John LeBoutillier’s $4.75 Million Home Is Up for Sale

One of WBSM’s favorite correspondents is selling a Long Island home that has been in the family for generations. The historic building has been restored to its former glory and John Leboutillier wants to see it go to a worthy owner who will help preserve its legacy.

This art studio was built in 1912 by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, Leboutillier’s great-grandmother. Born into one wealthy family and married into another, Whitney was one of America's first female sculptors and founder of the Whitney Museum of American Art.

According to Leboutillier, the studio was her workspace and playground all rolled into one.

"The Studio, as it is known, is Gertrude's vision of an artist's haven,” Leboutillier said. “This is where she could work and create and bring her best talent out into her work."

Leboutillier’s mother made additions to convert the space into a home back in 1982.

"My mother, who was Gertrude's eldest grandchild, wanted to restore and then preserve Gertrude's Studio - and I have tried to continue this tradition," Leboutillier said.

The building is now nearly 7,000-square-feet and sits on 6.59 acres. Featuring five bedrooms, five full bathrooms, and two half-baths, this home still holds its historic charm with the original studio space and gardens remaining almost entirely intact.

The Wall Street Journal published an article about the listing where author Candace Taylor described the living space’s unique features.

“The workspace—now used as a living and dining room—has 20-foot-high ceilings and a massive north-facing skylight to provide the ideal sculpting conditions. He points out a hook hanging from the ceiling which Mrs. Whitney used to lower her creations through a trap door into the cellar, where they were loaded onto carts and pulled by pony through a 100-foot-long tunnel to the kilns.”

Whitney’s works can be seen throughout the estate, proudly displayed for all to see. John Leboutillier wants to find someone who will carry on the level of dedication to the home as his family has for decades.

"I hope to find a buyer who reveres the history of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney's Studio and is as devoted to preserving it as I have been for the past 40 years," Leboutillier said.

Plumley will probably miss this estate more than anyone.