This historic Vanderbilt mansion is so big it spans two towns – take the tour

We can't think of ever covering a home that is so big that it spans over more than a whole town, but that's exactly what the Vanderbilt mansion does. This property is so massive that it sprawls over not just one but two towns: the Elm Court Estate spans both Stockbridge and Lenox, Massachusetts, over a total area of 89 acres.  

Take a tour below – and when you're done, hop on over to our page dedicated to the world's best homes for more.

This is actually not the only Vanderbilt family home: there is an even more famous Biltmore House in North Carolina, but this colonial-style home has a charm of its own. It's less ornate than its sibling, and all the better for it. 

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The Elm Court Estate was modelled after America’s New England architectural movement of the late 1800s and has an enviable history: this is the place where the Elm Court Talks took place after the First World War, in 1919. The result of those talk was the Versailles Treaty and the foundation of the League of Nations. 

This was not a house that could be run cheaply, however, and by the 1940s, the house was converted into an inn. Sadly, it only managed in this capacity until the 1950s, at which point it was boarded up until 1999 when the descendants of the Vanderbilt family decided to renovate the estate.

The result is spectacular and a must-see for any historic interiors enthusiast. The original details such as the carved plaster ceiling in the dining room, the herringbone-wood floors, and the fireplaces have been preserved. A new chef’s-island kitchen installed and blends seamlessly into the rest of the house's decor. 

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There are 106 rooms in total, with 13 bedrooms completed and ready for use. There is something in every room, and all are spacious for hosting and entertaining. The grounds contain more buildings including the larger butler’s house, gardener’s cottage, multiple long greenhouses with one large enough to grow taller fruit trees.  There is a caretaker’s house, carriage house and stable and two barns.  

The Vanderbilt Berkshires Elm Court Estate is listed at $12.5 million by Timothy Lovett of Berkshire Property Agents in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

Vanderbilt mansion provided courtesy of Top Ten Real Estate Deals.

How many mansions did the Vanderbilts own?

The Vanderbilt mansion above wasn't their only home – they also owned 10 vast properties in New York and houses in Newport, Rhode Island.

Does the Vanderbilt mansion still exist?

The Vanderbilt Mansion National Historical Site is what was once the Hyde Park mansion in New York. It was designed by McKim, Mead and White and built in from 1896 to 1899.