How the sinking of the Titanic built this huge mansion

Discover this incredible estate's tragic Titanic connection

This spectacular French Norman-style property in Red Bank, New Jersey has a tragic past. The estate is known as Cobble Close Farm, a grand pile built in the 1920s for Herbert Straus, heir to the Macy’s department store fortune. Straus inherited the money for its construction after his parents’ tragic deaths in the infamous sinking of the RMS Titanic. In more recent times, the historic home first hit the property market in 2022 but sadly did not appear to find a buyer.

Tour the magnificent stately home, stroll its 13 spectacular acres and peek into its fascinating past…

Ida and Isidor Straus

German-born Isidor Straus and Ida Blun met in New York City when they were both in their early 20s and immediately fell in love, marrying in 1871. Isidor went on to become the co-owner of the Macy’s department store chain and was later elected to the United States House of Representatives.

However, even as the couple rose to vast wealth and social prominence, their love for each other never dwindled, and they garnered a reputation for their public displays of affection.

"Where you go, I go"

In 1912, Ada and Isidor made the fateful decision to board the RMS Titanic, bound home to New York after visiting family in Germany. When the Titanic famously met with disaster just before midnight on 14 April, the couple, as first-class passengers, were directed to board a lifeboat.

But the elderly Isidor refused to board ahead of younger men and Ida staunchly refused to go without her husband. “Where you go, I go,” she reportedly told him.

An immortal love story

Ida then handed her fur coat to her maid, insisting that she take it to keep warm, as Ida herself would have no further use for it. Moments later, both she and Isidor were swept off the deck by a large wave. When working on the 1997 film Titanic, James Cameron discovered the couple's story and was so inspired that he decided to dedicate a shot to them.

However, Cameron exercised some creative licence with his retelling, opting to depict the couple curled heartbreakingly together in bed, awaiting their fate.

A vast inheritance

Isidor and Ida were survived by six of their children and left behind a vast fortune, a combined estate of $3.8 million, or around $122 million (£97m) in today’s money.

Herbert Straus, one of the couple's sons, used his inheritance to build himself an escape from his grief over the loss of his parents, and a project that would keep him occupied for some time to come: Cobble Close Farm.

On the market

The estate was originally built on a sprawling 413 acres, and began, surprisingly enough, with the conversion of a humble dairy barn. However, inspired by Norman-style French country estates, Herbert began importing materials from across Europe, eventually building a number of separate structures from stucco and cast stone, with characteristically French red ceramic-tiled roofs.

In more recent times the vast estate was divided up, and a three-bedroom co-op on the property hit the market in 2022, providing a peek inside its lavish interiors. Let's take a look around...

Glorious grounds

The estate sits on 13 magnificent acres which encompass a pool, horse paddocks and pastures, several walled stone courtyards, moat-like water features and a pond. The expertly manicured gardens feature numerous fountains, Greco-Roman statues and an orangery.

There is also plenty of alfresco living space for enjoying the gorgeous grounds.

Cloistered relaxation

The estate includes a covered colonnade which resembles an Italianate cloister, and provides a three-season outdoor entertaining space.

The colonnade is open-air and comfortably furnished, the ideal spot to admire the home’s beautiful grounds while remaining shielded from the elements by the cool stone bulwarks.

Elegant interiors

Moving inside, you’ll discover as much old-world grandeur today as there would have been when Herbert was first appointing the home.

With a spectacular 4,950 square feet of living space, the historic residence offers an elegant blend of traditional charm and contemporary luxury, paying tasteful homage to its Norman inspiration and Jazz Age origins, while still remaining firmly grounded in 21st-century comforts.

Colourful dining

The stately dining room, proportioned to accommodate the sizeable dinner parties demanded by early 20th-century New Jersey society, sports a plush red carpet and complementary coral-coloured walls.

Playful upholstery featuring vibrant tropical birds adorns the dining chairs and window valences, while two Asiatic-inspired decorative mirrors flank the French doors into the room. An original brick fireplace with a marble mantelpiece is the focal point of one wall, while a wall of windows opposite lets in plenty of natural light.

Elegant great room

Equally warmly hued in its colour palette, the great room features salmon-coloured walls, brightened by white marble floors and white trim and mouldings.

Louis XVI-style furniture adds a touch of opulence to the room, as does the crystal chandelier. This palatial room is certainly well-suited to elegant entertaining.

A dramatic entryway

Adding yet more old-world charm, a dual sweeping staircase offers access to the great room, and would once have allowed guests, ladies in particular, to make a dramatic entrance into the space.

The staircase also frames a mahogany Louis XVI-style writing desk, the perfect place for keeping up with your correspondence while waiting for your guests to arrive.

A magnificent solarium

Just off the living room, a beautiful solarium provides a more relaxed space in which to kick back and unwind. While the flagstone floor, central fountain and plentiful plant life work together to create the illusion of an outdoor space, other features such as the Persian carpets, plush furnishings, fireplace and grand piano turn the room into a cosy indoor living area.

The combined effect is warm and inviting, the ideal spot to soak up the sun while keeping cool and comfortable.

Cosy kitchen

With a white beamed ceiling, warm wooden cabinets and a caramel-coloured tiled floor, the kitchen is bright and inviting, with ample counter space for meal prep.

The kitchen also features several large windows that offer breathtaking views of the surrounding farmland and nearby pond.

Breakfast sun room

Just off the kitchen, another sun room with a curved glass roof serves as an idyllic breakfast nook and boasts spectacular views of the grounds.

The room is accessed by means of a set of French doors and features a continuation of the kitchen tile, which serves to unify the two rooms.

A medieval living room

The home’s living room is another spectacular period showpiece. Largely medieval in its design inspiration, the room features a blend of stone and wood-panelled walls, along with a flagstone floor.

On either side of the large stone fireplace, two traditionally Gothic arches lead into spacious window nooks, each lined with bookshelves and boasting its own seating area.

Gothic inspiration

On the opposite side of the room stands a spectacular chartreuse grand piano, behind which more embellished Gothic stone arches open onto the hallway, which is panelled in complementary dark wood.

The room's dark features are lifted by two sets of glass doors that lead out onto the patio beyond, letting in plenty of natural light and framing views of greenery

A favourite filming location

With such striking architecture and interior design, it’s no great surprise that this home has proved a favourite filming location for television, movies and fashion shoots.

The home has been featured in ads for Victoria’s Secret and Brooks Brothers, as well as in the pages of Vogue. It’s all too easy to imagine the cast of the next murder mystery blockbuster posing in front of this fireplace!

Jungle-inspired bar

Next, take a walk on the wild side with the playfully designed bar area just off the living room. With a pitched, cathedral-style ceiling, stone walls and Gothic arched windows, the bar has some of the medieval grandeur of the living room, but with a funky, jungle-inspired twist.

A leopard perches on one side of the bar, looking across at the leopard-print chaise longue opposite, while a taxidermied parrot swings from its perch overhead. What an atmospheric place for a party!

Plush powder room

The home includes three bedrooms and three bathrooms, and these are no less opulent in their design than the rest of the house. We especially love this ground-floor full bath, which boasts a sunken pink marble soaking tub, plush red carpet and floor-to-ceiling iridescent floral wallpaper.

The bathroom also doubles as a cloakroom and includes a secondary antechamber designed for freshening up, which is separated from the more private section by a door.

Modest master bedroom

In contrast to the rest of the house, the bedrooms are relatively paired back in their design, with classic grey walls, polished hardwood floors and more contemporary furniture than we’ve seen anywhere else in the home.

The master bedroom features a beamed ceiling, a marble-mantled fireplace and a library lounge area, which includes a set of French doors leading out onto a private terrace.

Second and third bedrooms

The second bedroom features a wall of mirrored closets that maximise the available light, while two large windows offer magnificent views of the grounds below.

The third bedroom boasts two single beds and seems designed to accommodate children.

His-and-hers sinks

While the master boasts its own ensuite, the other two bedrooms share a full bath. However, not everything needs to be shared given these elegant mahogany his-and-hers sinks with vanity lighting. We’re also particularly enamoured by this French country-style towel hutch.

An attic full of treasures

Up another flight of stairs, the unfinished attic is a treasure trove of history, stuffed with old paintings, prints and furniture there simply wasn’t room for in the rest of the house.

We can only imagine what Straus family secrets might be uncovered by a good rummage through that attic, not to mention what period masterpieces might be hiding under all that dust!

Majestic property

After a few years on and off the market, the majestic property was listed for sale with NextHome Peninsula Realty Group in April 2024 at a shade over $1.3 million (£1m). The magnificent home last changed hands in December 2021, when the current owner paid just under $1.2 million (£1m). With such a rich connection to the past, any history buff would be delighted to make an offer!