Historic Bell-ans compound, home to artists and industry, lists for $11.5 million

Bell-ans, a historic 11.31-acre mixed-use compound in Orangeburg, is on the market for $11.5 million through Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty, bringing together more than a century of manufacturing history, industrial and residential properties and a community of creative and commercial tenants.

Located at 2–10 Bell Lane and 32 and 40 South Greenbush Road, the property comprises three tax parcels offered together. The principal 9.5-acre parcel features 12 buildings, including six single-family residences and six commercial and industrial buildings used for offices, art studios, light industrial operations and storage totaling 45,000 square feet. 

Longtime Rockland County locals recall the compound's days as home to Udelco, a vintage and recycled clothing business that operated from the 1970s into the 1990s.

Among its historic features are a residential dwelling dating to 1778 and original horse stables. The offering includes two undeveloped parcels totaling 1.81 acres along South Greenbush Road.

Set at the foot of Clausland Mountain in Rockland County, Bell-ans traces its origins to 1897, when John Lanphere Dodge, the son of a Civil War Army surgeon, partnered with chemist Robert J. Bell to develop the Bell-ans indigestion remedy that would become a household name. The product was manufactured on the property for more than 70 years. An original bottle is now part of the Smithsonian Institution collection in Washington, D.C.

From its earliest days, Bell-ans was more than a manufacturing facility. Its grounds accommodated stables, harness racing and a hotel serving visitors attracted by local county fairs. As manufacturing operations wound down, the buildings found new life as workshops, art studios and spaces for small businesses. This evolution preserved the compound’s distinctive architectural character while sustaining its role as a working community of creative and commercial enterprises.

The Bel-ans compound in Orangeburg is on the market for $11.5 million. Photo: Ellis Sotheby's International Realty

Today, the buildings retain many of the features associated with historic industrial architecture, including tall windows, high ceilings, expansive floor plans and abundant natural light. 

“There is real history here, buildings with genuine character, income already in place, and the room to imagine what comes next, all within 16 miles of the George Washington Bridge," said Laura J. Weintraub, associate broker at Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty.

The historically significant property contains a mix of residential and commercial uses, added Weintraub. “Its combination of architectural character, established enterprises and more than a century of reinvention offers a new owner the opportunity to carry forward a distinctive piece of local history while considering its next chapter.”

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