Former New York City Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia—the politician for whom one of the city’s two airports is named—retired to a Tudor house in the quiet Bronx area of Riverdale in 1945.
La Guardia, known for destroying the notorious Tammany Hall political machine, lived at the tree-lined house with its steeply sloping roof until his death in 1947 at the age of 64. It’s now selling for $3.5 million.
Tudor-Style Home in Westchester, New York, with Classic Style and Recent Renovations https://t.co/SgJkvHwEcB pic.twitter.com/fKtrMa5ssx
— Mansion Global (@MansionGlobal) April 29, 2018
The nearly 5,000-square-foot house, which hit the market on Tuesday, sits within the upmarket neighborhood of Riverdale called Fieldston, which is filled with Tudor- and Colonial-style mansions.
The centerpiece of the stone-and-stucco Tudor is a vast library that takes up an entire wing and fills with light from a dramatic double-height window, according to listing agent Tehri Edwards of Douglas Elliman.
La Guardia reportedly bought the house for $40,000, about $560,000 in today’s terms, according to an article in The New York Times from 1945.
"The Mayor’s new home is on a quiet, suburban street," the article described.
Very little has changed since then and Fieldston continues to attract wealthy New Yorkers attracted by nearby private schools and an easy commute to Manhattan, Ms. Edwards said.
"It’s an old area of Riverdale," she said. The current owners have lived at the house for more than four decades.
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The property spans an additional lot, adding extra yard and outdoor space. The formal dining room overlooks the greenery.
Built in 1915, the home has several wood-burning fireplaces, a heated sunroom, butlers pantry and a two-car garage.
CityRealty’s blog 6sqft.com first reported the sale.