If you appreciate the French Provincial style, admire the architectural designs of Wallace Neff, and have $20-odd million to spend on a house, you may want to consider the home of billionaire Frank Biondi, Jr. The estate of Mr. Biondi recently hit the open market; the asking price is $23.9 million.
The main house dates to 1968, with revisions and addendum by noted architect Robert A.M. Stern conducted in 1999. The exterior of the home is a strong statement, with a dramatically hipped roof, a trio of looming chimneys, and a symmetrical façade centered by both ingress and egress: an entry capped with the second-floor balcony particular to the style. The brick exterior enhances the absolutely fundamental substantiality of the home; it looks firmly rooted to its landscape, even as it rises about it.
At over 9,000 square feet, the main house is substantial in size, as well, but not overwhelming. Collectively, the interiors present a very rustic design vision, with wrought iron balusters, wide-plank hewn floors, open-trussed ceilings, pink granite countertops, and a nice mix of warm and cool toning that achieves surprise more than once. Overall, this is an artfully executed home, eclectic without becoming eccentric, and with a lovely sense of poise between ostentatious taste and devil-may-care insouciance.
The property extends to about 1.6 acres, and includes a lovely two-story guesthouse which is just as impressive as the main house. It features a brick exterior as well, and a turreted entrance which allows it a distinctive individual identity. The guest house extends to about 3,000 square feet, and contains an entertainment/screening room, as well as a charming, oval-shaped bedroom. There are four bedrooms and eight baths throughout both homes.
The grounds incorporate meandering gardens, a gazebo, a pool house, brick patios, water features, and a tennis court.
Biondi, a veteran of business, helmed Viacom for nearly a decade beginning in the late-1980’s, then moved to Universal in the late 1990’s. He co-founded King Street Capital Management in 1995, and has a net worth in the neighborhood of $1.6 billion.
