On the Market: A Massive Western Mass. Estate Owned by the Founder of Yankee Candle
This estate boasts a two-story arcade, an indoor water park, and a professional concert venue where the likes of Hall & Oates have played.
Photos by Surette Media Group
113 Juggler Meadow Rd., Leverett
Price: $23,000,000
Size: 120,000 square feet
Bedrooms: 16
Bathrooms: 13 full, 12 half baths
Ever been inside a Yankee Candle store and been overwhelmed by the options? There’s just so many scents you can use to fill your home (especially when it comes to the fall candles—how can anyone be expected to choose between their living room smelling like a spiced pumpkin or an autumn wreath?).
It seems that late Yankee Candle founder Michael James Kittredge II wanted to capture that same feeling of endless possibilities within his own home. His western Massachusetts estate sprawls over 60 acres of country land and contains an array of recreational activities that might rival the offerings of several of the nearby towns.
The home was designed to bring friends, family, and colleagues of the business owner/philanthropist together, hence the wide space and array of entertainment options. “There was nothing [my father] loved more than bringing his family and friends together and hosting parties at his home,” says Kittredge’s son, Mick, who founded Kringle Candle Company with his father in 2009. The younger Kittredge is now selling his father’s estate following the older man’s 2019 passing, offering up the chance for a wealthy buyer to own the luxury home. Here, you have an indoor water park, indoor tennis and basketball courts, a home arcade, a personal bowling alley, and more, according to a press release from Douglas Elliman, which is selling the property.
This private compound (guarded by two gated entrances) comes with 120,000 square feet of living space, spread across eight structures. These include a main house, a club house, a pool cabana, a spa, two car barns, and two guest houses, all designed in a Colonial style. Separating these buildings are park-like grounds, filled with gardens, fountains, pergolas, ponds, sitting areas, and even waterfalls. You can walk the ground’s meandering pathways to get around, though your best bet may be traveling via golf cart (yes, it’s that big).
The vehicle will also come in handy should you decide to take advantage of the home’s nine-hole golf course or want to zip between the three outdoor tennis courts (two clay, with lighting for night games, and one grass one) and the pool, a T-shaped Gunite beauty surrounded by an expansive deck. The pool cabana comes with a fully equipped kitchen and bar for entertaining.
For a different sort of relaxation, head on over to the 55,000 square foot spa. In this building are a 4,000 square foot fitness center (along with a smaller gym with a basketball court), multiple massage and treatment rooms, a full kitchen, a sauna, a steam room, and two locker rooms where you can stash your belongings. There’s even an indoor tennis court with spectator seating.
After a little R & R, you can kick things up a notch in a different part of the spa space, with a game in the three-lane bowling alley or in the two-story arcade, which has pinball machines, slots, and carnival-style skee-ball, or take a dip in the indoor water park inspired by the Bellagio in Las Vegas. The water park comes with a free form pool, slides, waterfalls, and palm trees. As if all this isn’t enough, the building also has a 4,000 square foot stage where bands such as Hall & Oates, The Doobie Brothers, KC and The Sunshine Band, and Eric Burdon & The Animals have played for private events, using the professional-grade sound and lighting systems.
All this doesn’t even include the main house, a 25,000 square foot residence originally built in the 1980s. Kittredge built upon this modest abode, finishing it in 2010. In its final form, it stands with five bedrooms, six full bathrooms, five half bathrooms, and 11 fireplaces spread across multiple levels. Plus, there’s the basics you’d find in every home: a dining room, a solarium, an oval office with glass walls, a pine-paneled family room with built-ins, and a two-story great room with an atrium-like ceiling and a balcony featured on the cover of the luxury magazine, The Robb Report, in 1997.
And that’s not to mention not one, but two kitchens: a gourmet eatery with five islands, seven sinks, and commercial grade appliances and a separate commercial-grade one with similar restaurant-ready gear. Top off the meal with a bottle from one of the wine grottos or with a flick in the home theater. Much like Yankee Candle, which carries every scent imaginable, if you can dream it, it’s probably somewhere in this estate.
For more information, contact Johnny Hatem Jr., The Sarkis Team of Douglas Elliman, elliman.com.
Photos by Surette Media Group
Photos by Surette Media Group
Photos by Surette Media Group
Photos by Surette Media Group
Photos by Surette Media Group
Photos by Surette Media Group
Photos by Surette Media Group
Photos by Surette Media Group
Photos by Surette Media Group
Photos by Surette Media Group
Photos by Surette Media Group
Photos by Surette Media Group
Photos by Surette Media Group
The Boston Home team has curated a list of the best home design and home remodeling professionals in Boston, including architects, builders, kitchen and bath experts, lighting designers, and more. Get the help you need with FindIt/Boston's guide to home renovation pros.
