Almost a year-and-a-half after it first hit the market with a $49 million price tag and then topped off a lengthy multimillion-dollar renovation, Billy Joel’s longtime New York residence in the Long Island enclave of Centre Island has popped up for sale again, this time with a slightly boosted ask. The musical superstar is now seeking a smidge under $50 million for the 26-acre spread, which is listed by Nancy Cuite and Lisa Lavelle of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Laffey International Realty.
Nestled amid a peninsula tucked between Oyster Bay and Cold Spring Harbor, the waterfront property was acquired by the Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and pianist in 2002 and subsequently named MiddleSea, a nod to its locale in the middle of the sea and a play on the note of middle C, the first key typically learned by beginning piano players. Assembled over time on adjoining parcels, the compound features a 20,000-square-foot main home plus several additional structures—all with access to 2,000 feet of private shoreline boasting a dock and a boat ramp.
The 26-acre compound rests alongside 2,000 feet of shoreline.
Frank Urso
Completed in the early 1990s but evoking the opulence of the Gilded Age, the red-brick main residence has five en-suite bedrooms and a whopping 11 baths. It is adorned throughout with a mix of hardwood and marble floors, 30-foot ceilings, an elevator, and nautical-inspired decor. Among the highlights are a soaring entry foyer displaying a black-and-white checkerboard marble floor and a grand wrought iron-railed staircase, as well as fireside living and dining rooms, two kitchens, and a primary suite equipped with dual closets and baths. Elsewhere is a mahogany-clad library with a stone fireplace, a bay-view parlor, a ballroom, a spa, and a wine cellar.
Outdoors, the grounds are laced with rolling lawns, expansive gardens and meandering pathways. They host a waterfall, not one but two swimming pools, a gazebo, and a pergola-topped dining area. Secondary buildings include a five-bedroom gatehouse, a three-bedroom Malibu-style beach house and a three-bedroom guesthouse sporting a two-lane bowling alley and a four-car garage. There’s also a new maintenance building, while an on-site helipad makes for quick trips into Manhattan or out to the Hamptons.
Amenities filtered throughout the property include a two-lane bowling alley.
Frank Urso
Per The New York Times, a major reason the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is selling the mansion he first saw while dredging oysters as a teen is the property’s hefty $567,686 annual taxes. “It’s not cheap, let’s put it that way,” he said. “As successful, I’ve been financially, yeah, that’s, you know, that’s a lot.” In addition to his for-sale Centre Island home, records show the 75-year-old New York native also owns homes in Sag Harbor and Florida.
Click here for more photos of Billy Joel’s home.
Frank Urso
Source: Luxury - robbreport.com
