Tour Heartsease, the Women’s School Where Eleanor Roosevelt Taught

Once the Hudson Shore Labor School, this Arts & Crafts masterpiece is now a fully restored seven-bedroom home.

Location: 9 Chambers Road, West Park, NY (in the Ulster County town of Esopus)

Description: Have you ever dreamed of owning your own bed-and-breakfast? This beautifully restored Arts & Crafts estate on the Hudson River is currently licensed as a B&B. It could also be made into a magnificent single-family home or family compound.

Built in 1891, the 7,730-square-foot house known as Heartsease has seven bedrooms and six bathrooms. The expansive lot measures 1.67 acres.

From 1939 to 1951, the mansion was home to the Hudson Shore Labor School, which taught vocational classes to local women and newly arriving female immigrants. The school was founded by Hilda Worthington Smith, daughter of the original owner. Heartsease had been her parents’ summer house. Eleanor Roosevelt was a board member and instructor at the school.

In the 1950s, the house was home to a convent. The mansion was completely renovated in 2012 and now features a gourmet kitchen, new systems, and five luxury bedroom suites, each with its own bathroom. There is also a third-floor owners’ suite with an enormous spa bath and sitting and meditation rooms. A lower level offers another full bath plus sauna and spa area.

Asking price: $1,295,000, down from $1,595,000

Selling points: Balconies, gardens, and patios offer terrific views of the Hudson and across to the Vanderbilt Mansion. Meticulously preserved original details of Heartsease include chestnut woodwork, lozenge-paned casement windows, the heart-shaped balustrade carvings that gave the house its name, and ceramic tiles made at the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works, a premier source of Arts & Crafts decoration.

The property includes a separate farmhouse-style building that has been configured into two spacious apartments, further expanding income potential or allowing an owner or staff to live apart from paying guests at the B&B.

Listing agent: Hayes Clement, Berkshire Hathaway Hudson Valley Properties

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