After owning the remarkable waterfront estate deemed MiddleSea for more than two decades, music industry superstar Billy Joel has sold the truly impressive property for a record-breaking price.
“The Piano Man has officially played his last note at MiddleSea,” according to the New York Post. The musician “has closed on the sale of his storied Centre Island compound for $28.75 million, setting a record for the priciest residential deal ever recorded on Long Island outside of the Hamptons.”
“Combined with last year’s $7 million sale of the property’s original gatehouse, the full MiddleSea assemblage has now traded for a total $35.75 million,” the Post noted.
“With over 2,000 feet of private sandy beach, a 20,000 sq. ft. mansion, four additional luxury residences, resort-level amenities, and unmatched privacy, MiddleSea is more than a home — it’s a world-class compound,” according to an Instagram post from Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Laffey International Realty, which held the listing.
Billy Joel ‘Expanded the Compound’ by Buying Properties Around It
Found “perched above Oyster Bay and long recognized by boaters as ‘the house on the hill,'” the residence “had been a deeply personal retreat for Joel since he purchased the core 14-acre property in 2002 for $22.5 million,” per the Post.
After the initial purchase, the Post notes that “Joel quietly expanded the compound, acquiring two adjacent buildable waterfront lots and the gatehouse, ultimately assembling roughly 21 acres.”
The listing explains that the property “has four distinct homes: The Main House, The Beach House, The Guest House, and The Gate House, all multi-million dollar waterfront residences on their own. In addition, there are 2 beautiful custom pools, a bowling alley, private gardens, and 3 separate buildable 4-acre waterfront lots.”
When the singer decided to sell the home, he “first listed the entire estate in 2023 for $49.9 million while a sweeping renovation was still underway,” the Post explains. “The listing arrived just before the singer was about to end his 10-year residency at Madison Square Garden.”
The Mansion’s ‘Amenities Read Like a Private Resort’
While Joel bought up properties adjacent to the primary residence, the Post notes that at the estate’s “center stands the renovated manor, with six bedrooms and 11 baths, a soaring 30-foot entry hall anchored by a sweeping marble staircase and panoramic water views from virtually every room.”
As you might expect from such a lavish home, the “[a]menities read like a private resort: a grand ballroom, a temperature-controlled wine cellar, spa facilities … and expansive entertaining spaces,” per the Post.
“Outside, more than 1,500 feet of sandy shoreline wrap the property, alongside a tennis court, a pool, a private dock and manicured lawns that slope toward Long Island Sound,” according to the Post. “A separate guest house, a beach house with its own dock, and an eight-car garage round out the compound.”
The listing points out that the “estate is just 90 minutes from New York City or just 15 minutes with the use of your own helipad,” adding that “[t]his is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own more than just a home, but a meticulously crafted legacy estate.”
