The owner of the Craig House has died. Robert Wilson, a hedge fund manager who amassed a fortune and gave most of it away, jumped from his 16th-floor Upper West Side co-op in Manhattan on December 23. He was 87 and had recently suffered a stroke. Wilson bought the Craig House and the 64-acre grounds across from University Settlement on Rt. 9D in 2003 or 2004. It is listed in records as belonging to Tioranda LLC, 520 83rd Street, Brooklyn, NY. Art dealer John Stewart acted as Wilson’s proxy during the sale. Plans for at least one of the buildings were said to include a renovation to make it suitable for art storage, though it’s not clear if any renovation work happened.It’s been quietly for sale on and off the last few years in the $7-8 million dollar range. According to the NY Daily News, it appears the property will likely be sold and the proceeds distributed to charity:
Friday, Schneidman’s spokesman, Zach Kouwe, said the will does provide that after bills and specific bequests are paid and Wilson’s large co-op is sold, Schneidman gets the residual estate as the trustee of Wilson’s revocable trust. “But the agreement in that Trust says Richard must distribute the money to charities as the manager of the trust and cannot take any money for himself beyond a small fee,” Kouwe said. “We cannot disclose the charities because of confidentiality agreements that Richard signed,” he added.
Hopefully this historic Beacon property, also known as the Tioranda mansion, will end up serving the community in some capacity, perhaps as a satellite to a college or university. Whatever happens, it’s important to keep the few large remaining lots in the city from being chopped up in the futile pursuit of tax revenues.
The gymnasium is on the southern border of the property, near the Fishkill Creek across from Madame Brett Park. It has an indoor swimming pool.
The Tioranda estate was built during the Civil War for Joseph and Eliza Howland. Frederick Clarke Withers designed the main house using a polychromed pattern of brick and stone. Horticulturist Henry Winthrop Sargent designed the estate’s grounds.
I loved working as cottage help. I went back, did the 6 weeks, and past, Look up beacon paper. I had to put my father in here.The bottom line is md help my father so much. THANK YOU CRAIG HOUSE & MD VOGUE> I AM SPELLING HIS wrong
I also worked there, most of the time I went to the cottage house.
I worked there as rn in early 1979 to 71. It was a beautiful bldg. I wish someone would purchase this awsome place and restore it to the glory it eas.
In the 1970’s I was a patient there for 9 months. It was a beautiful place. I have fond memories of the buildings and the people. Sometimes, I wish I could go back. By thy way – people do recover and they do move on.
I played pool on the pool table too.
I was a patient there 1974 under Dr. John Baker. For depression. Memories good and bad. Much comraderie amongst the alcoholics. Creepy group visits with severely deranged patients. Must write about it.
Wondering about the old organ in the Craig House. Is it still there and does anybody want it taken out?
I never heard of it. I was through there many years ago when they did a final auction of the last few things–stuff from the gym, steel cabinets, a pool table supposedly donated by one-time patient Jackie Gleason (but with the plaque acknowledging the donor ripped off). But no organ that I recall.
The organ still exists and it is still in beautiful condition! I visited yesterday and my jaw literally dropped when I saw it. It is absolutely breath taking, the architecture, and the natural light pouring into the room. You can see photos of it here on my blog 😉 I am fascinated with this place!
http://dkphotology.com/blog/2016/7/3/craig-house
It’s still in there. It looks like the place just sold… they just blocked off the driveway and put up Posted signs on all the trees
I’ve been working on a website that tells the amazing story of Tioronda/Craig House. You can see a prototype version at: http://delaneywork.com/CraigHouse/Craig_house_intro.html
Comments welcome.
What a shame. Such a spectacular piece of property with breathtaking views of the Hudson River. Would make a wonderful beautiful B&B with art wing especially with the short distance to all of Main Street’s lovely shops, cafés and galleries leading down to the granduoso DIA Center at the bottom of Main. I’ve always admired the spectacular main quarters and again, what fantastic grounds. I hope whomever has the millions makes it another positive restoration and place for both newcomers and lifelong residents can share and agree upon for it would be sad to let it just sit there deteriorating as so many historical structures of Beacon have. It is such a quaint and although small town, has so much to do, see and offer all types of people. Fingers crossed it is restored to the magestic structure it once was…