The opulent 60-acre estate that belonged to late Yankee Candle founder Michael Kittredge II has hit the market for a whopping $23 million.
The Juggler Meadow compound is located in Leverette, Massachusetts, about two hours from Boston. There is a total of 120,000 square feet of living space spread across eight structures, including 16 bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, and 12 half-baths.
The gated property puts most country clubs to shame with its outdoor pool, four tennis courts, nine-hole golf course, bowling alley, arcade, basketball court, and indoor water park — just to name a few of the amenities.
Late Yankee Candle founder Michael Kittredge II’s 60-acre compound in Leverette, Massachusetts, is listed for $23 million
Juggler Meadow has a total of 120,000 square feet of living space spread across eight structures, including 16 bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, and 12 half-baths
The 25,000-square-foot Colonial main house was completed in 2010 and has six bedrooms, four dining rooms, and 11 fireplaces to keep guests cozy in the winter
As if that wasn’t enough, there are also two car barns that hold a combined 80 vehicles and a full-size auditorium stage equipped with professional sound and lighting systems.
Kittredge II (pictured) grew up just 15 miles away from Leverette in South Hadley, Massachusetts
Hall & Oates, KC and The Sunshine Band, and The Doobie Brothers have all performed on the stage for private events held on the compound.
The 25,000-square-foot Colonial main house was completed in 2010 and has six bedrooms, four dining rooms, and 11 fireplaces to keep guests cozy in the winter.
The three-story great room is flanked by two second-floor balconies featuring built-in bookshelves.
The kitchen is a chef’s dream with a total of five islands for food prep. There is also a commercial kitchen with seven sinks on the lower level.
Other standout features in the main house include a 10-seat theater, two wine cellars, a dining nook overlooking the grounds, and an actual oval office.
The outdoor area in between the eight structures has gardens, ponds, fountains, waterfalls, and sitting areas that give it a park-like feel. Those who aren’t up for the walk might want to use a golf cart to get around.
Kittredge II grew up just 15 miles away from Leverette in South Hadley, Massachusetts. He founded Yankee Candle from his family’s home at Christmastime in 1969 when he was just 16 years old.
He melted crayons to make his mother a candle because he was ‘too broke’ to buy her a present. A neighbor convinced the teen to sell the candle to her, and he used the money to buy enough wax to make two more — ‘one for his mom, and another to sell.’
The three-story great room is flanked by two second-floor balconies featuring built-in bookshelves
The kitchen is a chef’s dream with a total of five islands for food prep. There is also a commercial kitchen with seven sinks on the lower level
The main house has a dining nook that overlooks the compound’s sprawling grounds
Other standout features in the main house include a 10-seat theater and not one but two wine cellars
Kittredge II also had an actual oval office built on the property, which started as a three-bedroom Colonial that he bought for $144,000 in 1984
‘That was the birth of Yankee Candle,’ according to the company’s website.
Kittredge II’s scented candles took the giftware marketplace by storm and the young entrepreneur grew the business to a major international manufacturer and retailer. By 1983 the company made its first $1 million in sales.
The Yankee Candle founder’s massive estate started off as a three-bedroom Colonial that he bought for $144,000 in 1984, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The home sat on 1.84 acres, but he continued to scoop up neighboring properties to build a compound of more than 100 acres.
Kittredge II’s son, Michael ‘Mick’ Kittredge III, told WSJ that he estimated his father invested $50 into the land acquisitions and multiple renovations to the property.
In the late 1990s, he commissioned a 55,000-square-foot spa building that holds a 4,000-square-foot-gym, massage treatment rooms, a three-lane bowling alley, and other perks
The three-lane bowling alley is the perfect place to cut loose with friends while hanging out on the property
The arcade is filled with pinball machines, slots, and skee-ball, and there is also a billiard room
Of the spa’s four tennis courts there are three outdoor courts – one grass and two clay with lighting for night games – and one indoor court with spectator seating
The businessman took his entertainment seriously and didn’t spare any expense when designing the compound’s many amenities.
In the late 1990s, he commissioned a 55,000-square-foot spa building that holds a 4,000-square-foot-gym, massage treatment rooms, a three-lane bowling alley, and other perks.
Of the spa’s four tennis courts there are three outdoor courts — one grass and two clay with lighting for night games — and one indoor court with spectator seating.
The arcade is filled with pinball machines, slots, and skee-ball, and there is also a billiard room. However, the pièce de résistance may be the indoor water park
Inspired by the Bellagio in Las Vega, the water park boasts a pool, slides, waterfalls, and plenty of palm trees.
Inspired by the Bellagio in Las Vega, the water park boasts a pool, slides, waterfalls, and plenty of palm trees
As if that wasn’t enough, there are also two car barns that hold a combined 80 vehicles and a full-size auditorium stage equipped with professional sound and lighting systems
‘My dad built this place for his family, because he was very poor growing up,’ Michael ‘Mick’ Kittredge III told The Wall Street Journal. ‘He really wanted to be able to give his kids and his family a lifestyle he never dreamed of having’
‘It was like having Disneyland in the backyard,’ Kittredge III, 32, told WSJ. ‘When I was young, it was pretty much just a regular house.’
Kittredge II, who also has two daughters, sold 90 percent of Yankee Candle in 1998 for about $500 million and retired. He married his third wife on the estate a year later. (All three of his marriages ended in divorce.)
He got back into the candle business in 2010 when he helped his son start the Farm Table Restaurant and Kringle Candle Company.
‘My dad built this place for his family, because he was very poor growing up,’ Kittredge III explained. ‘He really wanted to be able to give his kids and his family a lifestyle he never dreamed of having.’
Kittredge II was also known for his philanthropy. A two-time cancer survivor, he served on the board of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for several years.
Kittredge II founded Yankee Candle from his family’s home at Christmastime in 1969 when he was just 16 years old. He melted crayons to make his mother a candle because he was ‘too broke’ to buy her a present
Kittredge II’s scented candles took the giftware marketplace by storm and the young entrepreneur grew the business to a major international manufacturer and retailer. By 1983 the company made its first $1 million in sales
Kittredge II sold 90 percent of Yankee Candle in 1998 for about $500 million and retired
Kittredge II got back into the candle business in 2010 when he helped his son, Kittredge III (pictured), start the Farm Table Restaurant and Kringle Candle Company. The Yankee Candle founder died in 2019 at age 67
He also helped create Cooley-Dickinson Hospital’s Kittredge Surgical Center, Holyoke Community College’s Kittredge Center, and the Kittredge Building at The Bement School in Deerfield.
Kittredge II stopped renovating Juggler Meadow after he suffered a stroke in 2012 that limited his mobility and speech. In 2019, he died at age 67 after a brief illness.
Real estate agent Johnny Hatem Jr. of Douglas Elliman holds the listing.
In addition, to the 60-acre compound, the family is selling an 8,500-square-foot home with a guesthouse that sits on roughly 10 acres, which is listed separately for $3.99 million. Another parcel of land with an apple orchard is also being sold separately.
‘This place is just too big for one,’ Kittredge II explained.
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