The Douglas Orr mansion at 242 Bradley St. in New Haven is the first single-family home in the city to be purchased for more than $1 million.
Breaking previous sales records by more than $100,000, a mansion in New Haven’s East Rock neighborhood is the first single-family home in the city to be sold for more than $1 million.
Executives at William Orange Realty, a full-service real estate and relocation firm with offices in Orange, Woodbridge and New Haven, said that the recent closing of the Douglas Orr mansion, located at 242 Bradley St., is the first in the city to break the $1 million threshold. William Orange Realty did not release the identity of the buyer.
Frank D’Ostilio Jr., president of William Orange Realty, was the listing agent. The Douglas Orr mansion was included in Sotheby’s International Realty’s listings of distinctive properties and was marketed internationally through that organization.
William Orange Realty is the exclusive Greater New Haven affiliate for Sotheby’s.
“William Orange Realty was selected by Sotheby’s because of its exceptional reputation and knowledge of the Metro New Haven marketplace,” said George C. Ballantyne, vice president of Sotheby’s International Realty.
Raising the Bar
Penny S. Lyons sold the Douglas Orr mansion for more than $1.1 million. Lyons originally purchased the house in 2001 for $769,000. The highest sale price previously recorded in New Haven was $890,000 in January 2002, followed by a $855,000 transaction in January of this year, according to statistics compiled by The Warren Group, parent company of The Commercial Record.
The nearly 6,000-square-foot Orr mansion, a five-bedroom brick Georgian Colonial, has 10 rooms featuring high ceilings, fine woodwork and fireplaces. The house boasts a separate garage and an enclosed garden.
The home was designed by Orr, a Meriden native who earned a master’s degree from Yale University in 1927. One of the architect’s more famous designs was the remodeling of the White House in 1951. Orr, a former president of the American Institute of Architects, also designed the Memorial unit of Yale-New Haven Hospital, the SNET (Southern New England Telephone) offices on Church Street, the New Haven Lawn Club clubhouse, the former Church of Christian Science on Whitney Avenue, the Quinnipiac Club and many Yale University buildings.
“Historically, when a property breaks a price record, it raises the value of everything around it and people feel more comfortable paying that kind of money,” said D’Ostilio. “It raises the bar.”
He noted that even though the million-dollar property is a one-of-a-kind historic building, its sale still would raise property values in the surrounding neighborhood.
“The mansion is really a one-of-a-kind property in a fabulous location. You can walk to everything that Yale [University] and downtown New Haven has to offer,” said D’Ostilio.
More important than the location, said D’Ostilio, is the fact that the house had been completely remodeled inside.
“The seller had done a suburb job of remodeling, furnishing and decorating the house,” he noted.
Lyons decorated the kitchen with granite counter tops and Viking stainless-steel appliances. Pillars were put into place throughout the main floor to open up the floor plan. The kitchen was opened up to lead into the living room.
“The mansion now has rooms like those you’d see in modern construction. The fireplace is fired by gas. There is a Jacuzzi tub in the master bathroom. There is a fabulous dressing area with walk-in closets. There is brand new central air conditioning and all-new mechanicals throughout,” said D’Ostilio.
The fact that the mansion was refinished is unique. Typically in New Haven, historic properties are generally untouched and may have been for 40 or 50 years. “A lot of times you get a property like this and you’re starting from scratch. That wasn’t true with this one. Penny Lyons has exceptionally good taste and she knows what’s marketable and how to put it all together in a nice package,” said D’Ostilio.
“She hasn’t made a career out of buying, refurbishing and selling homes, but she could. And when she does, I want to be her Realtor,” he said.
He added that the mansion is the type of house that Realtors dream about.
“This is the most sought-after house that people can find,” he said. “Everyone is looking for an old house that has been redone well. That’s the most popular request around here.”
Aside from the perception that older homes are built better, D’Ostilio said that charm is a large factor as well.
“These old buildings have a lot of inherent charm. There’s character and history, and they also have the mature plantings that new houses just don’t have,” he said.
The Orr mansion was a very popular property and relatively easy to market. The building was shown frequently, with several prospective buyers coming to visit the mansion several times. Many offers were made, said D’Ostilio, before the final figure was decided upon.
“For this particular location the target buyer was someone in the Yale community. That’s the whole appeal of the East Rock location because it’s right within the city of New Haven. Historically the neighborhood has been popular only with those affiliated with Yale, but that’s starting to change,” said D’Ostilio. “Now it’s popular as a place for empty nesters whose children have left home and they’re tired of schlepping in and out of the city. They want to be closer to restaurants and the theater.”
He noted that the East Rock neighborhood features some of the finest architecture in Connecticut, and predicted that properties in the neighborhood will now sell for higher prices. Once the barrier is broken, he said, the million-dollar market is open for everyone.
The East Rock neighborhood blends into the downtown New Haven business district and abuts apartment buildings as well as brownstones. William Orange Realty has a fourth office located specically to service the East Rock/downtown area.
