From ashes and scandal: Tuxedo glass house was built on the ruins of grand estate

Tear-downs are a common sight in the Lower Hudson Valley, where old, outdated homes are demolished to make room for modern masterpieces.

The Gallery, an elegant modernist home in Tuxedo Park, was built on the site of a previous structure, but it wasn’t technically a tear-down.

According to newspaper accounts at the time, the property held a mansion built in 1903 for Col. Frank R. Keech, a World War I hero and aid to Gen. John J. Pershing who made his fortune on Wall Street. The property was known for its grand-scale entertainment and its landscape, which was designed by Ferruccio Vitale. In its heyday, the estate was maintained by 12 gardeners.

In Tuxedo Park, an international-style glass house was built amid the ruins of a 1903 GIlded Age mansion that burned in an arson fire. (Photo: Robert Socha)

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