Rockefeller heir’s $12 million Pocantico estate on the market

Winterburn Farm, the 42-acre Pocantico Hills estate built for Nelson Rockefeller’s oldest son, is on the market for $12 million.

The compound was home to Rodman C. Rockefeller, who played an active role in managing the family’s wealth. He died in 2000 at age 68.

Winterburn sits among the Rockefeller family’s vast holdings, including Kykuit, which was once part of family patriarch John D. Rockefeller’s estate; the Pocantico Center campus; and the Rockefeller Archives. The Union Church of Pocantico Hills, known for stained glass windows by Marc Chagall that the Rockefeller family commissioned, is close by.

The estate’s north and south gates provide access to the 55-mile carriage trail network of the 1,800-acre Rockefeller State Park Preserve, which was once the Rockefellers' property.

Winterburn Farm's great room looks out on the Hudson River. Photo:: Daniel Milstein Photography

The centerpiece of Winterburn's 7,538-square-foot Mid-Century Modern main residence, designed by architect Richard P. Donahue and built in 1973, is a great room with 20-foot ceilings and glass walls overlooking the Hudson River. The 13-room five-bedroom, six bath house features cathedral ceilings, a chef’s kitchen, elevator, formal dining room, and a wood burning fireplace.

“Winterburn Farm is an extremely rare opportunity offering a pristine architectural house amid a beautiful landscape of unparalleled privacy,” according to the estate’s listing with listing agent David Turner of Compass.

Winterburn Farm includes a 14-stall stable, indoor and outdoor riding arenas, six fenced paddocks and two grooms' apartments. A manager's house, greenhouse, Japanese garden, in-ground-pool, carriage barn and equipment garage are also located on the property.

Annual taxes are $253,453 for the estate, which is on Raafenberg Road in the Town of Mount Pleasant and Pocantico Hills school district.

Rodman Rockefeller was on the board of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and a trustee of Rockefeller Financial Services, according to his obituary in The New York Times. He was involved in efforts to create the North American Free Trade Agreement, and promoted closer ties between the United States and Latin America.

Winterburn Farm's 42-acre estate includes stables, paddocks, a Japanese garden and an in-ground pool. Photo:: Daniel Milstein Photography

Robert Brum is a freelance journalist who writes about the Hudson Valley. Contact him and read his work at robertbrum.com.