Oak Spring Farm, the 2,047-acre estate of the later Rachel "Bunny" and Paul Mellon near Upperville, Va., has been placed on the market at an asking price of $70 million.
According to the listing by Washington Fine Properties of Washington, D.C., the property, which is under conservation easement, is "one of the most beautiful properties in all of America with rolling pastures and mountain views."
The estate includes:
--Three "primary" residences, including a 10,000-square-foot residence built by Mellon in 1941
--More than 20 cottages
--Two stables, with 43 stalls
--Multiple barns and shops
--Swimming pool designed by prominent architect I.M. Pei
--5,100-foot long private airstrip
In addition, the estate contains "extraordinary gardens and greenhouses," the brochure states.
Also on the property is a statue of Sea Hero, the colt who carried the silks of the Mellons' Rokeby Stables to victory in the 1993 Kentucky Derby (gr. I).
FauquierNow.com of Warrenton, Va., reported the sale does not include the Mellons' residence and other property that is scheduled to become the "heart of a center for education and training generally in horticulture, botany and landscape design and related fields of nature," according to Bunny Mellon's will.
Paul Mellon, who won Eclipse Awards as outstanding North American breeder in 1971 and 1986, died in 1999 at age 91. He was selected as one of the inaugural "Pillars of the Turf" inductees into that category at the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame.
With more than 1,000 stakes won by the Mellon horses, their top runners also included multiple European classic winner Mill Reef, Hall of Fame inductees Arts and Letters and Fort Marcy, and champions Key to the Mint and Run the Gantlet.
Bunny Mellon, who died in March of this year at age 103, was involved in the arts, fashion, rare books, and gardens.
