Brook House, a 5.5‑acre colonial manor in New City, New York, once housed composer Kurt Weill and his wife Lotte Lenya, who wrote classics like "Mack the Knife" while living there. The stone‑walled home has survived four owners in 110 years, making its current sale a rare event in the area.
The 4,600‑square‑foot main house blends 19th‑century craftsmanship with modern updates. Four wood‑burning fireplaces, a Louis XV‑style limestone mantel, and a living room with tall ceilings anchor the interior, while designer Gail Jacobs sourced period‑appropriate fixtures such as antique Holophane lamps. The property now boasts five bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms across the main house and ancillary structures.
Zoned for a two‑family residence, Brook House includes a guest house with its own kitchen and living room, a workshop‑converted garage, a chicken coop, and a private well that supplies the grounds. The estate’s landscaping mimics a private arboretum, with flower beds, rolling fields, and dry‑stone walls, and the West Branch of the Hackensack River cuts through the property, bridged by a rebuilt stone arch.
Richard Ellis of Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty highlighted the estate’s unique blend of authenticity and artistic legacy. "Brook House offers a once‑in‑a‑generation opportunity to own a residence where architecture, landscape, and cultural history converge," Ellis said. The listing, which first appeared for $2.295 million earlier this year, was reduced to $1.995 million in September, a move aimed at attracting buyers drawn to the property’s historic pedigree and proximity to the Davenport Preserve.
With only four owners in its long history, the estate’s sale is poised to become a headline in the New York real‑estate market. Potential buyers include collectors of historic homes and developers seeking a property with protected woodland rights. The next milestone is the closing of the transaction once a buyer agrees to the asking price.