Rafael Vinoly Designed Only a Few Private Homes. Here’s Your Chance to Own One of Them.

Few can claim a private residence designed by Rafael Viñoly. The architect has his fingerprints on everything from the show-stopping 432 Park Avenue in New York City (a.k.a. the tallest residential building in the Western hemisphere) and the towers at One River Point in Miami, however, you’d be hard-pressed to find a single-family home in his portfolio.

But if it’s quiet, starchitect digs you’re after, you’re in luck—a rare Viñoly home in Connecticut just hit the market for $9.75 million. The residence was originally built for Alice Lawrence in 1990, the widow of real estate mogul Sylvan Lawrence. At the time of his death, Sylvan’s company owned approximately $1 billion worth of Manhattan property—a fortune Alice would put to good use years later for the Viñoly home.

The Rafael Viñoly house at 191 Ridgebury Road.

Located on a 15-acre piece of land in Fairfield County, the 10,561-square-foot residence can be spotted from miles away for its distinct, modern, concrete façade—vastly different from the more traditional and quaint architecture often seen in estates of the region. Big windows and glass walls bring the outside in. Divided into two separate wings, the three-bedroom, three-bath home has a library, penthouse office and tower-top observatory. 

The indoor and outdoor pools.

The property also has two pools—one indoor, and one outdoor. The two face one another, and a floor-to-ceiling glass window divides them, creating the sense of a mirror image. The setup also allows residents to get the sense of outdoor living in the winter months, as the indoor pool has a glass ceiling that lets the light in from above.

The kitchen.

Perched on a hilltop, the home has spectacular views of the surrounding forest. And you’ll be getting two homes for the price of one. The property includes with a farmhouse, “High Meadow Farm,” just across the street, comprised of a barn, paddock, riding area and apartment.

The living room.

As charming a counterpoint as the farm may be, it’s Viñoly’s sensibilities that make the main residence a standout, and one that likely won’t stay on the market for long. Though created nearly 30 years ago, the chic home has a timeless quality to it that still beckons.

The office.

 

One of the three bedrooms.

 

The living room.

 

The observatory.