Early in the last century – the Twentieth, that is – Croton-on-Hudson became a Mecca for New York’s artsy, leftist crowd. Easy access from the City via the new electric trains (which switched back to steam at Harmon, now Croton-Harmon station) enticed both leading lights and fellow travelers – actors, writers, poets, painters and left-wing intellectuals – to build or buy summer or year-round cottages in the hills above the village. By the 1920s there was a thriving bohemian community centered in Croton, which became known as ”Greenwich Village on the Hudson.”

The focal point for this community became Mount Airy Road, which starts in the village downtown and climbs up what old timers still call “Red Hill” for the political leanings of these very particular settlers. A few years ago, long-time Croton resident Cornelia Cotton, artistic and political scion and chronicler of the history of this group, gave a lecture and slide show on historical Mount Airy houses to a standing-room-only audience at the Croton Free Library. She had to stop after 2½ hours and two full carousels of slides, not half-way through her program.

As a realtor with family roots in Croton, I’ve always been fascinated by this history, and if I drive by these noteworthy houses with clients in the car, they’ll probably get the full guided-tour treatment, even when we’re on our way somewhere else. I take special pleasure in showing and selling these homes, and I’ve sold more than my share.

Joseph Freeman, a writer and frequent visitor in the post-World War I period, described the radical colony in his 1936 memoir, An American Testament:

“At this time, Croton-on-Hudson was a kind of literary and political shrine. The sacred grove was a stretch of brown hilly earth known as Mount Airy Road, on both sides of which, separated by an acre or two of land, stood the houses of John Reed, Boardman Robinson, Lydia Gibson, Floyd Dell and Stuart Chase… . It was some time before I realized that Croton was only a suburb of Washington Square.”

Freeman usually stayed with Floyd Dell, who bought the 1892 farmhouse at 75 Mount Airy Rd. in 1919. Dell was an influential editor, novelist and literary critic who held virtual salons at his house for visiting radical artists and intellectuals. Freeman recalls a memorable weekend there with Upton Sinclair, author of The Jungle, the muckraking novel about the U.S. meatpacking industry that had led to passage of the Pure Food & Drug Act in 1909. Last year I sold this house to a charming young couple who have been restoring it.

Across the street at no. 66 lived Boardman Robinson, artist and political cartoonist, in a classic center-hall colonial perched high on a bluff with views of the Hudson River. The poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, another frequenter of the Croton colony, was married in this house in 1923.

Next door and up the hill at no. 70 is the 200 year-old house that belonged to Max Eastman and his sister Crystal. Max was the dashing literary and social critic who was a leader in the radical Greenwich Village community. He was also editor of The Masses, a magazine combining socialist philosophy with the arts. His sister was a journalist and a prominent feminist who co-wrote the Equal Rights Amendment in 1923 and was a founding member and lawyer of the ACLU. Their home was the main crossroads for visiting luminaries, and their house guests included Charlie Chaplin and Max’s great friend Leon Trotsky. As a realtor, I was fascinated to discover that when Eastman bought this house, his down payment was twenty dollars and the purchase price was $1,500. In 2005, it sold for well over the asking price of $799,000.

Around the bend at the top of the hill, at no. 106, stands the 1840 house that John Reed bought in 1916. Reed is best known as the radical journalist who, with his wife Louise Bryant, participated in the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 and wrote about it in his famous book, Ten Days That Shook the World. Warren Beatty based his great Oscar-winning movie Reds on “Jack” Reed’s story, and part of the film is set in Croton (though it was filmed in England), at the house where Reed wrote his book. Beatty took the role of Reed, of course, Diane Keaton played Bryant, and Floyd Dell was also featured in the screenplay. The Reed house was recently listed for sale.

History might have been different if Mabel Dodge hadn’t turned down Jack Reed’s proposal of marriage early in 1916, the same year he later married Louise Bryant. Dodge was the formidable heiress and patron of the arts who had established a weekly salon at her Fifth Avenue apartment in Greenwich Village. In 1913, she and Reed ran off to Paris, where they became lovers. In Paris and in Mabel’s palatial Tuscan villa outside Florence, they hobnobbed with the likes of Picasso, Gertrude Stein & Alice B. Toklas, Artur Rubenstein and Andre Gide. Back in the U.S., Dodge lived in a house on Mount Airy, but when she rebuffed Reed’s marriage proposal, she moved to Finney Farm, not far away in the village. There, in a rambling farmhouse built in 1870, she offered Reed the use of the third floor as a writing studio. He tried it for a time, but it didn’t work out. He then bought her Mount Airy house and, that same year, Mabel married painter Maurice Sterne, her third husband. (1916 must have been quite a year.) Finney Farm already had a rich history when Dodge bought it. Horace (“Go West, young man”) Greeley was just one of the prominent visitors there in the mid-19th century. When I sold this house two years ago it was full of documents and other lore evoking this colorful past.

The stories and the history go on and on. Farther along Mount Airy, at no. 131, is another landmark of the time, Longue Vue Farm, the grand estate where Gloria Swanson lived and entertained in the late 1920s, and where Isadora Duncan loved to dance on the terrace of the castle. I sold this property too, but that’s a topic for another time. Croton’s history is too rich to be covered in other than small, manageable bites.

Posted By: Bruce Dollar

“I need a 3 to 5 bedroom summer rental for about 1 month from mid July to mid August…Does anyone know of anything?” But it is February! However, my colleague is right. The time to look for a place for the summer has started!

Two years ago, I was able to rent the most fantastic summer rental to a young couple that had just come over from Europe. She was expecting their first child and insisted that the time before (and after) giving birth should be spent in the beautiful countryside around Pound Ridge, New York. And the house was perfect! It was located on a cul-de-sac, had three fireplaces and came with a baby grand piano. The floors were hand pegged wide plank antique pine. The living room had a two story fieldstone fireplace and double French doors leading to terrace. And what is more, it had a heated 20 x 40 gunite pool with pergola and a stream with an antique stone bridge.

What more does one want for such a special summer?

Right now I have friends who are in the process of selling their weekend place in Sandy Hook, Connecticut. Even with traffic one should be able to make it from New York City within two hours. This house is special year around. Beautifully located on two acres, it has three bedrooms, one and a half baths and features a light and airy eat-in-kitchen.

This is not “any” house. It is a superb antique updated colonial house built in 1739!! It has wide chestnut floors throughout the house. A large living room with a cast iron wood stove inserted into the fireplace. The lovely dining room has a crystal chandelier. There are wonderful long and wide porches overlooking the back lawn that reaches down to the ever flowing brook. The downstairs porch is great for parties in the summer or relaxing with a good book on the swing couch. Upstairs, French doors open to the other porch.

A little red building behind the house once was a general store and can be renovated and used as a guest house or studio. As old as the building is, it has all modern amenities: new gas stove, new dishwasher, new fridge and new butcher block counters in the kitchen. In addition, there is a large pantry with washer and dryer, lots of shelves and a mud room off the kitchen. One has the choice of oil or electric heat (electric baseboards were installed in every room last year in preparation for future solar panels on the roof) and a detached garage that could fit four cars that was once a barn. It is five minutes to Lake Zoar for swimming and boating. Thirty minutes to the Fairfield train station and thirty-five minutes to New Haven’s theaters, restaurants, and, of course, Yale University. Sounds interesting? Send me a note or give me a call and I’ll put you in touch with the owners.

Posted By: Juergen Hess

Valentine’s Day holds a special place in my heart because that’s the day my husband asked me to be his valentine for life. To celebrate the day he has always sent me a dozen red roses. The first couple years after we were married and I worked in an office the flowers would arrive on time and always before 5 pm. However, when I was home with my children, the deliveries were later and later every year. He always placed his orders a month in advance from the same florist but the deliveries were still late. After a 9 pm delivery one year he was determined to guarantee on-time delivery in the future so my roses now arrive on February 13th! Would you like to really surprise your sweetheart this year? Order your roses to arrive on February 13th for an on-time delivery, your sweetheart will love it and so will your florist.

Posted By: Sonja Lovas

In 1947 the construction of The Bedford Playhouse in Bedford Village, N.Y. was monumental in many ways. It was considered to be a new country style “shopping center.” Still today it is home to several shops and businesses. It also has a floor above it full of apartments which was seen as a boon to the returning Vets from World War II. Of course those of us that have enjoyed it over the years know it is a far cry from a shopping center in a strip mall! It currently is home to that favorite “The Meetinghouse” restaurant which at that time was “The Carousel” confectionary and lunch room. The beloved Stewart’s Market was a new tenant as well.

The editorial board of the local paper then reminded and fortified their readership that as Bedford Villagers they could withstand the onslaught of others from other districts encroaching on their village. It was planned and built by a local design company, a local investor and a Bedford construction company. To top it off, a mural which graced what is today’s snack bar wall was painted by a Bedford artist, Tom Johnson. I wonder if they were to tear out the snack bar if they would still find the mural. They brought in the talent of a company that excelled in incorporating the new technology of surround sound and distortion free projection. It had only one large screen with a stage. It was managed by a company that had opened a Playhouse in nearby Ridgefield, CT prior to their expansion into New York State.

It had an opening night of April 30th, 1947. It was an invitation only event. The first film was “Boomerang” - a “Factual Film” shot in Stamford CT, and the Court House of White Plains. Elia Kazan was the Director. It starred Lee J. Cobb, Dana Andrews and Jane Wyatt. It was a factual film in that it told of an actual murder and subsequent trial in nearby Bridgeport, CT.

The top ticket price was in the evening in the loge - where smoking was permitted due to “scientific air conditioning” - for the premium price of 80 cents - 25 cents more than the regular adult ticket price of 55 cents.

It is still a favorite of movie goers in the area. My parents used to come over from “The River Towns” to enjoy Bedford Village for dinner and a movie when I was young. The character and charm of the area still remain. Bedford Playhouse will be getting a make over during the next few weeks and I look forward to the rebirth!

If you would like to have more information that I have not included in this article, contact me @ KBenvinRansom@HoulihanLawrence.com.

Posted By: Karen Benvin Ransom

What do Real Estate and a crock-pot have in common? They are both on simmer. While preparing dinner in the morning for our evening meal, I couldn’t help but think of the current market as a crock-pot Real Estate market. Two years ago, when it was a hot market everything was quick and easy, just like 30-minute meals or less. It was definitely hurry-up Real Estate. Now it seems to be simmering. Buyers take longer to decide on a house to purchase, sellers have to wait longer for that right buyer, the mortgage company takes longer to process the loan and the sense of urgency has diminished. When the transaction finally closes, the process is the same, but everything just takes longer. My beef stew dinner simmered for more than 8 hours instead of a quick stir-fry. The meal was still delicious but took much longer. How do you like your Real Estate cooked?

Posted By: Sonja Lovas

The Bedford Historical Society is actually located in “The Bedford Store” on Route 22 in Bedford, New York and faces the Village Green. I stopped in the other day after going to the library because I wanted to know when the courthouse was open. I was disappointed to learn the courthouse doesn’t open until April.

While I was there I enjoyed talking with the Executive Director of the Bedford Historical Society, Evelyne Ryan. We discovered our children graduated the same year from Fox Lane High School, and knew our paths had crossed but not connected until my visit. The current exhibit on display is very interesting; it is: Back to School. There are workbooks from children who attended school there in 1800 and old storybooks that date back to 1700. My favorite part of the exhibit is the collection of games children played that includes jacks, a wooden yo-yo, and a spelling board.

Since my husband has always been curious about the Village Green and wondered if anyone was ever hung there, I had to ask. The answer is no, and in fact the jail didn’t have many prisoners and court was only held three times a year.

The Historical Society has preserved and maintains 10 properties in the area, each with their own stories and roles they played during the early settlement. The efforts in preservation of these historic places are what give Bedford its Colonial charm and rich history. The Bedford Store is open to the public and has a small gift shop filled with Bedford memorabilia. How much do you think they sell penny candy for?

Posted By: Sonja Lovas

My husband and I just returned from a week in Florida visiting family and friends. The weather was sunny and made everyday seem like a bright tomorrow. It is understandable how many people take vacations and then return home only to second guess their long term-plans for staying put up north!

The family homestead gets mighty empty as children and good friends move in all directions and the utility bills and taxes occupy more space in one’s mind.

Mark and I specialize in guiding and consulting the baby boomer generation in all aspects of real estate options and lifestyle changes. Our experience is in dealing with the concerns of sellers looking to ready their houses for sale as well as advising them throughout the process no matter what their destination is.

In 2010 the variety of housing and lifestyle choices has never been greater or suited the many interests and activities “boomers crave.” Recreational, cultural and social communities are within reach of geography and budgets. We look forward to meeting and working with anyone who is contemplating a change…

CHANGE IS GOOD!

Posted By: Jan Vinikoor

Some people have never heard of a short sale. A short sale is “a situation in which the seller owes more money on the loan than what the house is worth in the current market.” The owner is not yet in foreclosure so there is opportunity to sell the property the traditional way, through local MLS, and satisfy some of the loan.

How do you know if you are eligible to sell your house in a short sale?

• If you have valid hardship (i.e. lost job, going through divorce, long term illness/medical bills)
• If you have sufficient time to go through the short sale process, which could take up to a year or more
• If you have a solid assessment of what you owe on the loan plus any liens
• If you are willing to contact finance and legal professionals who specialize in short sales, foreclosures and bankruptcies

If you qualify as a seller in a short sale, a great benefit is that your credit score could be reduced much less than in a foreclosure, depending on how the bank reports and also depending on how much you’ve defaulted. But the biggest advantage for a short sale vs. a foreclosure is that you have the ability to purchase another home in two years vs. five to seven.

How do you know if you are an ideal buyer for a short sale property?

• If you have very few or no contingencies
• If you do not have a house to sell before purchasing
• If you have time to wait as it can take up to a year, possibly longer

Purchasing a short sale property offers the buyer great opportunity to purchase a house for under market value and/or afford the American dream that may otherwise have been difficult to achieve.

Although a short sale is a lengthy process and a very emotional time for the seller, in the end the seller is off the hook, the bank is satisfied and the buyer gets a great deal.

Posted By: Suzette Kraus

New to the market in Tarrytown, NY is a one bedroom condo at Tappan Manour. This corner unit now available features a sunny kitchen, hardwood floors, new crown moldings, a new bathroom, and new California Closets. Asking price is $212,000. The Tappan Manor Condominiums are centrally located and minutes to the Tappan Zee Bridge, I-287, and Metro North Train station. Tarrytown’s vibrate business district offers shopping, restaurants, art galleries, The Tarrytown Music Hall, and is at the heart of it all.

For a virtual tour of this home, follow this link: http://www.realestateshows.com/show.php?id=465397.

Posted By: Carol Dorado

While at the Shop Rite Shopping Center in Bedford Hills I spoke to a store owner about all the renovations and new face-lift that is currently taking place. He told me, rumor had it that Marshall Shoes and Panera Bread have signed leases and will be joining the other merchants in the Shop Rite Shopping Center.

Just to make sure, I called the leasing office to confirm, and it’s affirmative. In addition, there are a couple other vendors lurking and are expected to jump in once Marshal Shoes and Panera Bread move in. I can’t wait for the construction to end and see the final design and shopping center come to life!

Posted By: Sonja Lovas

Traditionally, the Spring Real Estate Market has not waited for the daffodils or tulips to bloom. It was the Monday after Super Bowl Weekend!

This year, with tax incentives and lower interest rates, Buyers may be back in force before the thaw. Sellers, if you are thinking of marketing your home to enjoy the new level of home prices in a new locale or a downsizing/upsizing situation - perhaps it is your time!

For access to professional services from start to finish feel free to contact me: KBenvinRansom@HoulihanLawrence.com.

Posted By: Karen Benvin Ransom

Last week I gave my last tour of the current exhibit at The Katonah Museum of Art of the show: “Bold, Cautious, True: Walt Whitman and American Art of The Civil War Era.” I get sentimental at the end of each show since the Museum provides such an in-depth education on each subject through the time of the exhibit. The Galleries become a home away from home for me as I befriend the art work. Guess I have become a Museum Brat - being uprooted from one exhibit to another several times over the course of a year!

Yet, they always have something wonderful in store for us and I look forward to the educational lectures given in order to train us, the Docents. The next show is “The Art of Contemporary Puppet Theater” from Feb. 28th-June 13th 2010.

We have a wonderful break now in February with “Young Artists 2010” February 7-14th, 2010. The art is from High School Senior Art Classes from 34 schools in five counties. The work of over 300 students will be on display. How exciting is that! As a preview, the work I have featured with this article is by Julie Safferstein of Horace Greely High School in Chappaqua. It is wonderful for family and friends to celebrate the talents, efforts and vision of our students. It is also good for the community to enjoy the excellence of the Art Programs in our Schools.

In the Project Gallery will be a smaller exhibition from a program that the Katonah Museum did in conjunction with six local Elementary Schools “Thinking Through Art.”

I am proud to say that my daughter, Allison Ransom, will have a piece on display from her AP Art Class at John Jay High School under the tutelage of Julie Evans-Kaser. The work, “Affliction 2009,” has just returned from another high school showcase at Concordia College in Bronxville, where it won an award. It is the illustration to the right.

When you see what your children can create, you see them with new eyes. Once again, “Art Makes You See.”

For further information go to the Katonah Museum website KatonahMuseum.org.

Posted By: Karen Benvin Ransom

In December of 1680, twenty-two men from Stamford, Connecticut founded the town of Bedford. They met with Chief Katonah and purchased fur coats, blankets, and a tract of land that was three square miles. That area is known as “Hopp Ground” and is on the Mianus River. They then set out to settle, what is now known as Bedford, and built a grist mill, a cemetery, and a meeting house. There was a large area in the center known as the Village Green, which remains today, but 1/3 the size of the original Green. Many of the buildings around the Village Green are of historic value and have been preserved, adding to the Colonial charm of Bedford.

Most people are not aware that Bedford was part of Connecticut in 1697 and it wasn’t until England’s King William issued a royal degree in 1700, to settle a boundary dispute, that Bedford became part of New York.

The town continued to grow during the Colonial period and served as the Westchester County seat during the Revolutionary War. The county seat was shared with White Plains until Bedford was burned by the British on July 11, 1779. Not only were the town buildings burned, but all the surrounding houses. The Court House in Bedford Village, built in 1787 and renovated in the 1960s, is Westchester County’s oldest government building and is maintained by the Bedford Historical Society. The town of Bedford now consists of three separate and distinct hamlets, Katonah, Bedford Hills, and Bedford Village. Bedford Village is known for its elegant country estates, horse farms, community neighborhoods and weekend hideaways. It is a very desirable place to live because it has maintained its historic buildings and Colonial charm. Let me know if you would like to explore Bedford Village. SonjaLovas.HoulihanLawrence.com

Posted By: Sonja Lovas

My little frog friend continued his sweet tweeting throughout the holidays and into winter. On a very warm and sunny day he tweeted for 25 minutes. My son was home from college at the time and got a big kick out of hearing him since he’s heard so much about this spring peeper. I just love hearing his sweet tweets and they always make me smile. Then, all of a sudden they stopped and it seemed like a week went by with no tweets. I’m not always home during the day so I checked to see if anyone else heard him and, no one had. I became worried and wondered if it was because it was so cold outside and being by the window caused him to go into hibernation. Another possibility was that his food source (bugs) was gone. A full week passed without anyone hearing a sound and then one day there was a squeaky almost hoarse sounding tweet. He sounded sick. It’s still very cold and since the plants are next to the window and might be too cold, I opened a heater vent even if it meant drying out the plants. I then decided it was time to supplement his food source.

I went to the pet store thinking I would pick up some dead flies to sprinkle around the plants but instead they recommended live food. I never imagined I would be buying live bugs and worms to put in my plants, but I did. I can’t really tell if he’s taken a nibble on them, for all I know they just crawled in the dirt. He is however tweeting again, even as I am writing this, and I hope he can hang in there until spring when I’ll move the plants outside so he can join the community chorus of spring peepers. I continue to look through the plants for any sign of him but he remains invisible yet enjoyable. The photo of what my peeper looks like tweeting is from istock photo, enjoy!

Here are links to my other posts about my friend the Spring Peeper: It’s Spring?, Help! My House is Tweeting!, Anonymous Twitter, I Found My Twitter!

Posted By: Sonja Lovas

In my quest of Local History in our area, I have discovered The Bedford Hills Historical Museum.

I am often at the Town Hall checking property and tax information for my clients and had found it closed when I would be in the area. I then learned it is only open on Thursdays and Saturdays from 11am to 2pm.

I had seen an article on it when it first opened and thought it was just recently. I finally was in the area at the proscribed time and I met Katherine Nelligan. She is a Board member and is the dependable person that you will meet that puts out the banners and the flags when they are indeed open. Mrs. Nelligan was also secretary to 5 Town of Bedford Supervisors in the adjacent Bedford Town Hall.

I then learned that they had been open for 5 years! Let me tell you - no reason to take the kiddies to Williamsburg! Keep this in mind for school break and vacation times! There are multiple cases and displays that will keep you entranced - even as an adult, for quite some time.

For example, you will find a case dedicated to the dairies that were in the area. Did you know that the current Bedford Police Department Building was a dairy/milk processing plant?

There is a great deal of memorabilia and many documents about the earliest families i.e. Haines, Buxton, Harris and Burbank in the area after whom many of the roads were named. The photos are intriguing. I enjoyed the photos of the Bedford Hills District Nursing Association - DNA - the young Bedford Hills Blue Birds, and the corps of Volunteer Nurses during both World War I & II. The maps alone may take an afternoon. Of course there are the glam society shots as well.

There is evidence also of some of the large homes that were lost over the years. One was owned by Seth Low who was a former Mayor of New York City and President of Columbia University! He was one of the parties involved in changing the name from Bedford Station to Bedford Hills. Another major property was the Metcalfe Estate on what is still known as Lake Marie. Mrs. Metcalfe (Bessie Tyree) was a famous actress who married the theater critic for Life Magazine and they summered in Bedford Hills.

Upon my return I met another Board Member, Richard Schmitt. His family goes back 9 generations - over 400 years! Dingee Rd in South Salem is named after a branch of his family. His family members are buried in Buxton Cemetery and he piqued my interest in exploring that for a story!

They love to share their knowledge about the area and your delight in the large exhibit. Perhaps if they get busier they will expand their hours!

Posted By: Karen Benvin Ransom