Kissel’s Greenwich estate heading to auction
Slain developer’s Quaker Lane property part of 3-parcel sale
GREENWICH — Welldressed collectors, connoisseurs and real estate moguls will cast bids at a Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong next month, and one of them may win a sprawling Backcountry estate on the other side of the globe.
The property, at 38, 48 and 58 Quaker Lane, is three separate parcels that first hit the market last year, jointly listed for $35 million.
The listing team at Sotheby’s International Realty — Danielle Claroni, Christian Perry and Leslie McElwreath — have since decided to take the uncommon step of listing a Greenwich home on an international auction.
McElwreath said the auction gives heightened exposure to the sale, which will, ideally, raise the price.
“What makes this very unique is that it is three contiguous parcels, and that’s getting more and more rare in Greenwich,” she said. “A lot of the largest estates have been divided, and it’s very rare to have the opportunity to rejoin three properties.”
Part of the property previously belonged to Andrew Kissel, a real estate developer who was murdered in April 2006 at another house he owned on Dairy Road.
Authorities subsequently uncovered a massive financial fraud by Kissel, who was killed by Leonard Trujillo, the cousin of his Bridgeport chauffeur, Carlos Trujillo. Carlos Trujillo feared investigators would uncover his involvement in a Kissel money laundering scheme and hired his cousin to kill Kissel, evidence at the trial showed. Cousins Carlos Trujillo, of Bridgeport, and Leonard Trujillo, Worcester, Mass., were convicted of attempted murder and manslaughter, respectively, in connection with the case in 2011.
Kissel was developing the Quaker Lane estate but it was not complete when he was murdered.
The subsequent owner has since remodeled the home at 58 Quaker Lane and acquired the abutting parcels, McElwreath said.
The French country-style estate features a primary residence designed for entertaining, as well as a separate five-bedroom, five-bath residence for guests or staff. Separately, there are stables to accommodate 12 horses.
Since last year, the real estate agents have created the option to split the listing, with the main home going for $20 million and the other parcel, which has equestrian facilities and another large home, going for $15 million.
The $20 million parcel is five acres and the $15 million parcel is 11 acres, some of which could be redeveloped, McElwreath said.
McElwreath said it is very uncommon for Greenwich properties to be sold at auction in another country like this, but the auction house’s pool of clientele will, hopefully, contain some interested buyers.
“We do have a lot of Asian buyers who are interested in the Greenwich market, primarily because of our very high quality of life and our proximity to ... New York City, but also to the prestigious independent high schools and Ivy League schools in the area,” she said. “We’ve always had a large Asian community curious about Greenwich properties, so that’s why this is so well suited for this Hong Kong auction.”
Bidding starts on Sept. 19 and culminates in a live auction in Hong Kong on Sept. 25. Each bidder must submit a $100,000 deposit to participate, according to the Sotheby’s auction website.