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Few things are cooler than buying a house where a famous song was written. That’s just the opportunity that recently hit the market in Highland Falls, a charming village in New York’s Hudson Valley. It’s where Billy Joel penned his 1976 hit, “New York State of Mind.”
The home, which sits on 2.2 acres, is listed for $2.5 million. The property comprises three structures, including the five-bedroom, four-bath, Cape-style abode where the legendary singer-songwriter once lived.
Pianist at the property
The crooner clearly found inspiration at the brick estate. As a long-term renter, Joel wrote the famous tune in one of the main home’s two upstairs bedrooms.
“It’s such an iconic song and part of our country’s zeitgeist; and especially after 9/11, it became an anthem for New York City,” says listing agent Jody Atkinson, of Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty.
Joel’s album, “Songs in the Attic,” refers to the second-floor bedroom, too; and “Summer, Highland Falls” alludes to his time in the home.
In fact, the owners paid homage to Joel by wallpapering that bedroom with sheet music and dubbing it “the Billy Joel Room.”
Home with history
The property actually dates back to 1872, when financier J.P. Morgan bought the land from the local township for $60,000. He used it as his summer estate, dubbed Cragston. Century-old trees and daffodils on the grounds remain.
After a 1948 fire destroyed the house, it was rebuilt as a five-bedroom home during the 1950s. Its luxury features include an outdoor pool, a vineyard, and an awning-covered patio.
“The owners have had it for 43 years,” Atkinson says, of the homeowners. “Three siblings inherited it.”
And a long-ago Irish immigrant employed by Morgan also has a connection to the family.
“Their great-grandmother worked in New York City as a maid for J.P. Morgan and was called up to work at the summer home in Highland Falls,” Atkinson explains. “Her grandson and his wife ended up buying the house around 1980.”
The fireplace, mantel, and an outdoor patio survived the fire and are original to the home.
“It’s been kept up really well,” Atkinson notes. “The parents were very diligent in doing whatever needed to be done. They said they had amazing parties growing up. The views really are quite spectacular.”
Living room
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Dining room
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Kitchen
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One of the bedrooms
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One of the baths
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Terrace
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Pool
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Morgan was intentional in selecting the property, with its unobstructed Hudson River views. Atkinson suspects the next owner will be, too.
“When you go there and you step out of the car, your jaw drops open,” she says. “It’s unobstructed and always will be. Nothing can be built in front of it, because the railroad owns it.”
She adds, “Most of Morgan’s cronies, like the Vanderbilts and the Rockefellers, were on the east side of the Hudson River, and he specifically wanted to be on the opposite side of the river. It’s typically much more expensive real estate on the east side. It’s quite a bargain for anyone who wants to have river views on this side of the river.”
While Morgan arrived on steamboat yacht from Manhattan, today the home no more than a 90-minute car ride to the city.
So what type of buyer might snap up this compound?
“There are two possible buyers,” Atkinson contends. “It’s been operated as a bed-and-breakfast for about eight years now, so it is set up for that. But it’s also been a tremendous family compound.”
The property comes with a recently built, three-bedroom, two-bath carriage house, as well as a converted pool house with one bedroom and one bath.
“It gives a lot of options for a family that’s gathering,” Atkinson says.
The post The Piano Man Was Here: Buy the $2.5M Hudson Valley Home Where Billy Joel Wrote a Hit Song appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.
