New Windsor Castle for sale

By CLOEY CALLAHAN
Posted 1/13/21

The Roe Brewster Castle, located at 11 Oak Ridge Drive in New Windsor, has hit the market at the price of $1,225,000. It has a history that goes back to the 1800s, when businessman William Roe III …

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New Windsor Castle for sale

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The Roe Brewster Castle, located at 11 Oak Ridge Drive in New Windsor, has hit the market at the price of $1,225,000. It has a history that goes back to the 1800s, when businessman William Roe III commissioned and built it in 1870.

It sits on 1.8 acres of land and the castle’s interior is 8,400-square-feet. It has six bedrooms and seven full baths.

The castle is being sold by Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty, with listing agent Edouard Pierre. Pierre described stepping onto the property as a “surreal experience” with the potential to become an “otherworldly property for a family, investor or entrepreneur.” Pierre has been in the real-estate industry for nearly a decade and focuses primarily on residential and multi-family sales.

Roe, who resided in the castle after he commissioned it, had other roots in the Newburgh and New Windsor area. For example, his family built the more well known Roe Mansion, which is located on Grand Street in Newburgh. A block away from the castle, he commissioned the same architect to build a house for his widowed mother.

“That house still stands today,” said the most recent owner of the castle who is unnamed. “Although, I am led to believe it’s mostly destroyed at this point.”

Though, the Roe Brewster Castle was specifically designed between Roe and the architect for what he wanted. The stone was “hauled via mule train from West Point,” where Roe graduated from, while the formal dining room has a replica of a fireplace he saw in his travels to Venice in a palace.

“Mr. Roe was not a successful businessman, unfortunately for him,” read the current owner’s background of the property. “He had a very ugly divorce and while I’m not entirely clear the mechanism, the family of his lawyer, the Brewsters, took over the property, thus, the Roe Brewster name.”

The Brewsters had a “short and dull period” of owning the castle, where it was then sold to a lumber baron named Edward Lacey, who added a lot to the property. In 1910, the property saw a complete renovation. The original bathrooms have the sinks and tubs from this 1910 renovation. Additionally, this major 1910 renovation added an additional side to the third floor, closed in the sunroom and had Black Walnut trees planted.

Though, the gardens and orchards were plowed over when the neighborhood was expanded.

“The Laceys eventually ran out of money and from what I understand Orange County took over the property for non-payment of taxes,” continued the current owner’s history of the castle.

Under the county’s control, they split it up into a multi-family property for Air National Guardsman after returning from WWII. Following that, they made the decision to turn it into low income housing, which the current owner described as “ill-fated.”

“After just a couple years many of the historical details like sconces and stained glass were stolen and/or destroyed and the county condemned the property,” read the history of the property.

The current owner’s father was an engineer at the nearby Air Force base and when he stumbled upon it, he fell in love.

“He made it the rest of his life’s work to repair what he could and get it back open,” the current owner included. “While we’ve battled with the historians from time to time, we’ve done our best to preserve it.”

With all of the history, the listing describes this particular property as being able to give someone a rare opportunity to own a castle.

“Let this become your rarest investment, niche Airbnb business, and/or event space,” the listing reads.

Architecturally, highlights of the infrastructure include a “beautiful” chestnut stairwell and foyer leading to the apartments, a Samuel Yellin family forged entrance awning, a Louis Comfort Tiffany stained glass skylight, 12-foot ceilings hand-carved fireplace, a stone porch and balcony with Hudson River views.

If you are interested in learning more about the property, contact Pierre at 312-774-1112.