John Thain’s country estate is so big that the new Merrill Lynch CEO has five different addresses for one palatial property that spans three separate towns.
The size of Thain’s private home in Westchester set neighbors’ tongues wagging of late when it became known that the Merrill chief pays property taxes in excess of $150,000 a year in two different towns – Harrison and Rye.
“The place is huge,” one neighbor said. “I have seen him riding around the perimeter – it probably takes him 20 minutes to get from the front gate to the back.”
The $10 million mansion, on at least 10 acres, includes several beehives, a clay tennis court and two swimming pools, a large outbuilding as big as some of the surrounding properties and several large paddocks.
A river runs through his massive backyard, while a lake stocked with fish borders the property in its northwest corner.
Thain and his wife, Carmen, bought their 97-year-old dream home in 1995 for $3.7 million. With 14 bedrooms, three baths and a basement that has been converted into a heated garage, it now has a market value in excess of $9.5 million.
Thain also owns a Park Avenue duplex worth $27.5 million.