Mansion of late 'Queen of Mean' hotel baroness - who left her entire estate to her dog - goes on sale for $65 million

  • Dunnellen Hall in Connecticut is back on the market after three years for $65 million
  • It was purchased from the estate of Leona Helmsley after her death in 2010 by private buyers
  • Helmsley was known as the 'Queen of Mean' for leaving $12 million to her dog Trouble and cutting her grandchildren out of her will
  • The home has undergone three years of renovations, including removing several wings and three swimming pools
  • A marble dance-floor that fitted over a swimming pool is also gone
  • It is now 'light and warm' instead of 'cold' and 'like a museum' says the estate agent

By ASSOCIATED PRESS and A. GREG

Published: | Updated:


The Connecticut mansion that belonged to millionaire Leona Helmsley is on the market for $65 million after a three-year renovation.

The woman who's perhaps best known for leaving her entire fortune to her Maltese terrier Trouble was dubbed the Queen of Mean for cutting off her grandchildren and heaping her fortune on the pampered pooch.

The mansion known as Dunnellen Hall is on 40 acres in Greenwich with distant views of Long Island Sound.

On the market: The mansion where Leona Helmsley lived and died is now on the market for $65 million

On the market: The mansion where Leona Helmsley lived and died is now on the market for $65 million

Queen of Mean: Helmsley earned the nickname when she cut her grandchildren from her will and let the millions to a Maltese called Trouble

Queen of Mean: Helmsley earned the nickname when she cut her grandchildren from her will and let the millions to a Maltese called Trouble

The Greenwich Time reports that the mansion features an entry room with an elevator and limestone walls and flooring, a 45-foot living room, a library, nine bedrooms, and a game room.

The hotel owner and real estate baroness served 21 months in prison for evading federal taxes by billing her businesses for mansion renovations.

Helmsley died in the mansion in 2007 at age 87 leaving $12 million to her beloved dog.

A judge later knocked the figure down to $2 million. The funds remaining after Trouble's own demise in 2010 reverted back the the Helmsley family trust, which supports various charities.

The current owners bought the mansion in 2010 from the Helmsley estate, but owned it for less than a year before putting it on the market.

Downsized: Several wings have been removed from the sizable house, as well as three swimming pools and a marble dancefloor

Downsized: Several wings have been removed from the sizable house, as well as three swimming pools and a marble dancefloor

'Light and warm': The home used to be 'like a museum' says the estate agent, but now it's much more homely

'Light and warm': The home used to be 'like a museum' says the estate agent, but now it's much more homely

Storied past: The home has been home to a shipping magnate, a Yankees owner and was even briefly home to actress Lana Turner

Storied past: The home has been home to a shipping magnate, a Yankees owner and was even briefly home to actress Lana Turner

It failed to sell, so they undertook the three-year renovation that actually involved making it smaller by removing some of the wings of the house.

'There's a complete new energy to this house,' Jane Howard Basham of David Ogilvy and Associates told The Greenwich Time.

'Before it felt like a museum. It was impractical. It was cold. But now I could see a family with kids running around in it. It feels like a real home. There are windows everywhere, natural light everywhere. It's very light and warm.'

In the renovation, a service kitchen, rooms for staff and three swimming pools were removed. An audio-visual system and new landscaping were added.

A marble dance-floor that Leona Helmsley had installed over the pool was also removed.

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