The House that Yankee Candle Built

Not a big fan of scented candles here. 

In fact, one of the best things about no longer working is no longer feeling obligated to buy a Yankee Candle or two to support some colleague's kids' school fundraiser. Arguably, the candle were better than the skimpy gift wrapping sets, where one piece of the paper could just about cover an earring box. Still, there were only so many pumpkin spice and holiday balsam candles I could palm off on my mother. And Yankee Candle did seem to enjoy a near-monopoly on Massachusetts school fundraisers.

I may not be a big scented candle fan, yet I have to admire the late Mike Kittredge, a community college grad from western Mass. who built a hand-dipped wax empire from scratch.

Kittredge died a few years back - relatively young: he was just 67 - but before he kicked the pine-scented bucket, he was able to indulge himself by building his dream property in the small town of Leverett, Massachusetts. 

His son had been living there, but it wasn't exactly a bachelor pad, and Mick Kittredge grew tired of rattling around in the place by himself. So he put in on the market, in all of its "Disney-inspired" 120,00 square feet of living space glory. Asking price? Funny you should ask. $23M, which I'm guessing doesn't have a lot of comparables anywhere, let alone in Leverett.

What do you get for $23M?

...eight structures, complete with a bowling alley, golf course, arcade, and four tennis courts...[It] also has an indoor water park, two climate-controlled car barns

with space for 60 classic cars, and a 4,000-square-foot stage that’s welcomed groups such as Hall & Oates and KC and The Sunshine Band...As the listing site says, “The analogy to a country club cannot be denied.” (Source: Boston Globe)

When Kittredge the Elder acquired the property in 1984, he paid $144K for a 3BR, 2BA Colonial. 

But he needed growing room, so he growed that 3BR, 2BA to a setup with 16 BR and 13 BA. 

Apparently, Kittredge liked company. And entertaining. And there was plenty there to entertain his guests, business associates, and folks associated with his philanthropic endeavors, which were many.

In addition to the golf course, tennis courts, etc., there's "a spa with massage and treatment rooms, a fitness center, a sauna and steam room, and men's and women's locker rooms."  (That analogy to a country club really can't be denied.) Not to mention a gym, basketball court, and billiards room. Oh, and one of the tennis courts is indoors. Given the weather in Leverett, this can only be a good thing. 

If I'd gotten an invite, I'd have been spending my free time in the arcade, which comes equipped with old fashioned pinball machines and Skee-Ball. The arcade also features slot machines. No word on whether guests are supplied with quarters or have to BYO. 

I'm sure I would also have found time for the indoor water park, "inspired by the Bellagio."

The main residence boasts 25K square feet of luxury living. I saw a few of the rooms pictured on the listing agent's site, and while not to my taste, what I saw wasn't ghastly. (“The analogy to a country club cannot be denied.”) It's pretty tasteful, especially when you think about that office rug from Mar-a-Lago and all the fool's gold in Trump Tower. 

However nice the digs are, I completely understand that the son wants to sell. It wasn't mentioned in the Globe article, but I saw that another band that played there was Eric Burdon and The Animals. Maybe when he's in the shower, Mick Kittredge just kept finding himself singing, "We Gotta Get Out of This Place." And felt moved to act on it. 

I don't imagine there are a ton of prospective buyers. $23M is an awful lot of candle power, and Leverett isn't a high-roller paradise, like Nantucket or the Hamptons. There's speculation that the estate could be turned into a corporate retreat. Or that one of the local schools - it's near UMass, Amherst, Smith, Mount Holyoke - might snap it up as a conference center. These options sound quite reasonable.

As for the listing agent, this looks to me like it could be a career-making sale. Can't but help thinking about the hard work that went into Mike Kittredge's building his candle empire - he was first inspired as a kid by melting crayons to make a candle for his mother, and took it from there - and comparing it to the relatively easy money to be made when the House that Yankee Candle Built gets sold.