A house that was once owned by famed “60 Minutes” anchor Mike Wallace and hosted numerous other celebrities over the years has hit the market in Snedens Landing for $4 million.
Built around 1880 in the style of a classic carriage house, the five-bedroom, 5.5-bathroom estate was owned by Wallace in the 1950s and 1960s. Located along the Hudson River and around 20 minutes from New York City, the hamlet of Snedens Landing has served as an ultra-exclusive refuge for celebrities for decades. Throughout the years, celebrities like Ava Gardner, Laurence Olivier and Kirk Douglas came to the property at 11 Lawrence Lane as guests.
The area is renowned for its privacy, as each house in the enclave is surrounded by rolling hills, landscaped grounds and trees, and views of the Hudson River.
“It’s an area that has always had this association with celebrities because it feels like it’s a million miles away from the city, but it’s actually 14 miles from the George Washington Bridge and 25 to 30 minutes to Broadway from the community,” Richard Ellis, the Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty broker representing the property, told Inman by phone.
The gabled roof and shingled white outside harken back to the home’s past (it was originally built by original Snedens Landing resident Winthrop Gilman) while a recent renovation brought in modern pieces such as glass walls, 12-foot ceilings, bluestone patios and a floating staircase.
Ellis told Inman that the house was likely subdivided from a larger property where Gilman used to live, while, as part of the 2020 renovation, the current owners received permission from the historic board to add a secondary barn-style structure to the carriage house.
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“The architectural elements speak to the neighborhood’s old-style homes,” Ellis said. “There are gable roofs, single shiding and farmhouse windows but the inside is ultra-modern. The exterior blends in and speaks to the carriage house architecture as well as the community and the surrounding nature.”
The peanut-shaped pool, one of the largest in Snedens Landing at 60 feet, is one of the home’s most famous elements and was the site of many celebrity parties over the years. Ellis told Inman that, in 2021, the isolation make the house attractive to affluent buyers looking to get away from the pandemic.
“It feels like you’re entering like another world when you’re inside because there are these high ceilings and high style but it’s also very comfortable,” Ellis said. “It’s very comforting … when you walk in its doors.”
As one of the original correspondents on CBS’ “60 Minutes,” Wallace was one of the most recognized faces in journalism in the 20th century. Throughout the course of his career, he received 21 Emmy awards and interviewed subjects as diverse as Frank Lloyd Wright, Yasser Arafat, Ayn Rand and Barbra Streisand.
Wallace passed away at his home in Connecticut’s New Canaan in 2012 but he had sold the Snedens Landing property decades prior. The current owners, according to Ellis, are choosing to remain private.