In a landmark real estate transaction for the Bay Area, the historic Woodside estate known as Green Gables has been sold for $85 million, marking it as the region's largest residential sale in over a decade. The sprawling 74-acre property, nestled near central Woodside at 329 Albion Ave, has transferred ownership for the first time since it was turned into an idyllic summer retreat by banker and businessman Mortimer Fleishhacker in 1911. According to The SF Standard, the estate remained with the Fleishhacker lineage for five generations until last Wednesday, when it was acquired by an LLC associated with EPIQ Capital, a wealth management firm based in San Francisco.
Green Gables boasts not only a main house designed in the English country manor style but also equestrian barns, dairy structures, swimming pools, a Roman-style reflecting pool, a tennis court, and several guesthouses. Previously, the estate saw a high-profile tenant in Elizabeth Holmes, who rented one of its homes during her fraud trial. Despite its noted history and unique features, the estate's move off the market was discreet; it was delisted from multiple listing services, and the buyer's agent remains unknown, as reported by The SF Standard.
The Compass real estate agents responsible for representing the sale, Helen and Brad Miller, praised the uniqueness of Green Gables in a statement, citing the estate's combination of privacy, scenic views, and proximity to Woodside's town center as unparalleled. "We are very pleased to have played a critical role in finding the next, fortunate family that will now be blessed with the stewardship of this rare and remarkable property," Helen Miller said, as quoted by The SF Standard. Despite initial ideas to split the property for separate sales, it has been confirmed by a Compass representative that the whole of Green Gables was purchased in its entirety.
Before finding a buyer, Green Gables had hit the market multiple times with varying price tags, once seeking as much as $160 million. Marc Fleishhacker, a descendant of the estate's original owner, echoed his family's hope that the new proprietors would honor the legacy of Green Gables. "My great grandfather’s vision and courage in transforming this remarkable piece of untamed paradise into the extraordinary estate it is today is a tribute to the love of both natural and man-made beauty which he so generously bestowed upon our family," Fleishhacker conveyed in an email, according to an interview conducted by Palo Alto Online.
The estate's architectural significance is highlighted by its Arts and Crafts style, with designs from the renowned Greene and Greene architectural firm, and contributions from Modernist architect William Wurster. Looking back, in 2012, the highest Bay Area sale on record was Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son's $117.5 million acquisition of a nine-acre estate in Woodside. Sold at $85 million, Green Gables now holds the distinction of being the largest Bay Area sale since that transaction, as detailed by Compass data relayed by The SF Standard.
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