In the Hudson Valley, th💎e owners of the estate of the late composer/conductor Marvin Hamlisch have rented Four Barns Farm in Millbrook to a young thirtysomething couple who wanted to escape the city — for around $20,000 a month.
Hamlisch — one of the few talents to win an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, a Tony and a Pulitzer — had bought the 40-acre property from Ben and Casey Affleck’s grandparents.
It was where the actors spent theiܫr summers as kids.
The property features a tree-lined drive that leads to a restored vintage farmhouse overlooking four 1850s-era barns “repurposed” as an artist’s studio, a media room, a billiards lounge and an office space — all connected by a courtyard, thanks to architect Paul Gleicher.
The largest barn has 40-foot ceilings and a floor to ceiling woodburning fireplace made of stone. It can be used for concerts and other gatherings when — if — the world “returns” to its pre-COVID ways.
The main house boasts a chef’s kitchen, a stone fireplace in the dining area — and fireplaces in the library and formal living rooms. Outside, there’s also an organic vegetable garden, fruit trees and a pool.
Neighbors include Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman. It’s also near the Hitchcock Estate, where Timothy Leary did his early LSD experiments.
The property, at 465 Shunpike Road, is still on the market for $7.9 million — listed with Wendy Maitland🎉 of Atelier by Wendy Maitland, and George Langa of Berkshire Hathaway.
But in the meantime, it has been rented by a young couple — a 33-year-old partner in a firm that manages “complex and culturally significant” projects in New York and around the globe, and his 30-year-old girlfriend, who wanted to escape the city amid fears of the coronavirus. “I asked if they wanted to get married there,” the owner, who declined to be named, tells Gimme Shelter.
Maitland, who has tested positive for COVID-19, is sheltering in place at home. She is in good spirits and still working remotely. “I have more energy in the morning,” she says, adding that she chose to stay in the city before she tested positive just in case she had it. “It was a big decision to make,” Maitland adds.
Before the stay-at-home order took effect, Maitland hosted two very big open houses attended by people she didn’t know.
“I don’t know if I got it then or from grocery shopping,” she said, adding that she can still see friends and family by going to her roof. “My kids and my neighbors are dropping things off. It’s great to be able to see people from my roof.”
Maitland is currently fielding requests to move four separate clients and their families out of the city and into the Hudson Valley — but♔ she can barely find any rentals. Anything under $10,000 a month has now jumped to more than $20,000 to $30,000 a month, she said.
“My clients need places to hole up for a few months, but the rentals are going like hotcakes. I found one great place for $8,500 but when I called the broker, he said it had jumped to $20,000 a month, which is normally what people pay in the summer high season — and it was already gone!” Maitland says.
Gimme Shelter wishes Maitland a speedy recovery.