All photos courtesy of Corcoran Country Living
Designed by a renowned modernist architect, this home on the Hudson River will go to auction next month with an estimated value of $29.9 million.
The property at 46 Ledgerock Lane is, in the words of broker Jason Karadus, “a trophy.” At the very least, it looks like one. Details like the exotic wood paneling, walls of glass, and floating staircase leave no room for illusion: the owner of this home is a wealthy individual indeed. The structure’s size also contributes to its impressiveness—at nearly 15,000 square feet, the Hyde Park residence is perched on a rocky sprawl of land that juts into the Hudson River.
While the abode’s beauty has much to do with its scale and stateliness, the devil is in the details. In each room, modernist architect Lee Ledbetter has intermingled various materials, appropriating the linework of the wood grain and stone veining to fabricate complicated designs.
At times, the effect is subtle. In the study, for example, beet-purple tiling and dark wooden furniture complement the bright blueness of the river and sky, which are made integral to the room’s atmosphere via floor-to-ceiling windows. On other occasions, the naturally occurring designs border on the psychedelic, as in one of the home’s seven-and-a-half bathrooms.
What’s more, Ledbetter designed furniture with the same materials as the rooms they belong in, aesthetically marrying each internal space to its contents. “He has a very specific style,” says Karadus of Ledbetter. “It’s different from a lot of the modern architecture [in the Hudson Valley]. This looks like you picked it up out of California.”
In The Art of Place, a book of Ledbetter’s work, the architect expresses that he “strongly believes architecture to be a fine art along with painting and sculpture, and he considers placement and scale of furniture, artwork, and lighting as carefully as he does the creation of walls and the spaces they contain.”
For all the showmanship of 46 Ledgerock Lane’s communal areas, its private spaces manifest an air of intimacy. In one of the home’s five bedrooms, Ledbetter substitutes glossy marble flooring, a convention through much of the home, with carpeting. Here again, the prodigious windows offer stunning views of the Hudson and the verdure on its east bank, and a small terrace parallel to the bedroom allows residents to feel closer to the live water. The master bedroom is made even cozier in the way of a fireplace, though—given the home’s state-of-the-art heating and cooling system—its primary function is ambiance.
The selling point of all selling points with this property is its inimitable proximity to the Hudson River, as setback laws prevent the construction of new homes so close to the water. “It’s impossible to build [new properties] right on the edge of Hudson,” says Karadus, adding that a buyer shopping at this price point “wants something that doesn’t exist or can’t be built again.” On top of that, it’s cantilevered to protect from flooding, “so if the Hudson, in a 100-year flood, ever breached, it would breach underneath the house.”
In addition to being a hub for breathtaking views and design, the home is well-stocked against boredom. Inhabitants could partake in a movie marathon in the home theater, take a dip in the indoor pool, or spend time in the spa and gym. In fairer weather, residents will adore the 5,000-sq-ft travertine deck, which is—quite literally—a stone’s throw from the river and looks as though it could be the poolside nexus of a luxury resort. Notice the saltwater swimming pool, hot tub, fire pit, sculpture garden, and line of lounge chairs. What more could you need?
The Dutchess County property is set to go to auction on February 15 and is currently valued at $29.9 million. It is available for tours through Corcoran Country Living or Sotheby’s Concierge Auctions—if you or someone you know has a few million to spare, that is.
Key features: In addition to the amenities we’ve already mentioned, 46 Ledgerock Lane boasts a wet bar, catering kitchen, five-car garage, boat dock, helipad, guest house, and a security system “designed by the Israeli military,” according to Karadus. The riverside property is just 15 minutes from Rhinebeck proper, 20 minutes from Poughkeepsie, and two hours from New York City.
Related: This Rockland County House Is an Architectural Masterpiece