The Coolest Zillow Listing You'll Ever See: Filston Estate in Sharon, CT Lists at $7.5 Million

The Reddit poster titled this "the coolest Zillow listing I have ever and likely will ever see." The comments agreed that all ghosts live here, that one commenter would be honored to be haunted, and that there is a zero percent chance the estate is ghost-free. Filston — a 12,057-square-foot Gilded Age manor on 106 acres in Sharon, Connecticut, built between 1903 and 1906 for a grandson of the founder of Colgate-Palmolive — is listed at $7,500,000. The ownership history alone would fill a novel.

The History

Romulus "Rome" Riggs Colgate — grandson of William Colgate, founder of the soap and perfume empire — commissioned Filston from architect J. William Cromwell Jr. in 1903, naming it after the Colgate family estate in Kent, England. The construction cost approximately $2 million at the time — roughly $43 million in today's dollars — with the stucco-on-stone structure built from granite quarried directly on the property. Rome worked meticulously with Cromwell on every architectural detail while his wife Susan curated the interiors: English fumed oak and Circassian walnut paneling, marble fireplaces including one imported from 17th-century Italy, and a mixture of Victorian, French Empire, and Louis XIV and XV appointments that somehow cohered into something magnificent. The Colgates moved in in 1906. After Romulus died in 1926 and Susan in 1936, the house was acquired by Edgar Ausnit, a Romanian steel magnate who had fled Europe, and became known for glamorous gatherings in the late 1930s and 40s that drew Hollywood and New York society — local accounts recall Cary Grant among the guests. In the 1970s, the estate passed to songwriter and producer Paul Leka, best known for co-writing the stadium anthem "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye," who lived at Filston until his death in 2011. The current owners purchased it in 2014 and have carried out extensive restoration.

The Estate

The main house spans just over 12,000 square feet across 10 bedrooms and eight bathrooms, with every original detail — the marble fireplaces, the oak and walnut paneling, the Fontaine hardware — meticulously preserved. Every room is intentionally intimate, none exceeding approximately 23 feet, save the library and the Great Reception Hall. Four Corinthian columns grace the entrance. The landscape was designed by Edward Hamilton Bell across 106 rolling acres of woodland, equestrian trails, and manicured grounds. A 5,700-square-foot three-story carriage house on its own parcel adds further versatility. Recent improvements include a complete electrical overhaul, a commercial-grade generator, a new propane furnace, updated plumbing, and landscape restoration. The listing asks for proof of funds before showing — reasonable, given that it is Filston. The listing description calls it "less a home than a living reverie." The Reddit commenter who said all ghosts live here was not contradicting that.

The Internet Has Thoughts

Naturally, this listing caught the attention of Reddit's r/zillowgonewild community. See what people are saying about it here.

Built for a Colgate heir. Hosted Cary Grant. Home to the writer of "Na Na Hey Hey." All ghosts live here. $7,500,000. View the full listing here.