How the sinking of the Titanic built this huge mansion

This spectacular French Norman-style property in Red Bank, New Jersey has a tragic past. The estate is known as Cobble Close Farm, a grand pile built in the 1920s for Herbert Straus, heir to the Macy’s department store fortune. Straus inherited the money for its construction after his parents’ tragic deaths in the infamous sinking of the RMS Titanic. In more recent times, the historic home first hit the property market in 2022 but sadly did not appear to find a buyer.

Tour the magnificent stately home, stroll its 13 spectacular acres and peek into its fascinating past…

Ida and Isidor Straus

German-born Isidor Straus and Ida Blun met in New York City when they were both in their early 20s and immediately fell in love, marrying in 1871. Isidor went on to become the co-owner of the Macy’s department store chain and was later elected to the United States House of Representatives.

However, even as the couple rose to vast wealth and social prominence, their love for each other never dwindled, and they garnered a reputation for their public displays of affection.

“Where you go, I go”

In 1912, Ada and Isidor made the fateful decision to board the RMS Titanic, bound home to New York after visiting family in Germany. When the Titanic famously met with disaster just before midnight on 14 April, the couple, as first-class passengers, were directed to board a lifeboat.

But the elderly Isidor refused to board ahead of younger men and Ida staunchly refused to go without her husband. “Where you go, I go,” she reportedly told him.

An immortal love story

Ida then handed her fur coat to her maid, insisting that she take it to keep warm, as Ida herself would have no further use for it. Moments later, both she and Isidor were swept off the deck by a large wave. When working on the 1997 film Titanic, James Cameron discovered the couple’s story and was so inspired that he decided to dedicate a shot to them.

However, Cameron exercised some creative licence with his retelling, opting to depict the couple curled heartbreakingly together in bed, awaiting their fate.

A vast inheritance

Isidor and Ida were survived by six of their children and left behind a vast fortune, a combined estate of $3.8 million, or around $122 million (£97m) in today’s money.

Herbert Straus, one of the couple’s sons, used his inheritance to build himself an escape from his grief over the loss of his parents, and a project that would keep him occupied for some time to come: Cobble Close Farm.

On the market

The estate was originally built on a sprawling 413 acres, and began, surprisingly enough, with the conversion of a humble dairy barn. However, inspired by Norman-style French country estates, Herbert began importing materials from across Europe, eventually building a number of separate structures from stucco and cast stone, with characteristically French red ceramic-tiled roofs.

In more recent times the vast estate was divided up, and a three-bedroom co-op on the property hit the market in 2022, providing a peek inside its lavish interiors. Let’s take a look around…

Glorious grounds

The estate sits on 13 magnificent acres which encompass a pool, horse paddocks and pastures, several walled stone courtyards, moat-like water features and a pond. The expertly manicured gardens feature numerous fountains, Greco-Roman statues and an orangery.

There is also plenty of alfresco living space for enjoying the gorgeous grounds.

Cloistered relaxation

The estate includes a covered colonnade which resembles an Italianate cloister, and provides a three-season outdoor entertaining space.

The colonnade is open-air and comfortably furnished, the ideal spot to admire the home’s beautiful grounds while remaining shielded from the elements by the cool stone bulwarks.

Elegant interiors

Moving inside, you’ll discover as much old-world grandeur today as there would have been when Herbert was first appointing the home.

With a spectacular 4,950 square feet of living space, the historic residence offers an elegant blend of traditional charm and contemporary luxury, paying tasteful homage to its Norman inspiration and Jazz Age origins, while still remaining firmly grounded in 21st-century comforts.