Along Skaneateles Lake, where shoreline is largely spoken for and premier estates often remain within the same families for generations, the public availability of a compound-scale holding is an uncommon occurrence.

Shore Elms is one such property.

Spanning nearly four acres and approximately 412 feet of unusually level waterfront, the estate occupies a protected stretch of Skaneateles Lake known to neighbors as “Mandana Bay”, where the lake bends subtly to soften conditions while preserving expansive views. Properties offering this combination of frontage, usability, and privacy have become increasingly difficult to assemble, particularly as regulatory constraints and long ownership cycles continue to limit future supply.

“It is extraordinarily rare to find nearly four acres with over 400 feet of level frontage on Skaneateles Lake,” said listing agent Michael DeRosa. “Opportunities like this typically pass quietly between generations, which is what makes Shore Elms such a remarkable offering”.

“Buyers today are increasingly looking for properties that offer both immediate enjoyment and long-term flexibility,” said listing agent Kelli Ide. “The ability to preserve the historic residence while also creating a new custom waterfront home or generational compound on the additional building lot is a combination we almost never see on this lake.”

Two contiguous parcels are being offered together, pairing a historic lake residence with a separately buildable lot and forming a unified estate defined not only by its present character but by the control it affords future stewards.

Individually valued at $5.5 million for the main residence and $3.4 million for the building lot, the properties reflect a quiet shift occurring across premier second-home markets. Increasingly, it is the land itself, not the structure, that carries enduring strategic value.

Architecture with Lineage

The primary residence, constructed in the mid-to-late 19th century and measuring roughly 5,281 square feet, belongs to an earlier tradition of lakefront architecture, one guided by proportion, durability, and a deliberate relationship to the water.

Its gracious rooms, hardwood floors, original pocket doors, and expansive wraparound porch reflect a design philosophy oriented toward gathering and horizon views rather than passing trends.

Supporting structures include a carriage house, a lakefront cabana, and a grandfathered boathouse. Such entitlements are rarely approved today, reinforcing both the property’s provenance and the regulatory protections that help preserve legacy compounds.

Whether carefully restored or thoughtfully reinterpreted, the residence provides something increasingly prized in luxury real estate: authenticity anchored to land that cannot be duplicated.

Land That Secures the Future

Immediately adjacent, approximately 2.05 acres of open, level terrain extend the estate’s strategic horizon. On a lake where steep topography often limits construction, the buildable waterfront of this scale carries significance well beyond aesthetics.

“The additional building parcel introduces a level of flexibility rarely found on Skaneateles Lake,” said Michael DeRosa. “With just over two acres and 200 feet of frontage, a future owner has the ability to create resort-caliber amenities such as a tennis or padel court, an infinity-edge pool, or a thoughtfully designed guest residence, all while preserving privacy and the integrity of the shoreline.”

The parcel invites a range of possibilities, such as a secondary residence, a generational compound, or the simple preservation of space and privacy. Its existing boathouse underscores the enduring utility of the shoreline.

Taken together, the properties form a waterfront assemblage defined by walk-out access, deep water, protective geography, and spatial separation.

“Legacy properties are defined by permanence,” DeRosa said. “It is the land, the frontage, and the position, the elements that cannot be manufactured, that ultimately separate truly enduring estates from the rest of the market.”

As waterfront inventory contracts across the country’s most tightly held destinations, properties such as Shore Elms are increasingly viewed through a generational lens. They are acquired not merely for lifestyle, but for continuity.

Some homes are built.
Some estates are assembled.

A very small number are simply never replicated.

Shore Elms belongs to the latter.