Billy Joel wants $49.9M for Long Island mansion he dreamt about as a child

Billy Joel looked back on his blue-collar beginnings when he wanted to sell a $49.9 million mansion on the Gold Coast of Long Island, New York, that he fantasized about living in as a child.

The famous singer and pianist, 75, spoke with The New York Times in a story published Thursday about his efforts to sell the sprawling estate, which he calls “Middlesea,” as he has listed the 26-acre property for $49.9 million.

“I love this property,” Joel said. ‘I don’t think there is a building as beautiful as this. It has that Gatsby feel that I dreamed of as a little boy. When I hand over the keys, there will be some regret.”

The estate includes a total of 18 bedrooms and 16 bathrooms with three swimming pools, a beach house, a few guest houses and amenities such as a bowling alley and a helipad, the newspaper said.

The five times Grammy The winner purchased the mansion in 2002 for $22.5 million, which at the time sat on 14 acres. He then purchased a number of adjacent properties over the years, expanding his estate to 26 acres.

The famed singer and pianist opened up about his efforts to sell the sprawling estate, which he calls “Middlesea,” as he has listed the 26-acre estate for $49.9 million.

The Bronx-born music artist reflected on his humble beginnings when the mansion he is selling is close to his hometown of Hicksville; he remembered staring at the house while working for minimum wage and dredging oysters from the Long Island Sound.

Joel told the newspaper that he remembered at the time: “Rich stars, I will never live in a house like that.”

Joel — whose anthems include Allentown and The Downeaster’s “Alexa” — said that “the word that applies is ‘absurd'” when it came to the idea of ​​one day living in the house he envied.

“I grew up on a quarter-acre lot in Hicksville,” Joel said. “And I would ride over here and take a bike ride and look at all the rich people and curse at them.”

The Piano Man artist opened the estate on Wednesday for an invitation-only open house attended by Joel’s real estate agents and publicists (who had to use a speedboat to get to the house). The newspaper noted that classical music played during the luxurious event while “liveried waiters served hors d’oeuvres with shrimp and goat cheese.”

According to the newspaper, representatives of “at least one billionaire” and a Brussels-based hedge fund were among those who viewed the property.

Other notable names who have lived in the area include media mogul Rupert Murdoch, prominent Fox News personality Sean Hannity and the heirs of Exxon Mobil, Joel’s staff told the newspaper.

The It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me artist named the property “MiddleSea,” referring to its geographic location in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean; as well as the piano note middle C.

The estate includes a total of 18 bedrooms, 16 bathrooms, three swimming pools, a beach house, a few guest houses, with amenities such as a bowling alley and a helipad.

The singer bought the five-bedroom, eight-bathroom mansion in 2002 for $22.5 million, which at the time sat on a 14-acre site.

Emmett Laffey, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, told the newspaper of the property: ‘It is rare to find a property with 60 meters of beach’

“If I hadn’t been able to take piano lessons, I probably wouldn’t have been able to afford such a high-flying property like this,” Joel told the newspaper. That’s why I named it after the first note I learned on the piano, which was C.’

Emmett Laffey, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, which is working with the singer in his real estate efforts, told the newspaper of the property, “It’s rare to find a property with a 200-foot beach.”

The singer has a recently renovated summer home in Sag Harbor that he will keep, and also owns a home in Manalapan, Florida.

Joel shares daughters Della Rose, nine, and Remy Anne, six, with wife Alexis Roderick, 42, who he tied the knot with in 2015; and is also father to Alexa Ray Joel, 38, from his previous marriage to ex-wife Christie Brinkley, 70.

The We Didn’t Start the Fire singer said he’s selling in part because he lives primarily in Florida because his younger children go to school there: “Once they go to school, you’re kind of locked in.”

Joel also cited annual taxes of $567,686 as motivation for putting the estate on the market.

“It’s not cheap, let’s put it that way,” Joel said. “Just as successful, I’ve been financially, yeah, that’s, you know, that’s a lot.”

Joel said he remembers staring at the house while working a minimum-wage job dredging oysters from the Long Island Sound.

The Piano Man artist opened the home Wednesday for an invitation-only open house attended by real estate agents and publicists (who had to use a speedboat to get to the house)

The Uptown Girl singer hinted at wanting to sell the house during a New Year’s Eve concert at the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York on Long Island

The My Life artist first put the home on the market in May 2023 and then took it off the market last November.

The Uptown Girl singer hinted that he wanted to sell the house during a New Year’s Eve concert at the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York on Long Island, revealing that he was waiting for all the renovations to be completed before he wanted to sell it again.

“I’m just going to spend some more time in Florida, like old Jewish guys from Long Island do,” Joel joked during the concert.

The Tell Her About It singer insisted he’s not leaving the island completely: “Just because I’m selling that house doesn’t mean I’m leaving Long Island — I still have a house on Long Island.”