Great Island

Government & Politics

Stevenson on Town Buying $175M Zeigler Estate: Willing to Talk, But It Seems Too Pricey

By David Gurliacci | September 20, 2016

Darien town officials have considered whether to make a bid for the 62.5-acre Ziegler estate, up for sale for the first time in over a century — but First Selectman Jayme Stevenson said the current $175 million asking price is “staggering.” Stevenson said town financial officials considered how much a 20-year bond would cost the taxpayers if Darien paid what the Ziegler family and its real estate agent, David Ogilvy of Greenwich, are asking. It works out to about $13 million a year. “The purchase price of $175 million is a staggering amount of money,” Stevenson said in an interview Monday night. “I’m not sure we’re in a position at this moment to negotiate for something that expensive.”

Government & Politics

63-Acre Darien Waterfront Estate Now Up for Sale — Will Town Buy It?

By David Gurliacci | September 16, 2016

Great Island, a 63-acre waterfront estate in the possession of the Ziegler family for over a century, is now on the market for $175 million, which could make it the most expensive residential estate ever sold, according to a Thursday report in the Wall Street Journal. The property is located on Great Island Road, off of the northern end of Long Neck Point Road, not far from its intersection with Pear Tree Point Road, close to where Long Neck peninsula connects with the mainland. Great Island itself is connected to the rest of the property with a very short bridge. According to the Wall Street Journal article, “If it sells for anywhere near its asking price of $175 million, it could set a new record for most expensive residential property in the country, real estate veterans said.” The property is owned by the Ziegler family, descendants of industrialist William Ziegler, who bought the land around 1900.