Home to centuries of Nyack history goes up for sale at $2 million

It's easy to overlook the Victorian home sitting on a busy corner between the Nyack post office and community center. But Couch Court on South Broadway, dating from 1854, has played a central role in the riverfront village's history.

The home was originally built for the Storms family, owners of Storms Tub and Pail Factory, who advocated for the village's incorporation, according to Alan Englander's history of the property. 

It later was home to Edwin Stillwell, captain of the Nyack Tarrytown Ferry before it became the office of Dr. Lewis Couch, a homeopathic physician, and subsequently the workplace of his daughter, Natalie Couch, Rockland County’s first female attorney. 

From 1945 to 1951, the Town of Orangetown used the building as its town hall before relocating to Orangeburg. Couch Court has been owned since 1998 by Karen Acker. 

After a substantial restoration beginning in 1998, Couch Court earned multiple honors, including the 2001 Rockland County Historic Preservation Merit Award for Adaptive Reuse, recognition from both the Town of Orangetown and the New York State Assembly and inclusion in the Village of Nyack’s list of important historic structures. A designation plaque from the Historical Society of Rockland County tells the property's story.

The mixed-use property at 46 South Broadway is now on the market, listed for $1.999 million with Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty.

A plaque details the history of this Victorian home in Nyack. Photo: Jump Visuals

 Couch Court, with its blue façade, turret and rocking-chair front porch, spans approximately 6,000 square feet. The ground-floor commercial space features five rooms, a fireplace, two half bathrooms, high ceilings and hardwood floors. The second floor includes four rooms and a full bath. 

On the third floor, a two-bedroom rental apartment includes a turret sitting room, eat-in kitchen and laundry. The property also include a walk-out basement, detached two-car garage and parking for six vehicles on a paver driveway. Modern upgrades including central air and security and sprinkler systems.

Fireplace in the historic Couch Court property in Nyack. Photo: Jump Visuals

“With its architectural elegance, rich past, prime village location and flexible mixed-use layout, Couch Court is truly a unique offering,” said Nancy Swaab, listing agent and associate real estate broker with Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty. “This is an opportunity to own not just a remarkable property, but a living piece of Nyack’s cultural, civic and architectural legacy.”

Annual property taxes for the commercial/residential parcel are $36,852, according to the listing.

Robert Brum is a freelance journalist who writes about the Hudson Valley. Contact him and read his work at robertbrum.com.