juggler Meadow due to the fact that "it's excessively large for 1 person. You effort vacuuming 120,000 quadrate feet. No really, I privation to spot this spot utilized to its afloat potential."
Hatem said the perfect purchaser for Juggler Meadow is simply a household that loves entertaining and recreation arsenic overmuch arsenic Kittredge. But fixed its size and scale, a much apt purchaser is simply a edifice institution oregon assemblage that could usage the full campus.
"The opportunities are endless due to the fact that you person truthful overmuch abstraction present and truthful galore things that tin support you perpetually entertained."
