Home of the Week: A Bold $28.5 Million Blufftop Estate in a Celeb-Favored New York Enclave
Rockland County, in the southeastern part of New York, charms with its quaint villages and its laid-back lifestyle, and the quiet hamlet of Palisades, New York, also known as Snedens Landing, is a discreet and storied enclave along the Hudson River just north of New Jersey. It’s known for its dramatic 200 million-year-old cliffs and canyons, celebrity residents, historic homes, and nature preservation efforts—some of the earliest in the country.
Rockland County, in the southeastern part of New York, charms with its quaint villages and its laid-back lifestyle and, over the years, Snedens Landing’s calmness and proximity to New York—it’s 20 miles north of midtown Manhattan—have attracted privacy-seeking celebs like Mikhail Baryshnikov, Uma Thurman, Bill Murray, Al Pacino, Björk, and Scarlett Johansson. Fun fact: Angelina Jolie went to elementary school here. The neighborhood has just 100 homes and one road that winds throughout the wooded landscape that rolls down to the river’s edge. Unlike the Hamptons pristine, highly manicured landscape, Snedens Landing offers an unruly and wild landscape that adds to its rustic character and seclusion.
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One of the leafy riverside idyll’s grandest and most illustrious homes, along with a smaller cottage, is now available for a cool $28.5 million. The 13-acre spread consists of three contiguous plots. At 23 Ludlow Lane there is the fashionably updated main house, which is known as Niederhurst, and at 31 Ludlow Lane is what’s called Fern Lodge and a converted stable. The third parcel, at 35 Ludlow Lane, is undeveloped.
Niederhurst was built in 1874 by New York banker and architect Winthrop Gilman, Jr. At the time, American architects were heavily inspired by opulent European estates, and, hence, Gilman chose a Victorian Gothic style for the imposing home that is prominently set on a bluff overlooking the river, surrounded by several acres of parkland. Among the characteristics of the Victorian Gothic style are gabled and hip roofs, six-panel shutters, and polychrome brickwork, in which the bricks are arranged in an intricate pattern. The home spans three stories and overlooks the Hudson River. There are a variety of outbuildings, including an observatory, antique barn and stone shed, and the park-like grounds also feature several copper beech trees imported from England that Gilman planted in the 1870s.
Renovated in 2016 by AD100 designer Sara Story, Niederhurst spans 8,040 square feet and has eight bedrooms, seven bathrooms, and two powder rooms. The Manhattan-based designer embarked on a multimillion-dollar, five-year renovation after purchasing the home in 2011 and teamed up with architect Dirk Denison to restore the brick facade and install additional amenities.
From the outside, the home looks straight from the 19th century, but the interiors have been thoughtfully modernized while preserving and re-creating historic details. Original plaster medallions, brickwork, and moldings are juxtaposed against new hand-troweled Venetian plaster walls; new oak millwork; wide-plank, light-oak floors; and glamorous Italian marble accents in the bathrooms and gallery. Each room is filled with natural light and has oversized windows, large arches between rooms, white walls for art, and high ceilings.
“Niederhurst is one of the great estate houses along the Hudson River,” said listing agent Richard Ellis in a press statement. “The home’s renovation exemplifies how thoughtful design can breathe new life into a historic gem, preserving its essence while adapting it for modern living.”
The ground floor features a grand entryway with marble flooring and high ceilings and connects to the great room, with a brick-adorned fireplace, as well as the library. The main hall guides you through to the chef’s kitchen, which is kitted with state-of-the-art appliances and custom wood cabinetry, plus a nearby dining room with a fireplace and silvery-colored walls emblazoned with dramatic abstract swirl-like patterns on both the walls and ceiling.
The second floor is predominantly dedicated to the primary suite, which features a spacious bedroom, two walk-in closets, and a marble-covered bathroom with a glass-enclosed circular shower. There’s also a den with a balcony and a bedroom that could easily be an office on this level. Upstairs, the third floor has four bedrooms and a laundry room. Finally, the basement level has additional bedrooms, a music room, a prep kitchen that doubles as a laundry room, a bonus room, and a sauna, the latter being one of the most recent additions. Out back, there’s an in-ground limestone pool surrounded by tiered gardens.
Along with Fern Lodge, which dates to 1866, a converted stabling block and barn contain plenty of room for family, friends and/or staff, with an additional eight bedrooms and four bathrooms. Now seeking only the fifth owner in 150 years, Niederhurst and its outbuildings are listed with Richard Ellis of Sotheby’s International Realty.
Click here for more photos of Niederhurst.
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