390 Erpf Rd, Middletown, NY 12406

Description

Set across 280 extraordinary acres in the Catskills, Eagles Ridge
Farm is not merely a property, but a fully realized private world, an
irreplaceable convergence of art, architecture, wilderness, and legacy.
Bordered by thousands of acres of protected wilderness within the
historic sphere of the Gould and Rockefeller Catskills holdings, the estate
retains the scale and quiet grandeur of a disappearing era. Assembled
over generations, the property carries forward a tradition of deeply
personal estates created not simply for habitation, but for reflection,
creativity, and permanence.
Unlike many great legacy properties lost to subdivision or time, this
extraordinary holding remains remarkably intact, a singular offering of
cultural depth, ecological scale, and privacy that would be nearly
impossible to recreate today.
Just over two hours from New York City, the property unfolds across
forests, open meadows, private streams, and mountain ridgelines rising
to 2,270 feet. More than ten miles of trails weave throughout the land,
swimming holes, moss-covered pathways, sculptural clearings,
and panoramic viewpoints that feel entirely removed from the modern
world.
At the heart of the estate lies one of the most extraordinary
environmental sculptures ever created, Michael Ayrton's stone maze.
Conceived by Wall Street investor and contemporary art collector
Armand Erpf after reading Ayrton's The Maze Maker, a fictional
autobiography of Daedalus, the work was commissioned directly from
the celebrated English sculptor and completed in 1965.
Believed to be the largest stone maze built since antiquity, the work
stretches approximately 1,680 feet and is anchored by original bronzes
depicting Daedalus, Icarus, and the Minotaur. Both artwork and
immersive landscape experience, it transforms the property into
something far beyond a traditional country estate, a museum-quality
assemblage woven into the landscape itself, equal parts philosophical
environment and living work of art.
Near the entrance to the stone maze, a smaller contemplative labyrinth
offers a quieter moment of reflection within the landscape. More than a
dozen additional sculptures are woven throughout the grounds,
reinforcing the estate's identity as a place shaped as much by
imagination as by architecture.
The main residence was fully renovated in 2016 for modern mountain
living while preserving its timeless relationship to the surrounding
landscape. Spanning approximately 5,300 square feet with eight
bedrooms and seven-and-a-half baths, the home opens to expansive
terraces, formal gardens, wide lawns, and sweeping mountain views. A cupola crowns the residence, creating a rare balance between
refinement and wilderness.
Beyond a covered cedar staircase and moss-lined bluestone paths sits a
beautifully restored 2,800-square-foot brick guest house with three
private apartments, offering flexible accommodations for guests,
caretakers, artists, or multi-generational living.
The estate further includes:
An 800-square-foot pool house with kitchenette and changing rooms
A heated 56' x 24' pool with expansive bluestone terrace
A five-stall horse barn and polo stick-and-ball field
Garages accommodating up to six vehicles
An office cabin and trout stream pump house
A Har-Tru tennis court ready for resurfacing for tennis or pickleball
Wired and wireless high-speed internet and comprehensive security
infrastructure
Existing systems supporting future off-grid energy potential
The land itself is among the property's greatest luxuries. Approximately
40 acres of lawns, meadows, and pasture blend into 240 acres of mixed
forest traversed by two year-round trout streams, Bush Kill and Dry
Brook, creating private swimming holes, wildlife corridors, and a
sense of immersion in nature.
Importantly, the property remains free of conservation easements and
deed restrictions, allowing unusual flexibility for future stewardship.