If you’ve ever dreamed of owning a castle, this is your chance.
This $1.3 million castle with 31 rooms has all the romantic features, including a six-floor spire, a Catholic chapel and 360-degree views of Manhattan and the Hudson River.
The low price — Westchester County properties aren’t even considered “luxury” until they hit the $2 million mark — is likely due in part to its location in Yonkers, which is still a commutable distance from Manhattan, as proven by the past two owners, commuting since 1929. Another possible factor: updates needed in the nine-bedroom, six-and-a-half bathroom property (more on that below).
“At that price, it will attract a lot of interested parties and allow us to maximize turnout [at the open house on April 10 and 11] and give everybody a chance at viewing the property,” listing broker Bryan Dale of Exp Realty told The Post.
The 6,000-square-foot American shingle Victorian mansion has eight fireplaces, 100 windows, cathedral ceilings, hardwood floors, gothic peaked windows and exposed wooden ceiling beams, according to Realtor.com.
A massive two-story, 150-foot wraparound porch has a main level and an additional 80-foot lower level beneath fortress-like stone walls with open-air semicircular window cut-outs. Before the pandemic, it hosted parties of up to 80 guests, said Dale.
“The porch has a lower level which includes large granite arches holding up the property as if it were a medieval castle,” Dale added.
Inside the foyer, every room on the first floor has a fireplace. The living room fireplace is inscribed “Lisieux,” a region in France, and above it, a display is inscribed “God is our peace.” The tiled stone floor has several Persian area rugs, and gilded antique furniture pairs with eclectic knick-knacks, which define the character of the house.
Through pocket doors, the dining room has a huge semicircular window and a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace with a round firebox. The room has wood floors, built-in bookshelves and a floor-to-ceiling mirror. A second dining room has an identical semicircular window but offers a white, tiled fireplace with Roman columns — plus a built-in alcove for displaying sculptures.
Through a hallway, an expansive family room has been extended into the spire, giving the room a partial circular shape. It offers a brick fireplace, wood floors and a grand piano.
After you climb a wooden staircase and pass a church pew bench and Tiffany stained-glass windows, potential buyers will find eight bedrooms and four bathrooms on the third and fourth floors, many with their own fireplace. The third floor has a sitting room with a reading nook.
The fourth floor has a chapel, which once held over 200 Masses on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan before Dr. Paluel Flagg, the former owner of the house, had it moved and reassembled in the castle. Dr. Flagg was the founder of the Catholic Medical Mission Board in 1912, which was later led by Emmy-winning preacher Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, who held Masses in the chapel, said Dale. (The Post was not able to independently confirm the source of the chapel.)
The tower extends to the fifth and sixth floors, which serve as a gym and an observatory with 360-degree views, though it has an unfinished ceiling.
“The observation on deck has a panoramic view. You can see the Hudson River and the New Jersey Palisades … It allows you to step outdoors at the very top of the property,” said Dale.
The basement has a laundry room, a workshop and a one-bedroom apartment with a bathroom and a kitchen.
Then and now
The home was built in 1892 for the president of the American Real Estate Company, E.K. Martin, who developed the neighborhood of Park Hill.
The sellers are a three-generation family who bought the 0.84-acre property in 1983 for $140,000. Carl and Colette Tiktin, an author and a teacher respectively, along with their daughter found the house advertised in a newspaper soon after their old home had been destroyed in a gas explosion. They purchased the house with Colette’s sister, Michele Shapiro, and her husband, as well as the sisters’ parents (who had the surname Lafond), according to a 1985 article.
The sellers repaired the house to its current state, but it is now in need of more love. It doesn’t have central air conditioning or heat, and the small kitchen is an investment opportunity, with old appliances and outdated wooden cabinets. The bathrooms could be outfitted with more luxurious appliances, photos show.
“When they initially purchased it, the house was in disrepair. They completely restored and renovated it to its original condition. Since then, they have maintained the property,” said Dale.
Other relatively cheap castles include a $675,000 castle in Lake Peekskill in Putnam County. Pricier options in the New York metro area include Derek Jeter’s $12 million castle in Greenwood Lake, Orange County, and a $9.8 million “Bridgerton”-like castle in Connecticut.