Presidential Estates, located in the Gales Ferry section of town, was born in the mid 1980's. The neighborhood is made up of 5 streets, Mount Vernon Drive, Hermitage Drive, Monticello Drive, Monticello Court and Hyde Park which connects Presidential Estates to the Pheasant Run Subdivision. John Machjor and B&O Builders constructed the majority of the homes in this mostly colonial styled neighborhood. During this time of new construction development in Ledyard, central air conditioning was not a "must have" like it is today and you won't find granite counters or stainless appliances in any of the homes that have not since been upgraded. But you will find quality construction with hardwood floors, real brick fireplaces, solid panel wood doors, and custom moldings stained not painted.
One of my favorite Presidential Estates homes (pictured below) is located at 20 Hyde Park Drive and built by B&O Builders for his own family and offered a separate apartment. The stonework inside and outside this home is breathtaking. Another favorite of mine on Hyde Park Drive came with a 20x24 closet to die for. Yes, I did say 20x24!
My best Presidential Estates new construction story was about a home being built on Monticello Drive. Times were good and the builders were selling homes from blue prints. As a result, it could be about 6 months before a customer was able to close and move into their new home. As homes were being built, prices were rising, giving buyers instant equity when they closed. One lucky lady closed on her new home for about $186,000 only to find out a few weeks later that she had been transferred to Boston. She was able to sell it quickly for $236,000, making a very tidy profit. Those were the days!
After 20 years, many of Presidential Estate's original owners still live there.
Comments