Stone Mansion's on the Market: There's a Story Behind That

"Extravagant $68 Million NJ Mansion Hits The Market"
WCBSTV (June 4, 2010)

"On Friday, one of the most expensive homes in America officially went on the market – for $68 million.

"It's taken more than two years to build, and it's just eight miles outside of Manhattan, in Alpine, New Jersey.

"It's called the Stone Mansion – 30,000 square feet of home sitting on two acres of land. Richard Kurtz is the owner, and he started building the home for just himself and his wife – but the plans kept getting bigger and bigger.

" 'I have six grandchildren – well, you want a room for each grandchild, that kind of thing,' Kurtz said. 'I have one grandchild who is a superstar with basketball, so of course we have to put a basketball court in.'..."

The basketball court's inside the house.

I appreciated the way this article tells about Mr. Kurtz, why he built that magnificent pile, and - sort of - why he's put it on the market.

"...The mansion is five stories tall, with 12 bedrooms and 19 bathrooms with showers and views you won't believe. The home also has four kitchens, an 11-car garage with mahogany doors, nine fireplaces, and more than 20 flat screen televisions.

Then there's the wine cellar, which fits more than 3,000 bottles and uses thumbprint security to get in. However, it's the massive women's closet that will blow people away. Behind every mirror is hanging space, and the closet has plenty of shelves for shoes, and tons of drawers.

"Kurtz is now a real estate investor, but he started out in the pizza business in Flatbush, and that's where he started dreaming.

"'I grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and as a kid my parents always spoke about beautiful hoems,' Kurtz said."I grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and as a kid my parents always spoke about beautiful hoems,' Kurtz said.

"When the Alpine home kept growing, his real estate agent convinced him to sell when potential buyers started calling before it was even on the market.When the Alpine home kept growing, his real estate agent convinced him to sell when potential buyers started calling before it was even on the market...."

The article has a slide show of pictures of the Stone Mansion - which is an impressive place. Its best feature, from my point of view, is that I don't have to be concerned abut maintaining the place.