“There are so many things we love about the house,’’ said Patricia Pastor, who has owned the property with her husband, Barry Friedman, since 1983. The couple is the second of only two owners of the house, which was built in 1953. “If you know his architecture, it’s a classic Breuer house. It’s beautiful, but it functions well.”
The single-level four-bedroom, three-bath house features 2,325 square feet and 3.44 acres. There is also a separate guest house with 880 square feet of additional living space and two baths. The sunset views and the nearby Hudson River are the primary attractions though, and allow homeowners to see Croton Point and beyond without stepping foot outside.
“We love Croton,’’ Pastor said. “In our 30 years here, the town has retained everything about being a small town in America. It hasn’t turned into a mini-Manhattan. It also happens to be a fantastic house. It’s livable. It was a house designed way ahead of its time.”
Some other amenities include an indoor pool, Honduran Cypress ceilings, serpentine stone walls and municipal sewer and water. It is being offered for $1,895,000 by Houlihan Lawrence Realtor Sharon Bodnar Briskman. Complete listing information is available online.
Pastor said one feature she particularly enjoyed was Breuer’s impressive solar design. “The way the house is sited, there’s an overhang in the summer that blocks the sun, but in the winter, the windows let the sun in. It’s beautiful, but it functions well. I’m not sure most architects would think of that today.”
One of Breuer's other design techniques was to carry inner wall colors to exterior walls, made possible by the incredible floor to ceiling windows, which can also slide open and create the feeling of being outdoors even while relaxing in the entertaining room or the bedrooms.
Breuer, who lived in New Canaan, Conn., designed private residences primarily in Connecticut and Cape Cod. He also designed commercial buildings, and built projects at the Bronx Community College, the University of Buffalo, in Paris and at the Whitney Museum of American Art in Manhattan. Most of his residential work was done in the 1940s and 1950s.
Pastor said she and her husband maintained the home with the integrity of Breuer’s designs in mind. “Every color is the same, there really isn’t anything we’ve done to change the house,’’ she said. “We bought it appreciating the work of the architect. To change it is not something we would’ve done.”
Pastor and Friedman raised their children in the home, but after 30 years, want to travel and are ready for the next stage in their lives.
“Vera Neumann, the first owner, was here for 30 years and we were here for 30 years,’’ Pastor said. It’s time for a new owner. We hope whoever is here next can be here for another 30 years.”
People seeking more information can contact Sharon Bodnar Briskman at 914-329-8889 or via email at sbodnar@houlihanlawrence.com.