The gorgeous colonial mansion, conceived and built by Friendly’s Ice Cream co-founder Prestley Blake, is now on the market at $6.5 million. The mansion comes in at 10,000 square feet and is located in Somers, Connecticut.
The recently-completed estate is a replica of Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, featuring 11 rooms, five bedrooms, and five bathrooms. The extensive property boasts over nine acres, which includes a private fruit orchard, and vegetable and flower gardens.
This is a look at the landscape that is adorned with spacious grass lawns dotted with tall trees and concrete walkways. Image courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
The red brick house and its white accents make it stand out against the surrounding green lawns of grass and tall trees. Image courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
This exterior view of the house features the large domed central structure of the main entry hall and the large balcony. Image courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
This is a look at the front of the house from the vantage of the driveway flanked with grass lawns. These give a nice contrast to the red brick exterior walls of the house. Image courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
This is a closer look at the main entrance of the house with towering white pillars to support the tall ceiling. Image courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
Upon entry of the house, you are welcomed by this grand foyer with a spacious hardwood flooring, dual staircase and a large chandelier. Image courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
This is a closer look at the dome ceiling of the foyer adorned with a mural of the sky. Image courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
This is the spacious formal living room with a tall ceiling, a large chandelier and a large fireplace with gray mantle. Image courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
The kitchen has a large beige wooden kitchen island that pairs quite well with the hardwood flooring and pendant lights. Image courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
This other look at the kitchen showcases the bright beige cabinetry that matches well with the vent hood and the coffers of the ceiling. Image courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
This is the formal dining room with blue walls to contrast the white wainscoting and moldings. These are then complemented by the patterned hardwood flooring. Image courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
This other look at the dining room showcases the large fireplace on the far side. It has a white mantle that blends with the white wainscoting. Image courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
This bathroom has a couple of vanities flanking the French door across from the large bathtub that blends well with the flooring tiles. Image courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
This other angle of the bathroom shows the fireplace on the far side by the vanity and the French glass doors. Image courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
The gray walls of this room is adorned with white wainscoting that blends with the white frames of the tall arched windows. Image courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
This spacious room has a fireplace embedded into a wood-paneled wall that is slightly darker than the hardwood flooring. Image courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
This is a spacious room with tall arched windows on one side and a couple of French doors on the far side. This also has a fireplace with a mantle across from the windows. Image courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
This is the home office with wood-paneled walls that pair well with the built-in shelves and the mantle of the large fireplace. Image courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
This is a look at the spacious balcony with a slate-like flooring to complement the bright white railings. Image courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
This is the back patio just outside the tall glass French doors of the living room. This area is fitted with an outdoor dining area with a round glass-top dining table. Image courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
This is a look at the back of the house with a concrete courtyard before transitioning to grass lawns. You can also see here the red brick exterior walls and white pillars. Image courtesy of Toptenrealestatedeals.com.
The Monticello replica was built by Prestley Blake, co-founder of the Friendly’s Ice Cream giant, which grew to have over 500 stores. Friendly’s Ice Cream first came to fruition at the height of the Great Depression in 1935. Prestley Blake and his brother Curtis felt that the little pleasures would help lessen the hardships and struggle of those years.
In their first store, they sold double-dipped cones for five cents each. Over the next few years, excluding a pause during World War II, the brothers opened another nine stores. They ran their company, Friendly’s, for nearly 30 years, eventually operating 500 stores throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.
In 1979, they happily retired after living a classic 20th-century American success story, leaving the business in the hands of others. It was in retirement that Prestley Blake set about achieving his most ambitious dream, which was to reproduce Thomas Jefferson’s Virginia estate. That dream is complete, and now the Monticello replica estate neighbors his own property.
The estate was completed the same year of his 100th birthday and is a near-perfect replica — near-perfect because while some elements were designed to look exactly like the original, others were understandably updated to accommodate 21st-century preferences and architectural standards.
This stunning Connecticut estate sits on nine acres of land. The mansion is home to five bedrooms, five bathrooms, expansive arched windows, hardwood flooring, several fireplaces, and an entryway ceiling mural. The exterior, as a replica of Jefferson’s Monticello, doesn’t disappoint. The exterior brick walls are hand-laid, surrounded by custom-molded soffits and gorgeous balustrades, with a large central dome above the main entry hall.
The main entry hall opens into a bright and welcome foyer, with dual staircases, a chandelier, and the aforementioned ceiling mural. The formal living room sits just around the corner, with tall ceilings, another chandelier, and a gray-mantle fireplace.
The dining room also boasts a large fireplace, as well as striking design contrast between pure white wainscoting and deep blue walls. The other rooms of the house feature beautiful designs as well, from french doors to cozy built-in office shelving.
The house also boasts an expansive rooftop balcony, with an additional spacious back patio and courtyard off the living room. The surrounding landscaping, which includes fruit orchards, is also home to sweeping lawns with scattered walkways, which contrast beautifully with the red brick of the home.
This gorgeous estate, a replica of Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello conceived and built by Friendly’s Ice Cream co-founder Prestley Blake, is on the market for $6.5 million.
