Billy Joel’s Longtime Long Island Estate Returns to the Market for $50 Million

Joel purchased the property for $22.5 million in 2002, records show. Though it was initially built in the early 1910s, it was rebuilt in 1994 as an Arts and Crafts mansion. Parts of the home’s facade and interiors play homage to the original 20th-century structure through detailed ornamentation, cathedral ceilings, hardwood floors, and plenty of marble accents. There are four homes on the property: the Main House, the Beach House, the Guest House, and the Gate House, as well as three separate four-acre waterfront lots, should you want to create a multi-generational family compound.

You’ll want for nothing at MiddleSea—which is named after the first note the musician learned on piano “middle C” and proximity to the sea. The massive brick Cape Cod-style house spans more than 20,000 square feet and has five bedrooms and eight bathrooms. Upon entrance, you’re greeted with 30-foot-high ceilings and a wraparound staircase. The main floor includes a formal living room with a fireplace and French doors that open to a waterfall, plus a formal dining room with yet another fireplace, an office, and a mahogany-wrapped library. As part of the renovation, there’s a gourmet kitchen with two Calacatta Caldia marble islands; a Waterstone faucets; a farm-style sink; and state-of-the-art appliances from Officine Gullo, Thermador, and Sub-Zero. There’s also a breakfast room, which defies the informality of a breakfast nook, with dramatic 20-foot-high ceilings.

In addition to the modern elements, Joel, rightfully so, transitioned parts of the home to be more music-oriented. For instance, he enjoyed the acoustic resonance in the indoor pool area so he installed hardwood flooring and transformed it into an impressive performance venue. There are two pools, one outside of the main house and another outside the gate house. There’s also a three-bedroom beach house, plus a helicopter pad, pool, and a dock. If the beach house doesn’t sell you, the guest house might, as there’s a bowling alley and an indoor pool. In total, there are three swimming pools.

The area is special to Joel, who grew up in Hamlet, New York a few towns over. He told The Wall Street Journal: “If it’s not for me being able to take piano lessons, I probably would never have been able to afford a high-flying property like this. So, I named it after the first note which I learned on the piano, which was C.”

The grand home has tiered gardens, miles of forest, and plenty of land for a future family to develop. Listed by Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty, the home has quite the legacy due to Joel’s decades-long ownership.

MiddleSea is listed for $49.9 million by Bonnie Williamson of Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty.