House in Bristol with airplane hangar, airstrip for sale

BRISTOL — Not many can fathom the cost of a personal airport, but a brand-new listing in Bristol has put a $2,995,000 price tag on a house that comes with its own airplane hangar and airstrip.

The listing agent, Ellen Sebastian of William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty, said that the property has one of, if not the only, FAA-approved, private paved airstrip in Connecticut.

Built in 1988, the property, named “Sky Bight,” was home to the late Wallace Barnes, who was a pilot, former state senator and chairman and CEO of Barnes Group, a global industrial and aerospace manufacturer. Barnes is also a descendant of the first permanent settler of Bristol.

He built and shared the house with his wife, Barbara Hackman Franklin, who was the 29th U.S. Secretary of Commerce to President George H.W. Bush, and is now selling the property. Franklin has served a total of five U.S. presidents in various roles.

When it was built, Barnes wanted an airplane hangar integrated into the house, Sebastian said, so it is built just like a car garage that you drive into. You just land on the airstrip, and then taxi into the garage, she said.

In fact, the property’s hangar and airstrip makes up a registered airport called Green Acres Airport, with an 1,800-foot airstrip suitable for a small plane or a helicopter, Sebastian said.

“This exclusive amenity caters to those with a passion for flight and adds an element of convenience and accessibility to this already extraordinary estate,” the listing reads.

The property hasn’t been on the market for more than a month, and Sebastian said she has already received inquiries from prospective buyers. However, it’s not going to be a typical sale, she added.

There won’t be an open house, or multiple showings in a day and multiple offers, but rather a selling process with a specific set of targeted buyers that are vetted extremely carefully, she said. The ideal new owner of Sky Bight would be a pilot or aviation enthusiast — someone who could really take advantage of all the property has to offer, Sebastian said.

“The epitome of refined living,” the listing reads. The property spans over 49 acres. And at just a 30-minute flight to New York or Boston, Sebastian said the house could serve well as either a home base or secondary residence.

And while it was Barnes’ idea for an in-home hangar, Franklin wanted a gym with views, another feature of the house that also includes an indoor resistance pool and spa.

At 5,654 square feet, the singlefamily home has expansive glass windows providing panoramic views from every room in the house, which sits on Chippens Hill.

Photo courtesy/Ellen Sebastian, William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty Sky Bight, the $2.9 million house for sale that comes with its own airplane hangar and FAA-approved airstrip.