Daughter of Yankee Candle founder shares what it was like to grow up in a $23 million compound with an indoor water park after its listing goes viral
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Kylie Kittredge instructed TikTokers what it was prefer to develop up in a $23 million compound as a child.
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The house, owned by Kylie’s father, the founding father of Yankee Candle, went earlier this 12 months.
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Kylie spoke to Insider in regards to the compound and her father.
19-year-old Kylie Kittredge grew up on a (newly listed) $23 million property in Leverett, Massachusetts, full with an arcade and indoor water park. For Christmas, well-known bands would play for a crowd of 300+ visitors on a stage constructed into their indoor tennis courtroom.
When she noticed her childhood residence going viral in a September 7 TikTok from the account @zillowtastrophes, she determined to reply — sharing particulars of what it was truly prefer to develop up on the compound and reminiscences of her father, Yankee Candle founder Michael Kittredge, who handed away unexpectedly in July 2019.
“There are loads of joyful reminiscences hooked up to this place,” she instructed viewers.
The advertising scholar instructed Insider she initially stored her residence “fairly non-public” as a child. “I needed it to be an area that my closest buddies might come to and hang around, however I did not wanna publicly promote it,” she mentioned. The distinction for her now, talking about 113 Juggler Meadows publicly, is that she not calls it residence.
With about 120,000 sq. toes of dwelling area and eight buildings, the property, referred to as 113 Juggler Meadow, is unbelievably sprawling. Kylie mentioned her primary mode of transportation on the compound, massive sufficient to require its personal paging system, was a golf cart. Reminiscing, she instructed viewers she and her sister, Casey, preferred to make selfmade lemonade and ship it to staff in a “cell lemonade stand” through golf cart.
“My grandma Dee lived right here!” one commenter wrote. “I do not know should you keep in mind her, however she was the cook dinner. I used to go to her and surprise the place the heck I used to be, lol.” Kylie replied: “We love Dee!”
“Our staff had a household really feel, and it was particular. These have been the those that additionally raised me,” Kylie instructed Insider. “There have been lots of people concerned in my childhood, and I would not change it.”
At Christmas time, a “main vacation” on the residence, mentioned Kylie, the household would discover an unlimited “three-story-tall” Christmas tree that she mentioned would “make the entire home odor so good.” The tree was embellished with ornaments chosen for a distinct theme annually, she mentioned. “Every little thing needed to go together with every thing.”
“We had a large vacation get together yearly with about 350 of our buddies that normally entailed dinner, dancing, and a few type of musical leisure — Corridor & Oates is an instance of one of many entertainers one 12 months,” she instructed viewers, confirming a element included within the @zillowtastrophe video. Kylie recalled a selected get together through which her dad “actually needed pretend snow,” so she and her cousins “bought to run round, tossing it in every single place.”
The house, which features a bowling alley, 10-seat movie show, arcade, golf course, and an indoor water park, captivated viewers.
“We had some actually enjoyable birthday events in right here,” Kylie mentioned of the water park space. “For my fourth birthday, everybody needed to come as their favourite ‘Little Mermaid’ character,” she mentioned, displaying viewers pictures of her father dressed as King Tritan, Kylie as Ariel, and her mother and sister as mermaids.
TikTokers expressed shock the household did not have “many candles burning” always. “It is a dwelling area,” she defined to Insider. “We do not wish to have 1,000,000 completely different scents hitting you as quickly as you stroll in. It was extra minimal — one candle right here and there.”
The compound, situated about two hours exterior of Boston, additionally consists of two temperature-controlled “automobile barns.” Kittredge “was an enormous automobile collector” and would typically let Kylie select which automobile she needed him to take her to highschool in.
“I want I appreciated it extra,” she mentioned, “as a result of I miss him and him driving me to highschool.”
Yankee Candle Firm has a memorable origin story. At 16 years outdated, Kittredge could not afford to purchase his mom a Christmas current. To make one, he melted crayons on the range to create a candle. When a neighbor requested to buy it as an alternative, the elder Kittredge purchased “sufficient wax to make two candles — one for his mom, and one to promote,” in keeping with the outlet — and began what would in the future grow to be Yankee Candle.
Michael J.”Mick” Kittredge III, Kylie’s brother and senior by 13 years, instructed the native paper Greenfield Recorder that he hoped his father can be remembered because the “epitome of the American Dream and rags to riches.”
He went on to say his father “had a troublesome childhood” and “needed to present everyone else every thing he did not have as a child rising up.”
Kylie agreed. The Disney Land-like residence was created by a father she described to Insider as concerned, insatiably inventive, and — exacerbated by a historical past of well being points — conscious of the valuable nature of time.
The daddy Kylie knew was a relentless, indefatigable dreamer. She described a “chapter of our life” through which the household had a “full working farm” as a result of her father needed recent eggs within the morning.
Kittredge was additionally a “main donor” to hospitals, colleges, most cancers analysis, and academic applications — significantly on the group school he reportedly credited for making his success doable.
“He needed to stay life to the fullest, and that is what he did,” Kylie instructed Insider.
Mick Kittredge put the household property up on the market in early September.
Have a look inside the $23 million compound with a Bellagio-themed indoor water park right here.
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