Listing of the Day
Location: Shelter Island, NY
Price: $8.875 million
Once owned by former New York Gov. Hugh Carey (who served from 1975 to 1982), this Queen Anne Victorian sits atop a hill in Shelter Island Heights, overlooking a lush property and the Long Island Sound beyond. The mansion is called, fittingly, Sunset Hill, and was constructed around 1883.
Carey is not the only man of historical significance to own the property; the house was originally built for Richard Salter Storrs, a minister at Brooklyn’s Church of the Pilgrims, which historians say President Abraham Lincoln attended.
The adjacent home was also built by Storrs, leading the area to be nicknamed "Divinity Hill." Seller Neil Carragher describes the setting as "one of the most special on island."
The house "sits up on a bluff with a full view of the Shelter Island Sound and Long Island Sound," which is in his opinion, "one of the best views on Shelter Island or maybe even on the North Fork."
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The house has a new foundation and was "massively" restored in 2009. Mr. Carragher said it was "totally renovated and revitalized so it maintains all the old details but has all the modern conveniences of a brand new house too."
The Stats
The seven-bedroom, eight-bathroom house sits on 1.87 acres of property. The home has four levels of finished space, totaling 7,165 square feet.
Amenities
A recently added walkout lower level includes a media room, billiards room, bar and lounge, a bedroom and one-and-a-half bathrooms. The property also boasts three fireplaces, a library, a kitchen with granite surfaces, and an in-ground pool in the backyard. From there it’s just a short walk down the path to a sandy 200-foot private beach along the Shelter Island Sound.
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Neighborhood Notes
Shelter Island is both a town and an island, located off the coast of Long Island. Notable residents include writer Michael Austin, Senator Bob Kerrey, and journalist John Miller, according to listing agent Penelope Moore.
In 1993, Shelter Island Heights was added to the New York State Register of Historic Places. The neighborhood remains virtually unchanged since its designing in the late 19th century, a bucolic and picturesque residential neighborhood featuring many parks and historic cottages. One of its original architects was Frederick Law Olmstead, who also designed New York City’s Central Park.
Mr. Carragher characterizes the neighborhood as a "real community here of people who all own these older homes." He said that when the community was set up, they built "all the typical sort of community things.".
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"So we have a small village or town that we’re close to, we have a yacht club, a beach club, park space," he said. "Everything is walking and biking distance from our house."
Agent: Penelope Moore, Saunders & Associates