Cole Porter's Buxton Hill Estate listed for sale at $4.5 mln

The home of late American composer and songwriter, Cole Porter, has been listed for sale at $4.495 million.

The property, a beautiful 40-acre formal gardens in Massachusetts' tranquil Berkshire Mountains area, was bought in June 1940 by the songwriter and his wife Linda Porter. They used the estate as their summer residence.

Cole continued to visit the home until his death in 1964. It is in his Williamstown home that he completed many of the important numbers from 'Kiss Me Kate', including 'Another Opening, Another Show' as well as most of 'Can Can'.

The home built in 1876 by Captain Stephen Hickox of Durham, CT, took on the name of Buxton Brook Farm in 1894. However, it wasn’t until the 20th century that Buxton Hill turned into a local attraction.

Until Linda’s untimely death in 1953 members of the royal, theatrical, and jet-set society were regular guests at lavish weekend parties.

Williams College eventually inherited the property, including the contents of the house, a library of books, recordings, and musical scores, and since then only two owners have built on and improved on Porter’s legacy.

Buxton Hill, meticulously restored and fully renovated, offers an unforgettable historical experience and modern comfort as the only luxury property in northern Berkshire county.

The main residence has floor to ceiling windows in the light-filled main residence take full advantage of its exquisite setting amid handcrafted stone walls, hedgerows, gardens, spacious terraces and fountains.

The home has gracious living and dining rooms perfect for entertaining, an inviting and intimate wood paneled library, gourmet eat-in kitchen, four fireplaces, and beautifully restored wood floors throughout. Five bedrooms and five and half baths include the first floor master suite and four second floor bedrooms, each with its own bath.

The expansive retreat includes a pool with a 1940’s pool house with changing rooms, prep kitchen, and fireplace, a tennis court, greenhouse and potting shed.

In addition, there is a totally renovated guest cottage with two large suites, a livestock barn with over 700 square feet of living space, and a carriage barn with a caretaker or income producing three-bedroom apartment above.

The three beautiful suites combine exceptional comfort, privacy, and sophisticated elegance. All three of the suites include central heating and air conditioning, queen beds, waterworks baths with two-person whirlpool tubs and separate showers, Frette linens, en-suite mini-fridge, flat-screen TV and cable, and WiFi internet access.

The livestock barn also includes a gas fireplace. The Buxton Hill offers the largest private outdoor swimming pool in the Berkshires, a tennis court, private gardens, as well as over 2 miles of nature paths.

This home is listed at $4.495 million with Alton & Westfall.