George Washington Smith designed Ravenscroft in 1922 for Peggy Ravenscroft, with Lutah Maria Riggs, then in his office, drafting the plans. In the century since, the house has had only three owners.

Ravenscroft wanted a house with a sense of theater, and the living room shows it. The room runs 52 feet and was inspired by a London stage production, and the story goes that it was built large enough for her horse, Jack, to come in and stand by the fire. His stable is now one of the cottages.

The house has since been restored over more than a decade, with Smith's architecture kept intact. The main residence covers 7,525 square feet, and a guest house, a wine cellar, a screening room and the cottages bring the total to 10,619 square feet and eight bedrooms.

The 1.59 acres sit behind a gate on a cul-de-sac off Ashley Road, laid out as a sequence of gardens: a boxwood parterre below the house, roses, lawns and fruit trees, a pool, a tennis court, bocce, and a glass conservatory under the oaks.