The iconic Ding Dong House, a pre-Revolutionary War Dutch colonial farmhouse in the exclusive Hudson Valley celebrity enclave of Snedens Landing, New York, is on the market for $6.5 million with Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty.
Originally built in 1750 with an addition in 1860, the historic 3-bed, 3.5-bath residence at 35 Washington Spring Road has been home to many celebrities including actors Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke, Margot Kidder, producer Jerome Robbins and composer Aaron Copland.
The home and property underwent a $2.5 million restoration over the last five years and is being sold fully furnished, with 18th– and 19th-century antiques, furnishings and a collection of Hudson River School paintings.
Situated on a gentle hill three houses from the river, Ding Dong House offers sweeping views of the Hudson River from inside and out. The home features three ensuite bedrooms, three living room/den areas, four working fireplaces, wide-plank pine floors, period moldings and doors and a traditional English kitchen. The oldest section of the house is constructed of sandstone blocks from a nearby former quarry. Exterior highlights include a rear porch overlooking the Hudson River, new slate roof, security system, property wide landscaping, stone retaining walls and steps leading to a private yard that features entertaining areas, arbors, pool and an outdoor shower.
“This is the ultimate Snedens Landing house: Historic, private, turnkey, with great provenance and extraordinary views of the Hudson River,” said listing agent Richard Ellis. “Nothing compares.”
The home was originally built by John Sneden, whose family ran the ferry from Snedens Landing to Westchester’s Dobbs Ferry and lived there for almost 200 years. Known as the Ding Dong House because of a great bell that hung over its gate, it also is sometimes referred to as The Watson House, after the Watson family offered the home and collection of 300 books to be used by the public as the first local library in the Palisades in the 1890s.
The secluded Snedens Landing neighborhood near Palisades is just 12 miles north of the George Washington Bridge and has been home to past and present celebrities. Laurence Olivier, John Steinbeck, Katharine Hepburn, Al Pacino, Bill Murray, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Angelina Jolie, Hayden Panettiere and Diane Sawyer are among those who have called Snedens Landing home.
Listing Contact: Richard Ellis, Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty, Nyack, New York: 914-393-0438; ellissothebysrealty.com
Written by Evy Apostolatos (Sept, 6, 2022)