Scarsdale’s Historic Griffen-Fish House Comes on the Market for the First Time Since 1973

The 1733 home was headquarters for British Gen. Howe during the Battle of White Plains.

Location: 31 Mamaroneck Road, Scarsdale

Description: The historic Griffen-Fish House, which British Gen. William Howe used as his headquarters during the Revolutionary War Battle of White Plains, has come on the market for the first time since pioneering cancer doctors James F. Holland and his wife, Jimmie, bought it in 1973. Its hilltop location made for an ideal place to see the movement of troops led by Gen. George Washington as well as his own Redcoats.

The circa 1733 house, which is in the Grange Estate section of Scarsdale, is one of the oldest homes in the village. The 5,531-square-foot house has eight bedrooms, four full bathrooms and one partial bathroom. The lot measures 1.07 acres.

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The residence was built by Jonathan Griffen, grandfather to Daniel Tompkins, who was James Monroe’s vice president and the fourth governor of New York, from 1807 to 1817. (Note: historical references have the spelling as both Griffen and Griffin.) Scarsdale’s first town meeting was held here in 1783, after the Revolutionary War ended. The Fish family enlarged the Griffin-Fish house and lived there from 1850 to 1920. 

Dr. James F. Holland, a founding father of chemotherapy who helped pioneer a lifesaving drug treatment for pediatric leukemia patients, died in March 2018 at his home in Scarsdale. He was 92. His wife, Dr. Jimmie Holland, who rose from rural Texan roots to pioneer the field of psycho-oncology — treating the emotional distress of cancer patients while their medical symptoms are addressed — had died just a few months earlier, in December 2017 at the age of 89.

Asking price: $1.5 million, with estimated annual taxes of $58,553

Selling points: Amenities include an expansive covered front porch, fenced yard, and a walkout basement. The house, a Colonial farmhouse, is loaded with period architectural details, including seven fireplaces, wide plank floors, exposed beams, raised paneling, antique millwork, high ceilings and a sleeping porch. Modern touches include a circular driveway, grand entry hall that leads to a banquet-sized dining room with a fireplace, formal living room, home office, mud room, chef’s kitchen replete with stainless-steel appliances, butler’s pantry with a large farm sink, and a wine cellar.

Listing agent: Linda Mantis, William Pitt Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International Realty

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See more about this property here.

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