A Jersey-born fashion icon that spent millions restoring a historic mansion is hoping to find a buyer for the prized estate as Mark Ecko’s Bernardsville property has hit the open market.
Situated on over 32 acres of land, the sprawling home locally known as Stronghold was initially built in 1886. The architectural heritage of the mansion is significant as the property was initially designed by architect George B. Post, who drew up the plans for several iconic buildings including the New York Stock Exchange Building and headquarters of the New York Times.
The home was first built for a member of the Astor family and at one point was owned by John F. Dryden, who co-founded the Prudential Insurance Company and later served as a U.S. senator from New Jersey. Mark Ecko, who founded fashion company Ecko Unlimited and also started Complex magazine in 2002, has owned the property since 2005.
Ecko, who grew up in Lakewood, hired architect Alan Wanzenberg and designer Oliver N. Carter to completely overhaul the 20,000-square-foot stone home while keeping historical details intact. The home’s listing notes that the original interior appointments of the home have all been painstakingly restored and complimented with a “whimsical and eclectic” interior design.
The entirety of the property includes seven bedrooms, eight full bathrooms, and five half bathrooms including a detached carriage house on the property. The modernized and expanded kitchen at the main home adjoins a breakfast room and two-story family room that sports a wall of glass doors that lead outside to a terracotta terrace with outdoor kitchen.
The stairs from the terrace lead to an in-ground heated pool with a limestone deck and covered cabana. A cedar-sided pool house includes both a wood burning fireplace and full kitchenette, while a gym facility sports a full-sized basketball court, workout room, kitchenette and change rooms.
One of the more unique aspects of Ecko’s home is a tower that includes a bar area plus office with a rooftop deck sporting featuring views of the surrounding greenery. Other notable elements of the home include eight fireplaces, a spa, and an elevator spanning the six-level home.
The mansion comes equipped with a Savant Smart Home System and sports a full property generator along with a five-car garage. It is currently listed through Turpin Real Estate for $13.75 million.
Ecko has tried to offload the property before, initially listing the home back in 2014 for $18 million before dropping the price to $15 million the following year. The mansion was then pulled from the market but listed for the same price in late 2017.
