Blairsden (house)

Blairsden is a historic 62,000-square-foot (5,800 m²), 38-room mansion located in Peapack-Gladstone, New Jersey.^[2] Set high on a hilltop overlooking Ravine Lake, the mansion is part of what was originally an estate of 550 acres (2,200,000 m²).^[3] In addition to its 38 rooms, the mansion has 25 fireplaces and 19 bathrooms.^[4]

Blairsden
View of front of house, ca. 1903
General information
Architectural style	Beaux-Arts
Address	30 Blair Drive
Town or city	Peapack-Gladstone, New Jersey
Coordinates	40°42′51.29″N 74°38′12.26″W
Construction started	1897
Completed	1903
Client	Clinton Ledyard Blair
Owner	30 Blair PG, LLC (Anthony M. Melillo) [1]
Technical details
Floor area	2,077 square feet (193.0 m2)
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Carrère and Hastings
Other information
Number of rooms	38

History

View of house past terrace gardens, ca. 1903

The home's enclosed garden in 1903

Blairsden was built between 1897 and 1903 for Clinton Ledyard Blair (1867–1949), an American investment banker. It was designed by the prominent architectural firm of Carrère and Hastings.^[5] Blair spared no expense in building Blairsden, including leveling off the mountain, building a funicular to shuttle building materials and later guests up and down the terraced mountain and purchasing trees and shrubs aged 25–50 years old, as he did not wish "to wait for things to grow."^[6] Blairsden also included a 300-ft reflecting pool decorated with a surround of busts of the Roman Emperors. The household employed a large staff of over 70 to support the household and grounds.^[6]

Sisters of St. John the Baptist

After Blair's death in 1949, the mansion was sold for $68,000 ($898,646 in 2024) to the Sisters of St. John the Baptist, who operated the house as a religious retreat.^[7] In 2002, the Sisters of St. John the Baptist sold the property to the Foundation for Classical Architecture, owned by Victor Shafferman.^[8][9]

Present day

The mansion was subsequently listed for sale and sold in 2012 for $4.5 million to a holding company named Blairsden Hall, LLC.^[10] Local officials identified the new owner as T. Eric Galloway, a New York developer and president of the Galvan Foundation and the Lantern Organization.^[4]

In May 2014, Blairsden was the site of the 2014 "Mansion in May" charity fundraiser designer show house and Gardens.^[11] This designer show house was presented by the Women's Association of Morristown Medical Center, and it attracted over 33,000 visitors.^[12]

The mansion was last sold in 2022 to 30 Blair PG, LLC, a subsidiary of Gladstone-based real estate private equity firm Melillo Equities.^[1]

See also

• Beaux-Arts architecture