Historic Cold Spring Estate hits market for $5.25M (PHOTOS)

A historic estate near Cherokee Park is back on the market for $5.25 million.

Cold Spring Estate, located at 1801 Sulgrave Road, has not one, but two homes on nearly 7 acres in the Highlands. The main house, totaling 10,300 square feet, is in the midst of a renovation, and there's a recently renovated, two-story carriage house that's about 3,000 square feet.

"This is just a unique circumstance to have that kind of acreage," said listing agent Jon Mand, of Lenihan Sotheby's International Realty. "The carriage house was renovated in 2018 and it's absolutely stunning. ... We've had folks look at parceling that off as a separate residence, but I think we'd all love for the property to stay intact."

The original house on the property was built for Joshua and Fanny Henning Speed, members of the well-known Speed family, in 1867. The house underwent extensive renovations in the early 1900s, transforming the simpler Victorian home into an Italianate villa alongside the addition of the carriage house and formal gardens.

That's not the only tie to the Speed family, though. K Norman Berry Associates, the architectural firm behind the Speed Art Museum, has been a part of the renovation. It designed a custom curved-glass curtain wall that encases a poured concrete rotunda, giving the property an appearance similar to that of the museum's.

You can see photos of the estate in the gallery below.

The main house, which blends the contemporary additions with the existing architecture, retains many of its original features, including 12-foot ceilings, carved wood and marble mantles and a turned staircase. The home has been outfitted with all-new electrical and plumbing systems, new Zeluck windows, a roof, insulation, state-of-the-art geothermal heating and cooling, and a complete fire sprinkler system, according to the listing.

The estate's French Provincial-style carriage house was originally constructed in 1911 and expanded and renovated in 2018. The first floor features a three-car garage, a well-appointed catering kitchen, pantry and full bath.

The upstairs, which has a private entrance, has imported pine floors, two large bedrooms, a fully-equipped kitchen with dining area, laundry and a living room boasting expansive floor-to-ceiling Tischler windows.

It's been on the market a couple times in recent years. In 2019, it was listed for $7 million, and in March 2021, it was listed for $5.75 million. The renovation of a 10,000-plus-square-foot home may seem daunting, but it gives the buyer an opportunity to add their personal touches to the property, Mand told me.

"The nice thing with this project is really all of the stuff that's typically not much fun has already been done," he said. "It's really back to the fun part of the project. ... It's ready to go back to drywall and flooring, and you just have to pick your finishes."

Speaking of sizable estates, I recently reported on Boxhill Estate, listed for $5.75 million in Glenview.

The 6.7-acre property, located at 3200 Boxhill Lane, is on the market for the first time in more than 40 years. It was gifted to Bellarmine University by its late owners, Dr. Allan and Donna Lansing.

"[Cold Spring] is kind of like a Boxhill in the sense that this is a legacy estate on a lot that you cannot reproduce today in a location like that," Mand said.

Louisville Business First is looking for nominees for our 20 People to Know: Real Estate feature in 2023.