Joyce Rey and Timothy Di Prizito, Coldwell Banker Global Luxury Property Specialists affiliated with the Beverly Hills office of Coldwell Banker Realty, have listed the more than 10-acre preeminent historic Montecito estate “Far Afield” for $74,000,000. Located in Montecito, Calif., the approximately 20,000-square-foot residence has seven bedrooms and 14 bathrooms.
“A rare and extraordinary piece of art and antiquity, Far Afield is one of two significant historic estates remaining in the prime Montecito ‘Golden Quadrangle,’” said Rey. “Far Afield is truly a legacy estate for the ages, embodying success, class and sophistication.”
In 1916, Far Afield was parceled off from the original Las Tejas Estate by early South Carolina settler William Alston Hayne and sold to famed American writer Hobart C. Chatfield-Taylor and his wife Rose Farwell, daughter of US Senator Charlie B. Farwell. Far Afield was named in part after Farwell (Far) and Chatfield (Field), combining their last names but with the symbolism that the estate was their vacation home “far away” from their primary home in Lake Forest, Illinois. In 1917, Architect Francis T. Underhill, the enduring builder of “The Biltmore Hotel” in Santa Barbara, designed this gorgeous Mediterranean Revival (Villa) Estate and gardens inspired by his other noted masterpieces such as Villa Solana and La Chiquita. At an enormous expense and length of time, the 15-year restoration project completed in 2017 delivered art and architecture thoughtfully finished with handcrafted custom details using 17th and 18th century reclaimed building materials curated throughout Europe.
“Offered for the first time since 2002, this property is a trophy asset to be cherished by children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren for decades to come. A once in a lifetime opportunity with an A-plus location, acreage, gardens and pedigree architecture, Far Afield would be impossible to replicate today,” said Di Prizito. “The elegance of the villa’s architecture, facade and finishes are enhanced by the estate’s unparalleled and completely updated infrastructure including a structural and mechanical engineering overhaul with added subterranean levels and state of the art systems rivaling modern hotel resorts of today.”
A gated long canopied driveway approach set back several hundred yards from Hot Springs Road introduces an unassuming, yet unbelievably awe-inspiring romantic main villa and guest residence with indelible charm and character. Each of the parquet floor patterns were custom built on-site with hand-cut French Oak, imported from historic Chateaus. A curated collection of Dutch, Italian and Spanish antique tiles are attentively integrated throughout the estate’s interior and exterior.
To view the home, contact Joyce Rey at 310-285-7529 or joyce@joycerey.com and Timothy Di Prizito at 310-266-2777 or tdipri@gmail.com.
Coldwell Banker Realty in Southern California, the No. 1 residential real estate brokerage in Southern California, operates 61 offices with approximately 4,341 affiliated agents. Real estate agents affiliated with the company are independent contractor agents and are not employees of the company. Coldwell Banker Realty is owned by a subsidiary of Realogy Holdings Corp. (NYSE: RLGY), the largest full-service residential real estate services company in the United States. For more information, visit ColdwellBankerHomes.com. CalDRE #01908304.
Photo by Eric Foote.
