Seychelles consulate’s North Castle estate listed at $2.5M

The 43-acre North Castle estate that is home to the consul general of the Seychelles has been listed for a June 13 sealed bid auction at $2.5 million, more than 60% below its recent listing of $6.75 million.

The property was originally owned by the Straus family that ran the Macy”™s retail chain and was bought in the 1980s by the publishing industry”™s Hearst family. The Seychelles government bought the property in 2016 for $2.2 million as the family home of Consul General Justin Etzin. But according to Paramount Realty USA, the decision to sell the property followed the diplomat”™s divorce from fashion model Lana Zakocela.

The 7.9-acre estate includes a 13,721-square-foot, 8-bedroom, 10-bathroom main house built in 1931 plus a 1,300-square-foot log cabin, guest cottages, original stables, custodian’s house and a parking garage ”“ which the listing agent noted are “all in need of a full, gut-renovation.” The property also features Quarry Lake, a deep spring-fed lake, and ground has been dug out next to the main house for a 60-foot pool. The property is surrounded by 490 acres of conservation land.

“We are pleased to present for auction 1503 Old Orchard Street in North Castle,” said Misha Haghani, owner of Paramount Realty USA. “Rarely does a property so rich in history and with so many potential uses, become available for sale by auction. A developer or end-user purchaser may choose to gut-renovate or demolish the main house, subdivide the property into three-to-six individual lots, or renovate it as a school, religious compound or other facility.”