A Gilded Age Mansion Built for a Macy’s Heir Is on the Market for $10 Million
Tower Hill Farm sits on nearly 20 acres and was originally constructed in the 1920s for Herbert N. Straus
A Gilded Age estate situated on nearly 20 acres in Middletown, New Jersey, has hit the market for the first time since 1949. Known as Tower Hill Farm, the $10 million listing features nine structures and five residences, and was originally built in the 1920s for Herbert N. Straus, of the Macy’s department store empire.
Tower Hill Farm, designed by notable American architect Alfred Hopkins, features Gothic arches, ivy-covered stone courtyards, a clock tower, Ludowici tile roofs, interconnecting pebble driveways, and hand-carved oak doors. Straus, whose parents, Ida and Isidor Straus died aboard the RMS Titanic, had purchased 100 acres of land in Middletown adjacent to his brother’s 100 acres, with the intention of building neighboring estates.
“Walking this property feels like stepping into an old French village,” listing agent Kelly Zaccaro of Heritage House Sotheby’s International Realty tells Galerie. “Estates of this caliber—the history, the scale, the integrity of what’s been preserved—don’t often come to market. This one is singular.”
Other design features include original stone fountains, a pool, granite hitching posts, a tennis court, and a small barn with paddocks for the horses that reside on the grounds, most of which add to the French countryside aesthetic of the property. In total, the estate boasts approximately 21,600 square feet of living space.
The property’s lush landscaping was done by Martha Brookes Hutcheson, one of America’s first women landscape architects. Highlights include sprawling meadows and scenic tree lines, providing ultimate privacy for one of New Jersey’s final remaining links to the Gilded Age. Additionally, the exterior walls of the home are swathed in enchanting wisteria and English ivy.
The home last exchanged hands in 1949, and is currently owned by the descendants of James McConnell, who made his fortune in the heating and oil business.
