The Hamptons, Home To The Most Expensive Listing In The Country

It was only a matter of time. At long last, we win the dubious award of most expensive house for sale in the country.

According to Zillow Group, an 11-acre property in East Hampton known as “Briar Patch,” whose owners have been asking for $140 million since the fall of 2014, is now the priciest listing in the U.S.

Originally designed by Arthur C. Jackson around 1931, the shingled 10,300-square-foot main residence, “Shepard Krech House,” is in the Georgian Revival style and has a 3-story living room, 6 bedrooms and 4 fireplaces. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

There’s also a 3,500-square-foot guest house with 4 additional bedrooms, not to mention a sunken tennis court, pool, hot tub and third-floor gym.

With 1,156 feet of waterfront along Georgica Pond and views of the Atlantic Ocean, the property is actually broken into two lots. The next buyer could build a private art gallery, conservatory or gymnasium—you know, the usual—according to a listing with Brown Harris Stevens broker Peter Turino. The listing is also associated with Christie’s International Real Estate.

Last fall, The Wall Street Journal reported that Chris Whittle and his wife, the photographer Priscilla Rattazzi, bought the property on Briar Patch Road in 1989 and spent more than two years renovating it under the direction of architect Peter Marino. Mr. Whittle told the Journal that, as empty-nesters, they planned to spend more time in China, as well as in Europe, Palm Beach and New York City, which is their primary residence.

Once the publisher of Esquire magazine, Mr. Whittle also founded Edison Schools Inc., a for-profit education management organization for public schools. He is also the founder of Avenues: The World School, a Chelsea-based private school in New York City.

Remarkably, if sold at ask, Briar Patch still would not be the priciest sale in the country. That honor belongs to a 16-acre Further Lane estate in East Hampton, purchased by hedge fund manager Barry Rosenstein in 2014 for a cool $147 million, which ended up breaking a national record. No biggie.