Did You Know The Biggest House In MA Is Located In South County

Bay State residents take note: There is a luxury home situated and it is enormous in size, plus it's located here in Great Barrington as south county has established full bragging rights regarding this edifice.

And yes, there are occupants who call this place "home" but they had to pay a pretty penny in making their dream a reality.

(Photo of Searles Castle courtesy of www.wikipedia.org)

We are referring to The Searles Castle which is located in the heart of town at 389 Main Street. According to The Berkshire Eagle, this building encompasses over 54,000 square feet of living space, but did you know it's original owner was an expansionist.  Mark Hopkins built this dwelling back in 1887. He is one of The Central Pacific Railroad Founders as his fortune allowed him to construct this heritage property.

Zillow.com also gives us the scoop this house has 15 bathrooms (no waiting if you pardon the pun) and over 40,000 square feet of interior living space. According to Angi.com. it has been deemed as the largest single-residence home in Massachusetts and it is situated right here in our backyard.

This property was named after the second husband of Mary Hopkins, Edward Searles, as the castle's interior was designed by Searles who was best known as a famous decorator at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. 

(Photo of Hunt Slonem courtesy of www.berkshiremag.com)

The home was recently purchased back in July of 2021 for a "whopping" $3,250,000 by Hunt Slonem of Brooklyn, New York, a famous American artist. According to The Berkshire Edge, Slonem fell in love with our area and decided to plant some roots in the heart of South county.

Slonem reiterated: "It's a wonderful town as The Berkshires has a lot to offer regarding the music and art communities".

Previously, this location was a former boarding school known as the John Dewey Academy, as the castle is being converted into a single-residence home.  This is reminiscent of a scene from the Harry Potter movies as students attended classes  in a Hogwarts-style atmosphere.  Unfortunately, those days are now gone (isn't that always the case as part of our past has once again been extinguished in nature).

Hunt Slonem is an accomplished artist who features prints with vibrant colors and repetition. he hopes that one day, the grand facility will open its doors to the public, as he plans to show off his personal art exhibits.

The town of Great Barrington has assessed this property at $8 million, which includes 60 acres of land. Zillow has an estimated value of nearly $4 million, and in 2007, the property was listed at $15 million. That's a lot of money, if you ask me.

BOTTOM LINE: It's nice to have an attraction of this status located in our area as this could also spur the local economy and escalate community involvement. Plus, tourism will reap some benefits from this action. We'll keep you posted!

(Some information obtained in this article, courtesy of our sister station, www.wokq.com based in Dover, New Hampshire)

(Featured image photo of Searles Castle courtesy of www.berkshireeagle.com)