PEARL RIVER, NY – Set against panoramic views of Lake Tappan, at the center of Rockland County’s most popular active adult apartment community, The Club at Pearl River, sits a newly renovated 18th century colonial house that presents residents with their very own piece of local history. Recently restored to its original glory by developer BNE Real Estate Group, this antique home named The Perry-Blauvelt-Seth House, but known simply as “The Seth House”, has been preserved to offer an extension to the community’s already-impressive amenity package. With most of its original crown molding, wood floors, and other intricate details still intact, it now boasts a movie theatre, comfortable library, stylish game room with card tables, and catering kitchen with dining areas, giving new use to the home’s tangible past.
The completion of The Seth House fulfills the sought-after country club lifestyle enjoyed by The Club’s residents. A complement to the neighboring clubhouse, which features an elegant social lounge, state-of-the-art fitness center with yoga room, and resort-style pool terrace, residents are never short of recreational opportunities. Throw in zero-maintenance and a prime location across from Blue Hill Golf Course, and it’s no surprise why this luxury apartment community has quickly become an empty nester’s dream.
“We are delighted that our residents can connect with Pearl River’s cultural heritage when enjoying the various recreational spaces created within this special historical house,” said Jonathan Schwartz, partner at BNE Real Estate Group. “It’s been a labor of love restoring The Seth House. We are very proud of the results.”
The Seth House was built by John Perry, a colonial American who was born in 1696, according to Mary Cardenas, Museum Director of the Orangetown Historical Museum & Archives. The original house was a small, simple clapboard-sided structure with a loft and Dutch doors. His son Isaac eventually inherited the house and built an addition out of sandstone in 1776, now known as the east wing. Isaac’s grandson, David D. Blauvelt, and his wife Lenah Fowler, took ownership of the house around 1830 and demolished a portion of the middle section, replacing it with a “more modern” section donning a gambrel roof, flanked by gable roofs on either side. The outcome was a house comprised of three sections and three distinct types of architecture.
Over a century later, the final house namesakes were Nancy and William Seth, who purchased the property in 1955 and raised two daughters.
“William was an antiques dealer and went through great effort to restore the house and retain the original interior integrity,” Ms. Cardenas said. “In 1998, several years after William’s death, Nancy sold the house to the Daimler-Chrysler Company. In 2002 the house was once again sold to Mercedes-Benz, which in turn sold the house to Pearl River LLC in 2006. The house and site was finally purchased by BNE Real Estate Group in 2015.”
The Orangetown Historical Museum played an integral role in The Seth House restoration. When the property was unoccupied and unmaintained, circa 2002, several intricate architectural pieces were stolen from the home. The police recovered them and returned them to the museum, where Ms. Cardenas stored them for a number of years. When BNE purchased the property, she worked closely with the project manager to ensure those architectural details were re-installed in their proper places.
The interior of the restored Seth House was designed and decorated by the Childs Dreyfus Group, which opted for a transitional aesthetic, according to Rene Pabon, the company’s president and CEO. The goal was to create a very comfortable stylish space that would be ideal for the day-to-day use of residents.
“We knew we could either do a straightforward historical rehab trying to make it look and feel like it did more than a hundred years ago, or we could bring a modern interpretation to the space,” Mr. Pabon said. “We went a little more contemporary, because we really wanted to create useable space. We viewed this as a way for the property to expand its amenity offering and protect and preserve the past at the same time.”
Surrounding The Seth House, BNE constructed an active adult apartment community comprised of 160 ultra-luxury one- and two-bedroom residences, which has achieved wild success amongst renters since opening in summer of 2016.
Just over the Bergen County border in scenic Pearl River, NY, the gated development is perched upon a hilltop overlooking stunning views of Lake Tappan. Beyond the attractive resort-style atmosphere, the residences themselves have received equal acclaim for their new-construction finishes, wood floors, stainless steel appliances, private balconies, and easy elevator access. Private garages and storage are also available.
For more information about leasing an apartment at The Club at Pearl River, call (845) 735-3344 or visit www.TheClubAtPearlRiver.com. Limited residences are available. For more information on The Orangetown Historical Museum, visit www.OrangetownMuseum.com.
About BNE Real Estate Group
With over 60 years of real estate development experience, BNE Real Estate Group is a national, family-owned organization that is firmly committed to creating exceptional living experiences for their residents. Their distinguished portfolio of properties include the development of tens of thousands of homes, more than 1 million square feet of commercial space, and the ownership and ongoing management of nearly 8,000 apartments, with communities stretching from the Tri-state area south to Florida, and west to Texas and California.
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