The Details
Address: 40 S Clinton St, Poughkeepsie
Price: $295,000
4 Beds, 2 full baths, 2 half-baths
Square footage: 2,031 sq ft
Lot size: 0.12 acre
Year built: 1860
School district: Poughkeepsie
Estimated taxes: $5,083
Photojournalist Lee Miller was ahead of her time; her snapshots during and after World War II were gripping in their intensity, and her mere persona was almost too much for artist Man Ray, for whom she proved a willing muse.
The lucky buyer of this circa-1860 Poughkeepsie home can have a new beginning right where Miller herself got her start: She was born in this house in 1907.
Gray siding and a neatly trimmed corner lot give an at-once-austere look; but walk onto the front porch and you’ll see that dazzling red paint showcases a beautiful double-door entrance and caps the porch columns. A single door to the side, also painted lacquer-red, is a separate entrance to a bedroom, powder room, waiting area, and office, a perfect set-up for a home office suite.
The double-door entrance opens into a classic center-hall foyer, with original wood flooring, a skylight, another powder room, and a beautifully maintained staircase. Two original fireplaces warm up the living room and main-floor den; other rooms feature vintage cast-iron radiators. A lot of built-in bookshelves, cupboards, and shelving are scattered throughout the home.
Upstairs is a master bedroom, with an ensuite bath — rare in homes of this vintage. Miller is famous for taking off her uniform and bathing in the bathtub of Adolf Hitler’s secret Munich apartment at the end of the war. We won’t suggest the new owners recreate that scene in this tub — but we wouldn’t blame them if they do.
Two more upstairs bedrooms and a studio share a second full bath. Storage won’t be an issue, with eight closets from which to choose, and three more rooms in the basement. A spacious bluestone patio is surrounded by a privacy fence. Off-street parking, municipal utilities, and mere minutes to Metro-North make this a no-brainer for not only history buffs, but anyone looking for a jewel.
Listed by William Spinelli Jr., Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, 845.244.2150, wspinelli@bhhshudsonvalley.com, www.williamspinelli.bhhshudsonvalley.com
