LOCATION: Bedford/Pound Ridge, NY
PRICE: $2,350,000
SIZE: 4,753 square feet, 3-4 bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms
NOTE: This was updated later same day. We originally thought this house was bought by Blake Lively but a second look (and a hint-hint from The Bizzy Boys at Celebrity Address Aerial) indicates something a little different...
YOUR MAMAS NOTES: Almost since the very moment they first made googly eyes at each on the set of The Green Lantern last year all the celebrity-based tabs, blogs and gossip glossies have breathlessly reported that Gossip Girls blondie Blake Lively and hard-bodied actor Ryan Reynolds (The Green Lantern) have been on the hunt for a celebrity-style nest they can feather together.
Late last year, just a short month (or so) into their romantic interlude all the New York City property gossips went nuts about the two of them touring a handful of pricey penthouse apartments including a $4.35 million dollar duplex penthouse at The Grand Madison with 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and 2 terraces that overlook Madison Square Park where New Yorkers line up like lemurs all summer long for a burger and fries at Shake Shack.
Being above all things cynical and practical, Your Mama remembers reading the reports and thinking these two Tinseltown types were out of their damn minds to even entertain the purchase of a multi-million dollar home together after just a couple of months of hooking up.
More recently, all the celebrity and property gossips have been frothing at the mouth over the rampant rumors the pretty pair have been house hunting for a country spread in the sylvan and star-studded New York City suburbs of Westchester County (NY) and Connecticut.
Yesterday the New York Post reported Miss Lively and recently divorced Mister Reynolds finally bit the real estate bullet with the purchase of a $2.3 million dollar country spread on 2 acres that overlook the Cross River Reservoir near the upscale community of Bedford.
Or did they?
In late April an unidentified source snitched to the peeps at E! that the scads of reports of Miss Lively and Mister Reynold house hunting for a country house together were not only not exactly accurate given that Miss Lively had, in fact, already acquired a house near Bedford, NY that belongs to her and only her.
We don't know about any house Miss Lively may or may not have bought but last night, out of the blue, we received a covert communique from an intrepid sleuth we'll call Westchester Willy who put two and two and two together and came up with what appears to be six, six being a secluded property that all circumstantial signs point to having been purchased in January 2012 not by Miss Lively $2,350,000 but by Mister Reynolds who, according to a cross-referencing of property records, used the exact same trust name he used to buy his house in Los Angeles.
The privately situated property, about an hour by car out of Midtown Manhattan, measures 1.7 or 1.8 acres depending on what online documentation one looks at and listing information we scared up out of the interweb shows the kind-of-rambly, yellow clapboard Cape Cod-Colonial stands 3 stories tall in some sections and encompasses 4,743 square foot residence with 3-4 bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms.
The house is hidden from the street down a long driveway that cuts through the woods and curves gently around to a small parking pad that comfortably fits two or maybe three cars. There does not appear to be an attached or detached garage which could be a real bitch come winter when somebody has to scrape all the snow and ice off the windshield every time Mister Reynolds and/or his gal pal Miss Lively want to go anywhere.
A pair of pink trees direct residents and guests up some meandering stone steps to a broad stone terrace that stretches out in front of the front door with views over the green grass that rolls down to a low, stacked stone wall near the reservoir's edge.
Inside, according to listing information from the time of the purchase, there is a double height stair hall with nearby powder pooper, paneled living room with stone-faced fireplace, and a formal dining room that opens to what's described as a "Cntry Kitchen." There are also fireplaces in the library and family room but not, as far as we can tell, in the window-wrapped sun porch.
Upstairs in addition to the master suite that has a private bathroom and two dressing rooms, there are two more bedrooms that share a hall bath. The lower level contains another bedroom and bathroom, an office with recreation room, an office with fourth fireplace, recreation room, laundry facility and cedar closet for off-season clothing storage.
A wide covered porch off the living room steps down to a semi-circular stone terrace with direct view of the reservoir through a narrow cut in the thick stand of trees along the shore. Terraced gardens with stacked stone retaining walls give way to a massive, rolling lawn that weaves and knits itself almost entirely around the residence.
The property does not currently have a swimming pool or tennis court but iffin we had the deep pockets of Mister Reynold it soon would.
A few of the other high-profile property owners in the general vicinity of Bedford include Ralph Lauren, Martha Stewart, Lena Olin and Glenn Close, booze heir Matthew Bronfman, and money men George Soros, James Dinan and Leon Black.
Miss Lively reportedly gave up her rental apartment in New York City's Chelsea neighborhood not so long ago and stays in hotels when in Manhattan for business or pleasure.
Mister Reynolds maintains a modest, ranch-style residence perched on a ridge-top street in the celebrity-filled Outpost Estates neighborhood in Los Angeles where other homeowners include Charlie Theron, Felicity Huffman and Jason Statham who recently bought one of two mansions Ben Stiller owned in the 'hood. He bought the house in fall 2007 for $1,715,000 and has twice since then unsuccessfully attempted to sell the 2 bedroom and 2.5 bathroom house.
Mister Reynolds and his ex-wife Scarlett Johansson recently sold The Wong House, a low-slung Buff & Hensman-designed domicile in Los Angele's Los Feliz area they picked up in August 2010 just before they split for $2,900,000 and listed in early 2012 for $3,650,000. As of today, the 2 bedroom and 3 bathroom mid-century modern is in escrow for an unknown price.
listing photos: Ginnel Real Estate via Trulia
