Actress Drew Barrymore‘s 280-year-old weekend retreat has come under offer, just weeks after it was put on the market for $4.99 million, following a dramatic renovation and restoration by the “Never Been Kissed” star.
Barrymore, 51, initially listed the expansive six-bedroom, nine-bathroom Westchester dwelling at the end of March, having purchased it just two years earlier for $4.4 million. Now, its listing, which is held by Kori Sassower and Brian K. Lewis of Compass, has been updated to reflect that the property is already “pending” sale, meaning that an offer has been accepted and the deal is in its final stages before closing.
It’s currently unclear what offer has been accepted by the actress; the home will not officially be sold until the deal has closed.
It marks the end of what has been something of a turbulent chapter for Barrymore and the home, in which she has invested a very large sum. Having bought the 12-acre property under the assumption that the main residence on the parcel would require some simple, cosmetic updates, the TV host found herself facing a much more mammoth task.
Barrymore spent more than a year on the project, which she explained to the Wall Street Journal in March was far more complex than she ever could have anticipated.
What began as an aesthetic overhaul soon turned into a “complete internal gut,” during which the actress had to replace a majority of the key systems in the home, which was originally built in the 1740s. They included the heating, the plumbing, and the air conditioning.
The main level of the home also received a drastic transformation, thanks in large part to Barrymore’s desire to open up the kitchen and fill it with light, a feat that she confessed “took a year of engineering to figure out.”
While she didn’t share specific details about the cost of the work, Barrymore joked that her experience was much like that of “The Money Pit” character Anna, played by Shelley Long, who—along with her husband, Walter—ends up purchasing a home that they quickly realize is close to falling apart.
However, Barrymore came through the renovation relatively unscathed, transforming the property into a true sanctuary that she believed would serve as her family’s escape from the city, where she shoots her popular talk show.
Indeed, she said she initially purchased the 12-acre estate because it was located in a much more convenient and easily-accessible location than the Hamptons, where she had previously owned a home, but found herself too busy to really visit thanks to her kids’ increasingly hectic schedules.
But Harrison, NY, where her Westchester home is located, offered a much easier retreat for the star—accessible within an hour by car, whereas Sagaponack, where her Hamptons property was located, can take closer to three hours to reach.
Having invested so much time, energy, and money in renovating the dwelling, many might wonder why Barrymore is choosing to sell, less than a year after that work was finally completed.
The answer, she noted, is simple: Because the overhaul took much longer than she had anticipated, she could not have foreseen how the needs of her family would change during that time, leaving her without a real need for the countryside sanctuary.
That being said, the project did give the on-screen star an opportunity to indulge in one of her greatest personal passions—interior design, something that she has long said is one of her favorite creative outlets.
While many A-list stars might leave the work to the professionals, preferring instead to oversee the progress from the comfort of their fully renovated primary residence, Barrymore did the exact opposite, even living at the property when it was in the most basic of states.
“I lived in the house in the most primitive of scenarios,” she revealed. “It’s some of my favorite times and memories.”
And when it came to the design choices in the property, Barrymore led the charge, selecting a majority of the furniture, finishes, and even the paint colors, which can be seen in the listing photos.
Before putting the property on the market, Barrymore seized the opportunity to make at least one more core memory there, when she celebrated her 51st birthday with some of her closest friends.
Despite the bitter February weather, the “Charlie’s Angels” star admitted that she couldn’t resist the chance to enjoy the stunning landscape that surrounds the property—or the opportunity to relive her earliest days living at the home when it had no real amenities, or even a real kitchen.
So, they braved the freezing temperatures and, while wearing “parkas, hoodies, gloves, and face masks,” spent the evening grilling.
The great outdoors is what originally drew Barrymore to the house, she revealed earlier this month, when she explained to Rue Magazine that she had wanted to find a dwelling that would allow her to connect with nature—and her California roots.
“I had desperately wanted a place outside the city because I had been working for years at this point inside of a studio with no windows,” she said. “I’m from California, and I just had this urge to find nature.”
After finding a listing for the Westchester house online, the actress said she was immediately drawn to the home in a “spiritual” way.
“I came here and I walked around and I was like, I swear my family has been in this house,” she said. “I don’t think I’m super woo-woo, but I had this really strong sense and feeling.”
Barrymore has not revealed whether she has found herself another fixer-upper to tackle—or if she has decided to take a break from DIY projects and focus on life at her New York City apartment, which serves as her primary residence.
However, the listing for her Westchester dwelling makes no secret of the vast amount of work that was put into the property, describing it as “a rare legacy estate where every room has been thoughtfully reimagined for the perfect moment.”
For those seeking their own weekend retreat, the property—which spans more than 7,200 square feet—offers ample room to relax in the beauty of the natural landscape, boasting a sizable main house, a finished pool house, and a separate guest cottage
Inside the primary structure, visitors will find bright open spaces, elegant design details, and many communal living areas, ideal for those with a fondness for entertaining.
“The floor plan offers exceptional flexibility as the open spaces flow between the kitchen, dining room, sitting room, sunlit conservatory, cozy family room, expansive living room, and additional gracious entertaining spaces, all of which are enhanced by the multiple fireplaces, creating a sense of warmth, comfort and connection throughout,” the listing says.
Among its more impressive features are an extraordinary great room with a 30-foot ceiling, as well as an expansive primary suite that boasts a sitting room, balcony, enormous walk-in closet, and two bathrooms.
While much of the grounds surrounding the home are filled with trees—creating a true sense of solitude and privacy—there is also plenty of room for entertaining, whether on the side of the gunite pool or in the wildflower gardens.
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