This modern limestone and glass masterwork sits right at river’s edge—and could never be built again.
Anyone who lives in New York’s Hudson Valley knows that the majestic river that splits the region in half is at the heart of its allure – and its real estate game. To have even a view of the Hudson River ups your game considerably.
This modern glass and limestone palace on a jagged rock ledge at river’s edge in Hyde Park takes the game to a whole new level. Some of the concrete footings that support the all-steel superstructure are actually in the bed of the river. Further, because of new setback laws that push home sites at least 100 feet away from the banks of the river, the five-bedroom, eight-bath architectural masterwork could never be replicated. And the land across the river is in conservation, forever protecting the open views.
Priced at $45 million, the 10.7-acre gated estate – aptly named Ledgerock—would shatter Dutchess County sale-price records for single-family homes (the previous high was the 2011 sale of a Millbrook estate for $18.375 million).
Designed by the New Orleans-based architect Lee Ledbetter, the project was completed in 2010 after a five-year build-out by European craftsmen. The design goal was to make you feel like you’re floating on the river when you’re inside the home. (Mission accomplished!)
By the numbers, the architectural and design details are certainly impressive: nearly 15,000 square feet of interior space, walls of glass ranging from 18 to 28 feet high, a façade wrapped with 40,000 square feet of fossilized French limestone, 54 sculptures scattered across the riverfront property.
The list of amenities here puts many resorts to shame – indoor and outdoor pools, a fire pit, an outdoor kitchen, a theater room, a spa, a gym and a hot tub atop a rock jutting over the river. Plus the estate features a 4,800-square-foot outbuilding that holds a two-bedroom guesthouse and an 18-car garage with its own carwash.
Other design details include a quarter-mile-long driveway, elevators in both houses, multiple fireplaces, a dumbwaiter from the main kitchen down to the pool area, and exotic woods and rare stone sourced from Europe, Africa and South America. The billiards room boasts leather floors, a backlit orange onyx bar and a cowhide-covered wall. The bathroom in the primary suite offers an 8-foot-wide gold travertine soaking tub.
In warm weather, the 5,000-square-foot travertine pool deck that’s perched magically over the Hudson takes center stage. It’s just the spot to take in orange-red sunsets that set the house aglow and the parade of boats coming and going from the adjacent Poughkeepsie Yacht Club.
Oh, and did we mention Ledgerock’s easy accessibility? By car, it’s 90 minutes from Manhattan—or perhaps you’d like something faster and more stylish. There’s a landing pad just outside the front door for helicopters, or the dock outside the back door will happily handle your seaplane.