An Ottawa mansion remains for sale. The property at 2301 Columbus St., known as Questend, was the home of lawyer Pete Ferracuti and his wife, Jan Ferracuti. The property was put up for auction last June, but was not sold. Pete passed away Oct. 24.
The 56-acre wooded estate is now listed on the open market at $1.5 million. Michael Fine, of Fine and Company in Chicago, is the broker. The 7,000-square-foot, 17-room house, which sits at the end of a gated, winding driveway atop Ottawa's North Bluff, was built in 1937-38 for Henry and Mary Thornton, of the Thornton family who have run U.S. Silica. Ottawa-born architect Norman W. Cook designed the Georgian Colonial structure, with Eichelkraut General Contractors, of Ottawa, in charge of construction. The Ferracuti couple bought the property in 1989 from James Thornton, nephew of Henry and Mary.
The estate features a tennis court, skating rink, greenhouses, hiking trails, sauna, gazebos, game room, barns, five sun porches, five fireplaces, heated in-ground swimming pool, heated pool house, heated three-car garage, heated everything.
There is also one fitness room, one library, sweeping staircases, three powder rooms, a guest or staff apartment, six full bathrooms and multiple bedrooms.
Questend retains much of the Old World features put there in the 1930s, such as marble from Italy and crystal chandelier from England. However, the mansion is thoroughly modern, such as with its up-to-date kitchen. Deer, coyote, fox and other creatures move among the brush and multitude of trees on the land, which includes 500 walnut trees. The estate is for all purposes in Ottawa, but is actually outside the city limits.
Jan Ferracuti spoke last year of the estate's appeal. "Questend has been a sanctuary for our family to escape to after a busy work day. We stopped going on vacations and would just stay at home to enjoy these special surroundings."