A grand French Provincial estate in the historic Tuxedo Park, New York, is set to go to auction after failing to attract buyers on the open market for over a year. The property, known as Renamor, was initially listed in August of the previous year for $29.5 million. The asking price was later reduced to approximately $25 million, but a sale still did not materialize.
Concierge Auctions will conduct the auction, with bidding open from September 16 through 29. Opening bids are anticipated to range between $5 million and $11 million. Notably, there is no minimum bid set for the auction, meaning the estate could potentially sell for a significantly lower price than its previous asking amounts.
The estate, situated on 151 acres, dates back to 1928. It was built by George S. Amory, a significant shareholder in the Sea-Land Freight shipping company, and his wife, Marion Renee, whose names inspired the estate's title. The couple divided their time between New York City, France, and Denmark, with the Tuxedo Park property serving as their retreat.
Tuxedo Park itself is recognized as the nation's first private residential community, known for its exclusivity and historic architecture. The community is credited as the birthplace of the modern tuxedo, and historically, residents arrived via private railroad cars. Today, fewer than 400 people reside in the village, and its historic homes are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Most recently, the estate was owned by Robert S. Dow, a prominent figure in the financial industry and a 1972 Olympic saber fencer, who passed away in 2024. His widow, Christina Seix Dow, a former asset manager, listed the property last summer.
The main residence spans approximately 14,000 square feet and features a great hall, a grand salon, a banquet-sized dining room, a library, a wine cellar, and a converted chapel. The home includes 16 bedroom suites and 20 bathrooms, with 19 fireplaces throughout. Additionally, there is a fumoir, an old-fashioned term for a smoking room.
Beyond the main house, the grounds encompass three additional structures totaling over 22,000 square feet. These include a 3,700-square-foot guest house and a 4,700-square-foot carriage house. Outdoor amenities feature two swimming pools, a tennis court, a putting green, a boathouse on Tuxedo Lake, a tea house, a spa building, and a one-room log cabin with its own stone fireplace.
In recent years, the sellers reportedly invested over $1 million in upgrades, including a geothermal heating system and a hidden solar array. These additions allow the entire estate to operate independently of the local power grid through its own microgrid system.
Properties of this magnitude often sell at auction for substantially less than their initial asking prices. Sellers may still find the outcome favorable when considering the ongoing costs of taxes, insurance, and maintenance for a property that remains unsold.