In the small, unsung hamlet of Arkville, New York, just over two hours from New York City in the Western Catskills, sits what is believed to be the largest stone maze in the world. Spanning nearly 1,700 feet, with walls that reach up to 10 feet high, the maze was designed by the artist Michael Ayrton, who claims it is the only stone maze built since the fourth or fifth century.
It was the late investment banker and art collector Armand Erpf who commissioned the sinuous piece for his sprawling country estate, which has just hit the market for $10 million. Should it sell for that price, the 280-acre spread could set a record in Delaware County. Erpf’s children, Tolomy and Cornelia, are the sellers; Kathryn Johnson at William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty holds the listing.
The updated kitchen strikes a modern note within the otherwise traditional Colonial Revival residence.
Nils Schlebusch
Originally built in 1970, the main residence underwent a comprehensive renovation in 2016. With about 5,300 square feet of living space, the Colonial Revival residence’s rather traditional living and dining rooms are paired with a distinctly modern, wood-and-chrome kitchen. There are eight bedrooms and 7.5 baths, along with a small spiral staircase that leads to a crow’s nest cupola, from where you can look out across the wooded landscape.
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Nearby, the pool is accompanied by a bluestone patio and a pool house with a kitchenette. There are multiple garages for storing your vehicles, a five-stall horse barn, and a Har-Tru tennis court that could easily be converted to pickleball. A covered clear cedar staircase takes you from the main house to a brick guest house with another three bedrooms.
Some 20 outdoor sculptures are found throughout the grounds.
Nils Schlebusch
The living spaces are certainly nothing to scoff at, but it’s the abundant natural surroundings that make the Erpf Estate truly unique. Bluestone paths circle a pond, and two year-round streams offer spots for both fishing and swimming. In total, about 10 miles of maintained trails wind through the property. A collector who sat on the board of the Whitney Museum of American Art, Erpf supplemented the standout maze with about 20 other contemporary sculptures that are placed across the property and are included in the sale.
A renovated farmhouse on an adjoining parcel is available separately, with another three bedrooms and bathrooms, plus a two-story red barn.
Erpf died unexpectedly in 1971, when he was serving as a senior partner at the investment firm Loeb, Rhoades & Co., according to The New York Times. Along with his investment practice and art collecting, he helped finance the return of New York magazine in the late 1960s. Besides the house in Arkville, Erpf and his family maintained a primary residence at the venerable 820 Fifth Avenue, one of the city’s grandest prewar apartment houses overlooking Central Park.
Click here to see all the photos of the Erpf Estate.
Nils Schlebusch
Authors
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Tori Latham
