A villa fit for cosmetics queen, Barney's creatorBy Susan NovaSpecial Correspondent Greenwich Time
Across from the pond in Greenwich's Bruce Park is a 1909 Mediterranean villa that was once the country home of cosmetics empress Helena Rubinstein and later the creator of the purple dinosaur Barney.The land belonged to the founding Mead family until 1906, when Whitman and Charles Mead sold the property to Laurance Timmons.
Up a circular, Belgian block-lined driveway on a soft slope is the more than 4,800-square-foot house in Mediterranean style, with a creamy stucco exterior and a red tile roof. Columns on fieldstone piers frame the front portico at the top of a flight of slate-and-brick steps.Renovated in 2003, the house has four bedrooms, four baths, two powder rooms and four fireplaces, according to Marjorie Marianacci and Marge Haskins of Weichert Realtors' Greenwich office, who have listed the house for $5 million.The living room has a floor-to-ceiling oak library niche, a fireplace and a window seat and leads to a solarium with arched windows and views of the pond and park. The formal dining room has a large window seat and, nearby, French doors open to an elevated brick-and-slate patio and the rear garden with lacecap hydrangeas and boxwood hedges.The revamped kitchen has green granite on the counters, a large center island with cooktop, double wall ovens and a built-in desk. A window seat embraces a cosy eating area, and a fireplace crowns a sitting area. Off the kitchen is a family room or den.Halfway up the front stairs is a large landing with a window that overlooks the pond and a decorative balcony fronted with black wrought-iron swirls.The master bedroom boasts a tray ceiling, a large marble-and-tile bath and five closets, one a large walk-in. Interior French doors access an alcove that could be a nursery or office. The master bath is crafted of white marble and tile.There are three other bedrooms, with accompanying baths. One could be a library, with its walls lined with bookshelves, a fireplace and William Morris wallpaper and drapes.(William Morris, a poet, fantasy novelist, socialist and one of the founders of the Arts and Crafts movement in England, was perhaps best known for his patterned fabrics and wallpapers in deep colors.)In addition to the main house, s a 1,340-square-foot, two-story cottage is attached to a two-car garage. Inside are a family room, living room with dining area, kitchen, two bedrooms and a bath with shower.Born Chaja Rubinstein on Christmas Day in 1870 in Krakow - now in Poland, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire - Helena Rubenstein was the eldest of eight children and destined to become one of the world's richest women.In 1902, after briefly studying medicine in Switzerland, she moved to Australia, changed her first name and opened a shop in Melbourne to sell her skin-care concoctions of sheep oil disguised with the scents of lavender, pine bark and water lilies.Six years later, her sister, Ceska, took over the shop. With $100,000 in profit, she moved to London to add to her empire.Rubinstein first married an American journalist, Edward William Titus, who published "Lady Chatterley's Lover" by D.H. Lawrence, a sensation for its explicit sex scenes.Moving to Paris with Titus, Rubenstein opened a beauty care salon for which her husband wrote the publicity. After World War I broke out, they moved to Greenwich in 1915 and soon another salon was created in New York City.Two years later, she began to manufacture and distribute her own cosmetic products. In 1928, she sold the company for $7.3 million to Lehman Brothers, but after the Great Depression bought back the stock for $1.5 million. Her salons and outlets soon went nationwide. The Manhattan salon on Fifth Avenue was a star, with a restaurant, gym and rugs by artist Joan Miro.After divorcing the unfaithful Titus in 1938, the 4-foot-10-inch cosmetics giant married Prince Artchil Gourielli-Tchkonia, who was more than 20 years her junior and a self-declared prince of Georgian royalty.A trailblazer, she was known for her effective advertising and marketing, luxury packaging, the neatly uniformed salon beauticians, the use of celebrity endorsements and the "Day of Beauty" she sold in her salons.Rubinstein remained active in the company all her life, outliving her second husband by 10 years.Also a philanthropist, she founded the Helena Rubenstein Pavilion of Contemporary Art in Tel Aviv and a foundation to provide funds to the America-Israel Cultural Foundation and to organizations specializing in health, rehabilitation and medical research. The foundation distributes more than $2 million annually.Rubenstein bought the Greenwich house in 1924 and held it for more than 40 years. After her death in 1965, her estate sold the property, then 2.99 acres, to James and Ann Leary of Greenwich for $70,000.The current homeowner, Sheryl Leach, the creator of Barney, launched the 6-foot purple dinosaur in the United States and 100 countries. One of the highest-rated children's series on television, Barney has been a best-selling video brand and an international record-breaking licensing and publishing phenomenon.Leach, a teacher, writer, administrator, bilingual education consultant and public relations director, has also been an educational computer software sales and marketing director.With co-founder Howard Rosenfeld, she began the nonprofit Shei'rah Foundation, supporting media projects and entertainment channels. The foundation backs projects with LinkTV, Connecticut Public Television, NextNext Entertainment and the Foundation for Conscious Evolution and supports youth-based media projects.Leach also is developing a feature film, "The Unicorn Sonata," through her company, SL Productions LLC.
Up a circular, Belgian block-lined driveway on a soft slope is the more than 4,800-square-foot house in Mediterranean style, with a creamy stucco exterior and a red tile roof. Columns on fieldstone piers frame the front portico at the top of a flight of slate-and-brick steps.Renovated in 2003, the house has four bedrooms, four baths, two powder rooms and four fireplaces, according to Marjorie Marianacci and Marge Haskins of Weichert Realtors' Greenwich office, who have listed the house for $5 million.The living room has a floor-to-ceiling oak library niche, a fireplace and a window seat and leads to a solarium with arched windows and views of the pond and park. The formal dining room has a large window seat and, nearby, French doors open to an elevated brick-and-slate patio and the rear garden with lacecap hydrangeas and boxwood hedges.The revamped kitchen has green granite on the counters, a large center island with cooktop, double wall ovens and a built-in desk. A window seat embraces a cosy eating area, and a fireplace crowns a sitting area. Off the kitchen is a family room or den.Halfway up the front stairs is a large landing with a window that overlooks the pond and a decorative balcony fronted with black wrought-iron swirls.The master bedroom boasts a tray ceiling, a large marble-and-tile bath and five closets, one a large walk-in. Interior French doors access an alcove that could be a nursery or office. The master bath is crafted of white marble and tile.There are three other bedrooms, with accompanying baths. One could be a library, with its walls lined with bookshelves, a fireplace and William Morris wallpaper and drapes.(William Morris, a poet, fantasy novelist, socialist and one of the founders of the Arts and Crafts movement in England, was perhaps best known for his patterned fabrics and wallpapers in deep colors.)In addition to the main house, s a 1,340-square-foot, two-story cottage is attached to a two-car garage. Inside are a family room, living room with dining area, kitchen, two bedrooms and a bath with shower.Born Chaja Rubinstein on Christmas Day in 1870 in Krakow - now in Poland, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire - Helena Rubenstein was the eldest of eight children and destined to become one of the world's richest women.In 1902, after briefly studying medicine in Switzerland, she moved to Australia, changed her first name and opened a shop in Melbourne to sell her skin-care concoctions of sheep oil disguised with the scents of lavender, pine bark and water lilies.Six years later, her sister, Ceska, took over the shop. With $100,000 in profit, she moved to London to add to her empire.Rubinstein first married an American journalist, Edward William Titus, who published "Lady Chatterley's Lover" by D.H. Lawrence, a sensation for its explicit sex scenes.Moving to Paris with Titus, Rubenstein opened a beauty care salon for which her husband wrote the publicity. After World War I broke out, they moved to Greenwich in 1915 and soon another salon was created in New York City.Two years later, she began to manufacture and distribute her own cosmetic products. In 1928, she sold the company for $7.3 million to Lehman Brothers, but after the Great Depression bought back the stock for $1.5 million. Her salons and outlets soon went nationwide. The Manhattan salon on Fifth Avenue was a star, with a restaurant, gym and rugs by artist Joan Miro.After divorcing the unfaithful Titus in 1938, the 4-foot-10-inch cosmetics giant married Prince Artchil Gourielli-Tchkonia, who was more than 20 years her junior and a self-declared prince of Georgian royalty.A trailblazer, she was known for her effective advertising and marketing, luxury packaging, the neatly uniformed salon beauticians, the use of celebrity endorsements and the "Day of Beauty" she sold in her salons.Rubinstein remained active in the company all her life, outliving her second husband by 10 years.Also a philanthropist, she founded the Helena Rubenstein Pavilion of Contemporary Art in Tel Aviv and a foundation to provide funds to the America-Israel Cultural Foundation and to organizations specializing in health, rehabilitation and medical research. The foundation distributes more than $2 million annually.Rubenstein bought the Greenwich house in 1924 and held it for more than 40 years. After her death in 1965, her estate sold the property, then 2.99 acres, to James and Ann Leary of Greenwich for $70,000.The current homeowner, Sheryl Leach, the creator of Barney, launched the 6-foot purple dinosaur in the United States and 100 countries. One of the highest-rated children's series on television, Barney has been a best-selling video brand and an international record-breaking licensing and publishing phenomenon.Leach, a teacher, writer, administrator, bilingual education consultant and public relations director, has also been an educational computer software sales and marketing director.With co-founder Howard Rosenfeld, she began the nonprofit Shei'rah Foundation, supporting media projects and entertainment channels. The foundation backs projects with LinkTV, Connecticut Public Television, NextNext Entertainment and the Foundation for Conscious Evolution and supports youth-based media projects.Leach also is developing a feature film, "The Unicorn Sonata," through her company, SL Productions LLC.
Copyright © 2007, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc.
No comments:
Post a Comment