Arcadia, Historic $5.9 Million Snedens Landing Estate, is For Sale

Arcadia, a circa 1850 Italianate Victorian Hudson riverfront estate of historical and architectural significance, is on the market for the first time in over 30 years for $5.9 million with Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty in the exclusive Snedens Landing enclave of Palisades.

The four-bedroom, four-bath home at 34 Lawrence Lane sits on 1.8 acres along 163 feet of rocky and sandy shoreline with views of the Hudson River from nearly every room across its 4,700 square feet of living space.

Lawrence Lane and its surrounding neighborhood have long attracted notable residents, including “The Sopranos” star Lorraine Bracco, Phish guitarist and frontman Trey Anastasio, actress Ellen Burstyn and renowned ballet dancer, choreographer and actor Mikhail Baryshnikov.

Tucked at the end of a quiet dead-end lane, the property falls within the Palisades Historic District, an enclave composed of nearly 100 homes, some predating the Revolutionary War, and surrounded by more than 3,000 acres of protected parkland, including Tallman State Park and the Palisades Interstate Park system.

Believed to be among the earliest Italianate Victorian homes in Palisades, Arcadia is distinguished by hallmark architectural elements, including a low-pitched hipped roof, broad overhanging eaves with prominent brackets, tall paired and bay windows with intricate entablatures and a full-length veranda complemented by a welcoming entrance porch.

For more than 175 years, the property has had only a few owners, according to Ellis Sotheby's. Originally constructed by U.S. Army Col. A. V. Elliot, the house later was owned by prominent 19th-century New York merchant Henry E. Lawrence, who is honored by the street name. Lawrence was father of trailblazing sculptor Mary Lawrence Tonetti, who rented houses to artists, actors, musicians and architects who came and settled in Snedens Landing.

The home, which was relocated to its present site around 1870, later became the residence of Annie Underhill, known as “Auntie Annie,” who establish the property as a bohemian gathering place for artists and creatives during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The name Arcadia is derived from the ancient Greek ideal of a peaceful pastoral retreat, reflecting the home’s sense of escape and harmony with nature. Positioned along a stretch of the Hudson where the Palisades cliffs meet the river, Arcadia offers one of the area’s few accessible waterfront settings.

Snedens Landing offers access to scenic hiking trails, a private tennis association, the Palisades Library and Community Center and The Triangle, a neighborhood gathering space. The riverfront village of Piermont, known for its restaurants, shops and marinas, is five minutes away.

“Arcadia offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to own a storied piece of Hudson River history,” said listing agent Richard Ellis, owner of Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty in Nyack. “Rich in provenance, architectural integrity and natural beauty, Arcadia stands as one of the most historically important homes in Snedens Landing. Its legacy as both a private sanctuary and a cultural landmark continues to resonate today, offering an extraordinary opportunity to carry forward a tradition of quiet elegance and artistic spirit along the Hudson River.”

Other present and past Snedens Landing residents have included actors Angelina Jolie, whose childhood home was in the enclave; Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh, Orson Welles, Katharine Hepburn, Al Pacino, Bill Murray and Mike Nichols as well as Bjork, the Icelandic singer-songwriter and composer, and TV journalist Diane Sawyer.

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