Linda Law grew up on the West Coast, but she has had what she calls a “lifelong love affair” with the Berkshires, an area of western Massachusetts known for its charming mix of mountain scenery, historic estates, cultural institutions and small towns.
As a real estate developer, she became active in the area when she took over the Blantyre estate in Lenox, Massachusetts in 2017, and ran it as a 5-star luxury resort until she sold it in 2023.
And now Law, through her firm Law & Associates, is embarking on what may be her most exciting project yet: remodeling the former Elm Courthouse — which began construction in 1886 — into a luxury space with an emphasis on health and longevity. The property will be aptly named Vanderbilt Berkshire Real Estate.
Court of Elm It was designed in 1885 by the architectural firm Peabody & Stern as a summer residence for Emily Vanderbilt, granddaughter of railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt. and her husband, William Sloane. The property, which straddles the towns of Stockbridge and Lenox, has been closed since 2012. The law is only the third owner of the property.
In its final days, the property housed 34 greenhouses, including one large enough to house a large palm tree. The greenhouses provided flowers and fruit for the estate and Vanderbilt New York City residences and at one time included the largest acreage of private greenhouses in the U.S. According to the law, Elm Court was a center of power, hosting the 1919 “Elm Court Talks”, which helped shape the Treaty of Versailles and the Treaty of Verilsa.
The property was most recently owned by Amstar and Travasa Experience Resorts, which invested in plans for a wellness-focused resort before abandoning the hospitality segment and selling the property. The property is listed for sale in 2020 with an asking price of $12.5 million. Law acquired it in late 2022 for $8 million in cash.
The plan is to convert the 55,000-square-foot mansion, the largest shingle residence in the United States, and its 89 acres into a four-season resort with 26 guest suites in the Manor House and 48 lodges in 12 newly constructed buildings down a hill. This building will not be visible from the manor house. The original landscape, designed by legendary landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, will be restored. The project will also include a number of individual custom lots.
Law said the development would “retain the architectural character of the Gilded Age property while introducing more amenity-focused hospitality.”
Groundbreaking is scheduled for the third quarter of this year, with a full opening for the resort in late 2028. It will cost $90 million, financed by the law and a group of investors.
Law said her team did extensive research on Gilded Age architecture and design and the history of the Vanderbilt family. She said she felt “a great responsibility” to honor the estate’s legendary past. As a symbol of its era, the destination will ultimately not only preserve architectural and artistic excellence but also serve as a ‘living classroom’, with a deep appreciation for heritage, craftsmanship and innovation.
Law’s business partner is Richard Pacer, Ph.D., who, she said, is the only senior professor of real estate development at Harvard University. It is also important to the law that John Cecil, a scion of the Vanderbilt family, participates in the project as a consultant and investor.
“We are very proud to have John involved in the landscaping of the property, especially because of its Olmsted heritage,” Law said.
She said that structures on the ground will depend on the condition they are in. The stables will be used for events and conferences. The original greenhouse, once the largest in the country, will be converted into a spa, covering about 25,000 square feet and incorporating everything that can be salvaged from the original structure.
No decision has yet been made on a management company or brand banner, Law said, noting that he expects those discussions to take place later.
The potential market will be broad and diverse, she said, with guests expected to come from nearby metropolitan areas, as well as regional, domestic and international sources. This demographic mix has been stable in the Berkshires for decades.
There is skiing within 20 minutes, but the resort is designed for a four-season destination. When her Blantyre estate opened, it was considered a one-season property focused on summer appeal but expanded to year-round appeal.
There is no other five-star hotel in the Berkshires, she said.
Law said the bottom line is that it’s a complicated task because the original structures were built before the turn of the 20th century.
“It took us a long time to understand this property,” she said. “And there’s a long process of getting approvals.”
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