Former NYS governor's estate overlooking Croton Reservoir sold; to be redeveloped

Real Estate Weekly, August 12, 1998

Forthright Development of Tarrytown, NY and New York City recently purchased the estate and plans to renovate the Harriman home, which served as a weekend retreat for the former governor and international diplomat and his wife, the late Pamela Churchill Harriman. All but 45 acres of the property is in the Town of Yorktown with the remaining 10 in the Town of Somers. The property is on Somerstown Road (Route 100).

Jonathan Zambetti and Russell Hernandez, partners in Forthright Development, plan to renovate and restore the estate, known as Birchgrove, including Harriman's 6,700 square-foot country home, built in 1956, and its separate guest and pool houses and the surrounding gardens. A 23-acre parcel, including the Harriman house and accompanying buildings, is to be subdivided from the balance of the property and will be marketed as an estate property for $1.5 million.

The remaining 32 acres of the property, which are undeveloped, will be divided into four parcels ranging from seven to 10 acres and will be sold as individual luxury country home sites.

The Somers office of Houlihan/Lawrence negotiated the sale of the estate to Forthright.

After Governor Harriman died in 1986, his estate sold Birchgrove. The former owner then proposed developing houses on the site and gained town approval to subdivide the parcel into 10 lots. Wary of the potential impact of 10 new homes on the Croton Reservoir, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, which owns abutting watershed land, required reducing the number of lots to seven.

That development plan was never executed, and the property's new developers have determined that less development on the site is preferable. Their plan for the property includes a total of just five home sites - the main estate and the four very large lots.

"This is a really outstanding piece of property, with a single mile-long drive that leads to the Harriman house," Zambetti said. "You get a feeling of true seclusion when you're on the property and we feel very strongly that this feeling shouldn't be sacrificed. We are re-configuring the layout of the property to create the five properties."

"The main parcel with the Harriman house is on the plateau at the highest point and has a commanding view of the reservoir and the hills beyond," he added. "We would like to retain the feeling of the country drive leading through the property and serving the five homes. A gated entryway will be built for added privacy."

Zambetti, who lives in Manhattan, is the grandson of Angela Zambetti and Joseph Kresevich, founders of Stella D'Oro baking company, which was sold to Nabisco in 1992. He had worked as an executive with the family business prior to its sale. Hernandez, who lives in Pound Ridge, NY, grew up in The Bronx, where he learned the building business from his father, a general contractor.

Lee Zipp, manager of Houlihan/Lawrence's Somers office, which will be marketing the new properties, said that ideally his company would like to find a buyer for the Harriman house as soon as possible. "That way we could get a new owner involved early on in the renovation and the house can be customized to the owner's specifications. We envision Birchgrove being a country estate, used as a family compound and for weekend getaways, much as it was when Governor Harriman and his wife owned it and entertained there."

Zipp said that at $1.5 million, on 23 secluded acres with incomparable views and close to private nature preserves, "Birchgrove presented an unusual real estate opportunity, and at a very favorable price compared to the high-end estate properties being marketed in Bedford, which is just across the reservoir. Importantly, the integrity of this important property will now be preserved."