Own an Upstate Greek Revival Mansion Built By a Circus Entrepreneur for $2.5M

January 4, 2016

Behold the Gerard Crane House, a granite-clad Greek Revival mansion built on 30 acres upstate and named for its original owner. Crane was a prominent Somers, New York resident who started exhibiting exotic animals in the 1800s, eventually becoming a circus entrepreneur. He built this home for himself in 1849. Since his death in 1872, the house and estate have stayed a private residence with very few alterations made. And even though it’s on the market, there will be very few changes to come, as the property is a designated historic district and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Even the interior of the home looks like a time capsule of Gerard Crane’s life.

It’s truly impressive how intact the 6,336-square-foot mansion has remained, with 12-foot ceilings, ornate plasterwork, an elaborately carved 500-pound mahogany front door, and carved Italian marble mantelpieces. What makes the interior even more special is that this level of detail is not commonly found in rural Greek Revival houses.

Check out those intricate moldings, as well as the marble-carved fireplace mantle. There are ten fireplaces throughout the home.

The first level of the two-and-a-half-story house is home to the formal spaces and a kitchen. Tall windows throughout the first floor bring in light and offer lovely views of the surrounding acres of land.

The kitchen is one of the few areas that’s been modernized–no one is dying to go back to using an 18th century stove! The exposed brick and wood cabinetry haven’t been designed to upstage the rest of the interior; rather, they compliment the more extravagant interior details.

The second floor is known as the “family quarters” with its wide landing and four large bedrooms. Each one has a fireplace and two exposures with tall windows. The floor above, originally the servants’ quarters, is now a loft-style space with a beamed ceiling that could be used for storage.

The granite-clad exterior is just as impressive as the interior, and it’s considered an unusually sophisticated application of the Greek Revival architectural style.

There are also other properties on the sprawling 30 acres, including a barn, hayloft and an original tile silo (which the listing calls “the perfect party barn”), as well as a “springhouse,” which is located smack dab in a wildflower meadow. Yes, owning this historic 30 acres in the Hudson Valley is sounding pretty darn good right now.

[Via CIRCA]

[Listing: 413 Route 202, Somers NY by Linda Gracie for Houlihan Lawrence]

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Photos courtesy of Houlihan Lawrence