The sprawling hunting preserve property surrounds a 4,800-square-foot house overlooking the James River valley. (Photos courtesy CVRMLS)
A 672-acre Goochland estate has hit the market, hunting haven included.
The Orapax estate and preserve property, off River Road two miles west of Courthouse Village, were listed for sale Nov. 11 for $7 million.
Described as the largest public hunting preserve on the East Coast, the sprawling property overlooking the James River valley was listed by Long & Foster agent Pam Diemer for Jane Kauder, whose late parents, Andrew and Nancy Dykers, built the home and established the preserve in the late 1980s.
The three-level brick house includes verandas facing the river.
Kauder and her husband, Neal, co-own the hunting business, which Diemer said is not for sale and could be expanded by a buyer to include additional bird hunting offerings. Currently quail, pheasant, chukar and mallard hunting are offered.
Pam Diemer
The property is usable as an events venue, through a conditional-use permit allowing public assembly spaces and short-term rentals that was approved in 2020 and runs through 2025. Diemer said the land also could be developed as a multihome neighborhood with a change to its zoning, which she said currently allows for a limited number of houses to be added.
“There are many possibilities with this property,” Diemer said, adding that she’s received interest from real estate investors and others interested in conservation and event opportunities.
“In addition to the bird hunting, another highest and best use for this would be a single-family residential neighborhood,” she said, adding that such use would be subject to rezoning.
Opened in 1987, Orapax Hunting Preserve has hosted numerous hunts and events over the years, including Benedictine Schools of Richmond’s annual Hunt and Gather event and, previously, a yearly party and quail hunt put on by local menswear brand Ledbury.
Ledbury hosted an annual quail hunt and field party at the property for several years. (BizSense file photo)
While establishing the preserve, the Dykerses had a 4,800-square-foot Georgian-style house built as their residence. Andrew, a retired investment adviser, died in 2020. Nancy died this past September.
The two-story brick house totals four bedrooms and 5½ bathrooms. Diemer said the bedroom suites, two with veranda access, make the house ideal as an event venue, with river-facing views of the valley. The house also includes an elevator.
Additional buildings dot the preserve property, including a clubhouse, barn, and cottage with separate driveway. An 8-acre fishing lake and boathouse are on the property, and river access is provided via the Lickinghole Creek Aqueduct, a 19th-century stone structure along the James River and Kanawha Canal.
The preserve property includes a 66-acre center field and flatlands considered ideal for bird hunting.
The overall property consists of two parcels under different ownership. The 2-acre house parcel is owned by a trustee for the Dykerses, and the 670-acre preserve property is owned by Orapax Plantation LLC.
Goochland County has assessed the properties at $988,200 and $3.15 million, respectively.
Diemer said she is marketing the listing, her highest price tag to date, through Long & Foster’s association with Forbes Global Properties and through Luxury Portfolio International. She said interest has been strong since the listing hit the market, with multiple showings and property tours she’s been offering using an all-terrain vehicle.
“I conduct a four-seater ATV tour of the property, and we go and visit the historic aqueduct and I can tour all the property.” Laughing, she added, “It is the most fun I’ve ever had.”
The property includes an 8-acre fishing lake and 4-acre duck pond.
At $7 million, the listing is among the priciest seen in metro Richmond this year.
In March, the Sharp family estate in Rivergate hit the market at $9.5 million before selling in October for $8.75 million. Two days after that sale, the 10,000-square-foot house at 5105 Stratford Crescent in Richmond’s Hampton Gardens neighborhood sold for $6.25 million, just below its June list price of $6.5 million.
And in May, a few miles downriver from Orapax, the 35-acre Oaklea estate at 330 Flag Station Road sold for $7 million in an off-market deal.
The sprawling hunting preserve property surrounds a 4,800-square-foot house overlooking the James River valley. (Photos courtesy CVRMLS)
A 672-acre Goochland estate has hit the market, hunting haven included.
The Orapax estate and preserve property, off River Road two miles west of Courthouse Village, were listed for sale Nov. 11 for $7 million.
Described as the largest public hunting preserve on the East Coast, the sprawling property overlooking the James River valley was listed by Long & Foster agent Pam Diemer for Jane Kauder, whose late parents, Andrew and Nancy Dykers, built the home and established the preserve in the late 1980s.
The three-level brick house includes verandas facing the river.
Kauder and her husband, Neal, co-own the hunting business, which Diemer said is not for sale and could be expanded by a buyer to include additional bird hunting offerings. Currently quail, pheasant, chukar and mallard hunting are offered.
Pam Diemer
The property is usable as an events venue, through a conditional-use permit allowing public assembly spaces and short-term rentals that was approved in 2020 and runs through 2025. Diemer said the land also could be developed as a multihome neighborhood with a change to its zoning, which she said currently allows for a limited number of houses to be added.
“There are many possibilities with this property,” Diemer said, adding that she’s received interest from real estate investors and others interested in conservation and event opportunities.
“In addition to the bird hunting, another highest and best use for this would be a single-family residential neighborhood,” she said, adding that such use would be subject to rezoning.
Opened in 1987, Orapax Hunting Preserve has hosted numerous hunts and events over the years, including Benedictine Schools of Richmond’s annual Hunt and Gather event and, previously, a yearly party and quail hunt put on by local menswear brand Ledbury.
Ledbury hosted an annual quail hunt and field party at the property for several years. (BizSense file photo)
While establishing the preserve, the Dykerses had a 4,800-square-foot Georgian-style house built as their residence. Andrew, a retired investment adviser, died in 2020. Nancy died this past September.
The two-story brick house totals four bedrooms and 5½ bathrooms. Diemer said the bedroom suites, two with veranda access, make the house ideal as an event venue, with river-facing views of the valley. The house also includes an elevator.
Additional buildings dot the preserve property, including a clubhouse, barn, and cottage with separate driveway. An 8-acre fishing lake and boathouse are on the property, and river access is provided via the Lickinghole Creek Aqueduct, a 19th-century stone structure along the James River and Kanawha Canal.
The preserve property includes a 66-acre center field and flatlands considered ideal for bird hunting.
The overall property consists of two parcels under different ownership. The 2-acre house parcel is owned by a trustee for the Dykerses, and the 670-acre preserve property is owned by Orapax Plantation LLC.
Goochland County has assessed the properties at $988,200 and $3.15 million, respectively.
Diemer said she is marketing the listing, her highest price tag to date, through Long & Foster’s association with Forbes Global Properties and through Luxury Portfolio International. She said interest has been strong since the listing hit the market, with multiple showings and property tours she’s been offering using an all-terrain vehicle.
“I conduct a four-seater ATV tour of the property, and we go and visit the historic aqueduct and I can tour all the property.” Laughing, she added, “It is the most fun I’ve ever had.”
The property includes an 8-acre fishing lake and 4-acre duck pond.
At $7 million, the listing is among the priciest seen in metro Richmond this year.
In March, the Sharp family estate in Rivergate hit the market at $9.5 million before selling in October for $8.75 million. Two days after that sale, the 10,000-square-foot house at 5105 Stratford Crescent in Richmond’s Hampton Gardens neighborhood sold for $6.25 million, just below its June list price of $6.5 million.
And in May, a few miles downriver from Orapax, the 35-acre Oaklea estate at 330 Flag Station Road sold for $7 million in an off-market deal.
This article got me interested in the historic aqueduct but provided no images. If anyone else is interested, there are a series of beautiful line drawings and images from the Library of Congress here https://www.loc.gov/resource/hhh.va0482.sheet?st=gallery
Here are some pictures of the aqueduct
Lickinghole Creek Aqueduct – Google Maps
Goochland County should buy a easement from the land owner to open up a trail along the railroad tracks to open the canal features to the public.