Charming Castle on the Hudson River Requires a Royal Restoration>

Listed for $3.45 million, the stone castle on Old Stone Road in Garrison, NY, has never been on the market.

“It’s a notable piece of architecture that the area is known for,” says the listing agent, Melissa Carlton. “When you think of the Hudson Valley, this picture comes up quite often.”

Located about 50 miles north of Manhattan and visible from West Point and other areas along the river, the castle was built in 1881 as a summer home for a railroad magnate, William H. Osborn. The house remained in the Osborn family for decades, until a partnership took it over in 1967.

“I would say 1967 is when it was lived in and loved,” Carlton says. “The current caretaker was the last person to live in the castle and was hired by the last living Osborn—and has been taking care of the castle for over 45 years.”

The caretaker now lives in a two-bedroom house on the property—which is included in the sale price.

Back in the early 2000s, the current owner bought the property from the partnership, making a few structural repairs to prevent any further deterioration—including replacing the leaky roof.

“They took all the plaster walls out, because the roof had been leaking for quite a while, and took the wires and everything out,” Carlton explains.

During the process, care was taken to protect the floors, the wood paneling, the stairs, and all the fireplace mantels.

The structure is currently sound, but the structure has no septic, well, or electrical system. A buyer could opt to stay in the caretaker’s house for a while, since it has utility services.

As for the configuration of the castle, a new owner would have a beautiful blank slate inside.

“We do have floor plans that would represent seven bedrooms and seven baths,” Carlton says.

The castle has four fireplaces and 15 rooms in total—many with high ceilings and large windows.

The agent estimates that the total cost of the project might run from $8 million to $11 million, including the cost of purchasing the castle itself. A full restoration would take at least a couple of years to complete.

This is a sizable project, and the owners probably wouldn’t want to cut corners to restore the home to its original state, Carlton says.

“That really kind of narrows down who the buyer is,” she adds. “Is it a buyer that has the funds, that has the passion and the historical interest—and the time and energy—to want to do it?”

The home is on about 15 acres of land. Next door is a preserve of about a hundred or so acres of state parklands, with hiking trails and places for outdoor recreation.

“It really does need an owner who’s going to really take it to the full finishing level, as opposed to just letting it sit there. It’s been sitting there for quite a long time, and it has the most spectacular views,” Carlton says. “You can watch storms come in from the horizon, and the sunsets are absolutely gorgeous.”

Currently, the zoning is residential, and Carlton says it would be preferable if it remained a private residence. It just needs a little love and a deep-pocketed buyer to return it to its former glory.

“People when they walk through it are just charmed. It is lovely, and the views are spectacular,” she says.