What’s to like?
With a connection to a circus known as “Mud Show” and an oversized barn that housed exotic circus animals (including a rhinoceros), the backstory of this stone-faced Greek Revival mansion is just as fascinating as the architectural details that have been kept intact since the estate’s construction in 1849. Called the “Stone House,” it was built for Gerard Crane, a local banker and farmer who earned his fortune as a circus entrepreneur. Owner Christine Beshar continued to appreciate its rich history and unique features since discovering the treasured 30-acre property 33 years ago. “It was a big and fancy house for its time,” Beshar explains. “For instance, it had large windows and 12-foot ceilings when homes were heated by fireplaces and most needed to be more efficient.”
Thanks to the loving care of the Beshars in making updates without moving or opening walls, signs of that era have been have been well preserved throughout. Although period details such as the servant call bell system, original brass detailing on doors, interior brick walls, and ornately carved plasterwork and marble fireplace mantels all remain, Beshar says it never felt like a museum even with a designation in the National Register of History Places. The home also holds treasured personal memories for Beshar, including all four of her children’s weddings. Strangers who are creating their own history still approach Beshar asking for permission to take their wedding photos in front of her home. “The house was there long before we were and will be there long after we’re gone,” says Beshar. “We always felt more like its guardians than owners. It’s a house to love—we hope someone else will love it as much as we do.”
413 Route 202, Somers
$2,495,000
4 bedrooms | 3.5 baths | 6,336 square feet
Linda P. Gracie, (914) 414-9064
Anthony Cutugno, (914) 234-0308
Houlihan Lawrence
www.houlihanlawrence.com
