This writerly retreat is newly available following an extensive renovation.
A 4.8-acre Pound Ridge, New York, property that the late sports reporter Howard Cosell once called home is seeking a new owner. The compound is listed for $2.29 million with Lynn Harmonay of North Country Sotheby’s International Realty.
Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright disciple David Henken, 21 Old Snake Hill Road was in “a total state of ruin” when its current seller purchased it, promising the former owner he would restore it.
“I spent the last three years tirelessly restoring the main house and guest house, as well as improving the property and adding additional outbuildings,” the seller — Francis Merante, an interior designer and antique dealer — told The Post.
The entire property is now in turnkey condition from its outdoor amenities — including a heated salt water pool, a pool house, a cabana, two wrought-iron gazebos, two covered porches, a deck and a custom-built pergola — to the four-bedroom, four-bathroom main house.
This former Howard Cosell estate was first built in 1952 by a Frank Lloyd Wright disciple. Getty Images; David Seuch / North Country Sotheby's International Real Estate
One of the compound’s two kitchens before the renovation. Courtesy of current owner
The property was in a “state of ruin” before a recent renovation. Courtesy of current owner
The pool before the recent renovation. Courtesy of current owner
The renovated, in-ground salt water pool. David Seuch / North Country Sotheby’s International Realty
The property is accessed via a Belgian block-lined driveway. David Seuch / North Country Sotheby’s International Realty
The main home features four bathrooms. David Seuch / North Country Sotheby’s International Realty
A guest house has an additional bedroom, bathroom and second kitchen. David Seuch / North Country Sotheby’s International Realty
The main house has four bedrooms. David Seuch / North Country Sotheby’s International Realty
The exterior of the main house. David Seuch / North Country Sotheby’s International Realty
The recent renovation included extensive landscaping additions. David Seuch / North Country Sotheby’s International Realty
The property measures in at just under 5 acres. David Seuch / North Country Sotheby’s International RealtyBuilt in 1952, the space still features many of its midcentury design details, including walls of glass and stone, floating staircases and both beamed and cathedral-style ceilings. It also boasts a custom-built wine cellar, a finished basement family room (formerly Cosell’s studio) with a built-in wet bar, the original 1952 dry bar and two stone fireplaces built of rock sourced from the property. The one-bedroom, one-bathroom guest house has its own kitchen, living space and a wall of stone.
Fresh landscaping has also added more than 200 new bushes and trees (including three types of magnolias) to the estate, as well as rock walls and a grand entrance. The property is accessed via a Belgian block-lined driveway.
“The sale includes several historical objects pertaining to former owner Howard Cosell collected by the current owner or inherited with the house,” Merante noted. Cosell, who is widely credited with coining the phrase “The Bronx is Burning,” passed away in 1995 at age 77.
The address is approximately an hour north of Manhattan, across the street from the Pound Ridge Golf Club and adjacent to 26-acre conservancy the Bye Preserve.
