PROPERTY DESCRIPTION

OldWalls. A storied Arts and Crafts estate of extraordinary beauty, provenance, and character - set on more than 10 private acres, just 55 miles from New York City in the heart of Horse Country. Once the home and studio retreat of world-renowned American sculptor Chester Beach and his wife, artist Eleanor Beach, this remarkable early-1900s compound evokes the romance and craftsmanship of a European country estate. The property encompasses 4 distinctive buildings, anchored by an enchanting four-bedroom stone residence that has been meticulously updated and maintained, while preserving its original architecture and artistic legacy. Artisan Plaster walls, hand-crafted stonework, breathtaking stained glass, sculpted natural light, and beautifully proportioned rooms create interiors that feel at once refined, welcoming, and entirely unique. The living room is crowned by one of the estate’s most treasured features: a collection of 112 original bird paintings created by Eleanor Beach and incorporated into the ceiling. The separate guest studio provides an additional retreat with a kitchen, bathroom, sleeping loft, and a jaw-dropping stone fireplace. A 1940’s guest cottage offers yet another guest oasis featuring a brick floored kitchen, bathroom, living room with fireplace, screened-in porch, 2 bedrooms and a sleeping loft. For the Equestrian, the five-stall barn includes a spacious one-bedroom groom's apartment, run-outs, rolling grass turnout paddocks, riding fields with access to trails, and a sand riding arena. Beyond the remarkable structures, sweeping lawns and preserved countryside frame breathtaking western vistas extending as far as 80 miles. Formal gardens, stone patios, whimsical terraces, and enchanting porches converge to create a series of rare, transcendent outdoor sanctuaries - the kind of spaces that feel entirely removed from the ordinary world. Rich in history and sensitively stewarded by its current owners, Oldwalls is more than a residence - it is a rare and enduring work of art, offering privacy, versatility, and an unmistakable sense of place.

DETAILS

Home Features

• Historic Significance
• Longtime home, working studio and country estate of noted American sculptor Chester Beach (1881–1956)
• Chester Beach acquired the property in 1917, built his studio first, and completed the main residence by 1919
• Known as “OldWalls” for the stone gathered from the property and reused throughout the estate
• Remarkable continuity of the Beach family's history, artwork and craftsmanship remains incorporated into the property today
• Main Residence
• 3,817 Sq Ft | 4 Bedrooms | 3.5 Baths | Built 1918
• Impressive stone walls measuring more than two feet thick
• Major structural beams and other wood documented as originating from old-growth forest
• Stone walls throughout the estate personally built by Chester using material gathered from the property
• Original Chester Beach artwork incorporated directly into the home's architecture
• Distinctive Arts & Crafts character with an exceptional relationship between architecture, landscape, light and views
• tfully incorporated into the primary closet, with its original doorway now concealed behind a bookcase
• Kitchen
• Later kitchen addition designed to remain true to the home's original Arts & Crafts character
• Cherry and maple trees harvested directly from the estate were milled on-site
• Estate-grown wood incorporated into the kitchen's countertops, flooring, beams and architectural elements
• Exceptional chandelier created from Chester Beach's original sculpting turntable

Lot Features

• The Camp / Stone Cottage
• 1,503 Sq. Ft | 2 Bedrooms | 1 Bath | Built 1944
• Charming stone cottage built by the Beach family during the 1940s
• Separate 3.5 Acre lot
• Chester laid the stone while Eleanor mixed the mortar
• Built upon the foundation of a former Howes Great London Circus animal barn
• Entry incorporates the original “424” doorway from Chester's New York City brownstone/studio
• Kitchen cabinetry was salvaged from the original OldWalls main-house kitchen and repurposed in the cottage
• Chester Beach Studio
• 1,466 Sq. Ft | 1 Bedroom + Loft | 1 Bath | Built 1918
• Purpose-built artist's studio predates the main residence
• Later became the Chester Beach Memorial Studio / sculpture museum
• Chester's original sliding studio doors remain preserved behind the newer French doors
• Original Chester Beach door hardware remains
• Chester's actual sculpting tools and original tool-chest cabinet remain in the studio
• Rare opportunity to preserve an artist's residence, studio, tools, artwork and landscape together on one estate
• Grounds & Gardens
• Magnificent European beech tree, gifted to Chester when he acquired the property in 1917
• Historic terrace maple dating to the 1920s
• Mature specimen trees
• Extensive stone walls
• Open meadow
• Orchard areas
• Gardens
• Long valley views
• Mature pear and apple trees
• Blueberries and currants
• West-facing orientation captures beautiful afternoon light and sunsets
• Provenance & Cultural History
• Exceptional private archive of historic photographs, family memoirs, correspondence, construction records, documents and decades-old receipts
• Current ownership has maintained communication with descendants of the Beach/Fitchen family, helping preserve the stories and provenance behind the estate
• OldWalls has appeared in television shows, films and magazines
• An unusual property where the architecture, artwork, landscape, studio, outbuildings and documented family history remain interconnected
• Signature Features
• Historic Chester Beach artist's estate
• Main residence completed circa 1919
• Original artist's studio
• Stone cottage / Camp
• Working barn, fields & equestrian facilities
• 2+ foot-thick stone walls
• Original Chester Beach artwork
• 1941 hand-painted bird ceiling
• Chester Beach sculpting-turntable chandelier
• 800-year-old monastery door
• Ancient Roman Forum tiles
• Estate-grown cherry & maple millwork
• Historic European beech
• Mature orchards & edible gardens
• Long views & western sunsets
• Remarkably preserved family and property archive

Horse Facility Features

• Barn & Equestrian Heritage
• 1,140 Sq. Ft | 1 Bedroom | 1 Bath | Built 2011
• 5 stall barn
• 1-bedroom renovated apartment upstairs
• Barn, fields and stalls continue OldWalls' longstanding identity as a working country estate
• Property has a fascinating connection to the Howes Great London Circus
• A preserved brick from the former circus animal barn remains displayed in the current barn
• Equestrian facilities form an integral part of the property's historic landscape rather than a later addition