The distinctive 1860 timber-framed home in the Hudson Valley, designed in the Elizabethan style, is currently seeking $5.5 million.
Sally Jessy Raphael, the Emmy-winning talk show host, has reduced the asking price of her long-standing New York castle by $1 million.
Built over a century ago, this one-of-a-kind timber-framed mansion in the Hudson Valley style with an Elizabethan façade is currently asking $5.5 million. Raphael, whose real name is Sally Lowenthal, has been the owner of the house for almost 25 years. According to PropertyShark records, he paid $1.725 million for it in 1997. For $6.5 million, she first listed it for sale in October of last year.
Unquestionably old, the stately manor house is situated amidst almost 25 acres in the village of Pawling, approximately one hour and forty-five minutes north of Manhattan. Listing agent Harriet Norris of Douglas Elliman states that the property that stands today was erected in stages over a long period of time from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s, to replace a structure that had been there since the 1740s.
“Sally was the first person outside of the family to own the house,” she added, adding that it had been in the same family’s hands for several generations.
When Raphael purchased the home, it was in poor condition, but Norris remarked, “Sally loves a project and loved this house.” She also possessed the skills and means necessary to take on a project of that nature. She invested millions of dollars in this residence.
A multitude of historical characteristics can still be seen in the three-story home today, such as the hand-carved oak staircase, leaded glass windows, Gothic spires, beamed ceilings, and wood-paneled walls.
“She wanted to keep it of the period,” Norris said. “She more than left her mark on it and made it beautiful.”
There are 17 bedrooms—including several staff rooms and a children’s wing with small bedrooms and a nanny’s room—nine bathrooms, four half bathrooms and 10 fireplaces.
“Even though it’s huge, there are lots of places you can sit and cozy up,” Norris said. A window-lined space off the dining room, for example, overlooks the property and the grounds, and is a “great place to sit and read a book or have a glass of red wine during a snowstorm,” she explained.
The veranda—lined with removable windows that can open the space up like a porch—is another stand-out spot.
In contrast, the expansive grounds include stables, a carriage house, two caretaker’s houses, and a yoga studio. Over a decade and a half, Raphael hosted Camp Sally during the summers, so the property was very useful.
According to Norris, “she would invite the local kids to come and spend a week at Camp Sally,” assigning acquaintances to teach the kids baking or photography techniques. “She had us all there, anyone she knew who had a talent for something.”
The 89-year-old Raphael was not reachable for comment. Her most famous show, “Sally,” a tabloid talk show, premiered in 1983 and continued for 19 seasons and 3,820 episodes until 2002.
“This is a very special house that needs a very special buyer who can embrace the project, has the resources, and is passionate about it,” Norris remarked. Like many large houses, it’s a work in progress.
The agent said, “People thought it was priced pretty well before and it’s priced even better now.” “That million dollars can be used to take care of maintenance going forward,” the buyer said.
