Not So Fast: Nature Preserve Offers Tudor Mansion for $125K

Teatown Lake Reservation’s controversial plan to get rid of Croft House, the amazing, historic mansion next to the heart of the nature preserve, has drawn the ire of preservationists.

It’s not such a daft idea, actually—the house is composed mostly of pieces of old English castles and such that were shipped to Yorktown in the first place, so why not offer it to someone who loves it enough to disassemble it and rebuild it somewhere else?

That’s what Teatown officials say:

Here is a unique opportunity to purchase, dismantle and re-purpose this house, an authentic Tudor ca. 1914 built primarily with materials imported from England that date to the 17th,18th and 19th centuries!

This house could be used to create a unique residence, commercial structure or be incorporated into a set design. Interested buyers, please contact Dianne Barron at 914-762-2912, ext. 112.

Powerpoint Presentation with More Information About the House Here

Rationale for Teatown’s Decision on the Croft House Here

Ossining and Yorktown preservationists do not see it that way.

• Letter to the Editor: Discouraged by Teatown’s Plan to Demolish Historic Croft House
• Letter to the Editor: Saving the Croft House Would Benefit Teatown
• Letter to the Editor: Teatown’s Plan to Demolish The Croft ‘Distressing’

“On behalf of The Yorktown Historical Society’s board of directors and its members, we also wish to voice our concerns and express our desire to save the house,” Paul R. Martin III, the president of the Yorktown Historical Society, wrote to Patch.

“As has recently been documented by several noted architects and historians, the Croft house is both a significant architectural and historical home in the heart of Westchester County. The virtues and importance of the house have already been detailed and discussed by experts far more knowledgeable than me. Succinctly put, the Croft House in the Teatown Preserve is an extraordinary structure that exemplifies the BEST relationship and union of Man and Nature, and demonstrates and symbolizes the perfect balance between the two.”

Check out Country Living Magazine’s spread on Croft House:

PHOTO: Teatown Lake Reservation