Built in 1881 for Frederick Frelinghuysen, secretary of state under Chester A. Arthur, the property has been a private residence, a boys' school dormitory, and an inn—now offered as a 13-bedroom income-producing estate.
Known as The Kemble, 2 Kemble Street in Lenox is a registered Great Estate built in 1881 for Frederick Frelinghuysen, secretary of state for President Chester A. Arthur and formerly a U.S. senator. The house was handsomely furnished, and the Frelinghuysens entertained lavishly, with former President Arthur among their many guests. Over the following century, the property cycled through a number of lives: renamed Sundrum House by a subsequent owner, used as a dormitory for the Lenox School for Boys after the 1940s, and eventually converted into the Kemble Inn in 1993.
The current owners have repositioned the 9,510-square-foot house as a fully furnished, turnkey luxury rental rather than a conventional residence. The layout reflects that history: 13 en-suite bedrooms and 14 bathrooms across multiple gathering levels, a well-equipped kitchen built for catering, and a mahogany bar suited to entertaining. The property can accommodate groups of 20 or more and has been a frequent choice for weddings, corporate retreats, and multi-generational family stays. Three fireplaces and a full walk-out basement round out the interior. The house is fully ADA compliant.
Outside, the 3-acre lot includes open lawns, established gardens, and west-facing views toward the surrounding hills. The "cottage" designation is something of a misnomer locally—these grand seasonal retreats built for Gilded Age families bore little resemblance to anything modest, even by today's standards.
2 Kemble Street, Lenox (MA) is listed at $4,850,000, offered by Cameron Volastro at William Pitt Sotheby's International Realty.
