SHARON — For more than a century, the Buckley family’s sprawling estate, known as “Great Elm,” has stood at the heart of Sharon life, a gathering place for neighbors, world leaders and artists alike. Now, the circa 1812 Georgian Colonial with its rare glass atrium is on the market for $3,999,000, drawing both serious buyers and viral attention on Zillow Gone Wild.
The sale, led by Cameron Smith, grandson of family patriarch and oil spectator William F. Buckley, Sr., and nephew to conservative icon William F. Buckley, Jr., marks the end of the family’s stewardship of one of northwest Connecticut’s most storied homes.
“It’s such a unique property,” said listing agent Pels Matthews, broker/owner of William Raveis Lifestyles Realty in Washington Depot. “There is nothing like it in Litchfield County. It reminds me of New Orleans, Charleston or Savannah.”
The listing has already reached a national and international audience thanks to Zillow Gone Wild, a popular online feed that highlights unusual and distinctive homes.
Great Elm’s soaring glass atrium and Buckley legacy has attracted thousands of comments and shares, with readers marveling at both its historic pedigree and its dramatic architectural centerpiece.
The Zillow feed notes: “The only thing better than a house with an atrium is a house with an atrium with bedrooms that all have access to it so everyone can ‘retire to their quarters’ at the end of the night and guess what? This Sharon home has just that. Are we moving to Sharon now?? Hello??? Will Sharon be there??”
“That has taken it to a whole different level,” Matthews said of the viral Zillow exposure.“I’ve got people calling me from Europe, and all over the country.”
Matthews noted that the estate is not just dramatic but is also incredibly livable. “The home can easily support multi-generational living or be shared by two families if desired, with the common atrium.”
The viral attention reflects how the estate, once known primarily within Litchfield County and political circles, now resonates with a wider public fascinated by unique homes with deep stories to tell.
Buckley family’s summer retreat
Built in 1812, purchased by William F. Buckley Sr. in 1923 and expanded in 1929, the house became the Buckley family’s summer retreat. It later shaped the early life of Buckley Jr., who founded the National Review and emerged as a leading conservative voice. To accommodate the growing Buckley family, the home was converted to five condominiums in the 1980s, three of which were occupied by Buckley siblings until their death.
Buckley Sr. died in 1958, Patricia Buckley in 2007, Buckley Jr. in 2008 and James Buckley in 2023.
According to the listing by Willaim Raveis Lifestyles Realty, the home encompasses the majority of the original mansion and was renovated in 2013.
The house, on 8.072 acres, offers eight bedrooms, seven full and two half baths, period pine paneling, historic wallpaper, Art Deco details, multiple fireplaces and private terraces surrounded by specimen trees.
The atrium is the highlight and heart of the home, having hosted many elegant dinners and weddings over the decades. The mature plants can be included in the sale.
The home sits within a larger association that maintains shared amenities including a 70-foot heated pool and tennis and paddle/pickleball courts.
The estate is being sold by Smith, as his family’s presence in Sharon has gradually passed into history, he told Mansion Global in May 2024, when the house originally hit the market for $5.5 million under another brokerage.
“Our generation, except for me, is no longer in Sharon,” Smith said at the time. “The home no longer provides the congregating place it used to. It’s no longer needed for it.”
William Raveis Lifestyles Realty
Where world leaders, neighbors congregated
Though a national figure, William F. Buckley Jr. was deeply tied to local life. He supported the Hotchkiss Library, appeared at the Sharon Green fair, hosted organ recitals and opened Great Elm for musical evenings and fundraisers.
His wife, Patricia, was celebrated as one of New York’s great hostesses, famed for her flittering parties that drew leaders in politics, the arts and business. At Great Elm, she carried that same spirit north, entertaining both Manhattan guests and Sharon neighbors under the soaring glass atrium.
Over the years the estate welcomed figures such as Ronald Reagan, Henry Kissinger, Margaret Thatcher, Tom Wolfe and Malcolm Muggeridge, as well as musicians and artists including harpsichordist Albert Fuller and pianist Samuel Barber, who performed in the house and nearby venues.
The mix of statesmen, writers, performers and townspeople gave Great Elm a unique social rhythm, where international debates might follow a neighborhood concert.
Together the Buckleys gave the estate a dual role, a setting for cosmopolitan society and a lively hub of small-town life, until Paricia’s death in 2007 and William’s in 2008.
Gretchen Hachmeister, executive director of the Hotchkiss Library of Sharon, said the Buckleys’ generosity to the library extends to the grandchildren of William F. Buckley, Sr.
“Several of them, organized by Cameron Smith, made generous gifts to our recent capital campaign and named our new conference room in William F. Buckley, Jr.’s, memory,” she explained. “His son, Christopher, recently gifted us a complete set of his humorous political novels, which have joined the collection of works of both Williams, Christopher and Priscilla.”
Hachmeister noted that several years before she joined Hotchkiss, the library held a fundraiser called “A Bevy of Buckleys” and supporters dined under a tent at Great Elm. She also recalled that “Senator James Buckley was a frequent library patron.”
The Sharon Statement
Matthews noted that Great Elm is more than just a piece of real estate. “It is part of the local fabric of Sharon along with national political history.”
A document known as the Sharon Statement was adopted on Sept. 11, 1960 by a group of 100 young conservatives who convened at the Buckley home for the purpose of creating Young Americans for Freedom, which has been widely regarded by historians as one of the most important declarations in the history of American conservatism.
“The Sharon Statement,” said Matthews, “is an important credo in the conservative movement, and there is a large stone with a plaque on the property with the full statement.”
For Sharon, the listing closes one chapter of local history and opens another. For buyers, said Matthews, it offers a chance to own one of the region’s most distinctive homes, anchored by its glass atrium and its place in American and cultural life.
Whoever buys Great Elm, said Matthews, “will be inheriting that legacy.”
Volunteers were hard at work putting the finishing touches on the crucial creepy decorations for the Haunted Fortress of Stanford on Sunday, Sept. 28.
Many of the volunteers have been coming back for years, Arent said, dedicating time and valuable skills to the town-owned haunted house that was constructed by the artist Peter Wing.
Arent has been building sets in his free time for forty years, but he started out volunteering with the Haunted Fortress in 2014 when his children wanted to get involved, he said. At that time he would help out one or two days a year. That grew into a leadership position over the course of a decade.
On Sunday, Arent was touring the decrepit grounds checking light bulbs, soundtracks and other set details to contribute to that perfect spooky ambience.
Nathan Miller
When it’s all said and done, the Fortress will be ready to welcome visitors starting on Friday, Oct. 3, with shows running from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Sundays.The Haunted Fortress is entirely staffed by volunteers, Arent said, including the actors that don costumes to scare visitors. Anybody aged 6 and up can volunteer to act in the horror show, and families often will volunteer to take over a scene.
“I love it because every scene is different every night,” Arent said. “Sure there are going to be vampires in this scene, but this family is going to do it different from these three kids from Bard, who are going to do it different from these three middle school kids.”
The sets themselves were all built from recycled material to be as creepy and decrepit as possible, Arent said. Concrete culverts adorn the sides of a bridge over a stream, stacked vertically with a cone on top to elicit a fortress’s spires. Reclaimed lumber bolted to a fence evokes a dark and scary forest blocking any escape. A rusting tractor with a steel box welded above the seat sits on a set of rails with two cars attached to it, mimicking a wrecked train with it’s inner mechanisms exposed and blowing steam on passersby.
This year the Haunted Fortress is following a haunted circus theme featuring clowns and other carnival staples alongside the classic settings of the Fortress.
The team of volunteers is dedicated and numerous, and the Stanford Highway Department lends a hand too, Arent said, but there’s always a need for skilled labor at the local attraction.
And the group appreciates all the help they can get. “Whatever you’re interested in and capable of doing,” Arent said.
The haunted pirate ship marks the spot where groups of visitors are paired with their ghastly guides for the remainder of the Haunted Fortress tour in Stanford.Nathan Miller
From left, Jim Milton, Spencer Parks and William J. Clark stand with Joseph Olenik on their first day working under him as the head of Public Works on Monday, Sept. 29.
The decision was made Friday, Sept. 26, during an emergency meeting of the Board of Trustees following Dellaghelfa’s resignation.
Mayor Jenn Najdek said the “amicable split” with Dellaghelfa was part of an ongoing annual employee review process, adding that turnover is not uncommon in small municipalities. She expressed her gratitude for Dellaghelfa’s service over the last four years.
The Board went into Executive Session on Aug. 26 and Sept. 9 for “matters leading to the appointment, employment, promotion, demotion, discipline, suspension, dismissal or removal of a particular person,” but village officials could not comment on the specifics of those discussions.
The leadership shift will allow the Village to “better respond to the changing needs of our residents and community,” announced the Board in a press release shared with The News. “The Mayor and Board are excited to see Joe expand his impact on Millerton and we’re confident this change will bring lasting improvements to operations, communications and community engagement.”
Police Chief Olenik, who will continue his leadership role within the Millerton Police Department, said he is looking forward to the added responsibilities.
“I am excited to help move the department forward and rebuild it after the devastating fire,” Olenik said. “I am also looking forward to working with the dedicated staff and helping the residents of Millerton by making needed changes and repairs.”
Though Olenik will assume additional responsibilities as he leads the Highway Department, the Millerton Police Department will continue to operate separately — but with the same shared goals of supporting the village community.
William J. Clark installs the leaf container he and his colleagues built. Leaves from the Village will be delivered to McEnroe’s Organic Farm for composting.Aly Morrissey
Mayor Najdek added that Olenik has extensive supervisory and administrative experience that, given the imminent need to rebuild the Highway Department building, will be critical. In addition to managing the upcoming construction, his first orders of business will include making sure the village is on track for leaf pick-up and snow removal, working to ensure the right equipment and personnel are in place.
Olenik held his first meeting with the Village Highway Department on Monday, Sept. 29 and discussed a new leaf container — built by Millerton’s Highway Department — that will support efforts to collect leaves. The leaves will then be turned over to McEnroe’s Organic Farm for composting. While the team configuration — which includes Jim Milton, William J. Clark, and Spencer Parks — will be new, Olenik said they are not strangers. “They’ve always helped me out and I’m looking forward to working with them more closely.”
The Board said in a statement the Village is in good hands moving forward. “Joe’s leadership style — hands-on, structured, and community-focused — makes him well suited to guide this department through the transition.”
