Elizabeth Ross "Libet" Johnson, great-granddaughter of the cofounder of Johnson & Johnson, had an impressive real-estate portfolio during her lifetime, which included a townhouse and condo in New York City as well as several California homes. But her grandest property of all was a sprawling 600-acre estate in the Hudson Valley called Lightning Tree Farm—and it is now up for sale.
Since Johnson’s death in 2017, the heirs of the family fortune have been selling off the estate in pieces, with the most recent one being a 141-acre parcel of land. The remainder of the property is for sale in three separate subdivisions, according to Forbes. Two parcels of land are available for just under $1 million each, and the third, priced at $12.95 million, is a 372-acre chunk of the estate which comes complete with an 18,000-square-foot mansion, a limestone pool, a poolhouse, two garages, a guest cottage, a caretaker's apartment, stables, a riding ring, and a private helipad.
The main house boasts nine bedrooms, nine bathrooms, an elevator, a professional kitchen, and eight fireplaces. The decor is everything you’d expect from a storied home, with classical architecture, detailed ceiling moldings, a master suite with views of the grounds, a grand dining room for over a dozen guests, marble bathrooms, and a grand staircase. The on-site private helipad is the only one allowed in the town of Washington, and is a huge incentive for buyers because it makes the commute to New York City just 35 minutes.
Even the small details in this home are over-the-top. There's a home theater with several bed-sized couches, a stone wine cellar, four guest houses, a spring-fed pond, riding and hiking trails, an 18-stall stable with carriage room, a children’s playroom with a stage, and landscaped gardens by Ed Bye. There's even a dedicated room for dogs. With so much attention to detail, it’s no surprise that a previous owner was overheard saying, “There was no unhappy moment spent in that house.”
The entire property was initially listed by Johnson while alive for $28.5 million, but her family decided to subdivide and keep some parcels.
