Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 10
1869 Kingston House’s North Wall Collapses After $53,500 Auction Buy
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 10

1869 Kingston House’s North Wall Collapses After $53,500 Auction Buy

1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 10

Summary

  • Aimee Gardner and Dave Linnard said the north wall of their 1869 Kingston house suddenly dropped about half a foot during renovation, leaving the floor above precariously cantilevered.
  • Lime mortar particles had started shifting with a faint tinkling sound moments earlier, a warning the couple later learned can precede a stone-wall collapse.
  • The pair bought the boarded-up Hudson Valley fixer-upper at a 2017 city tax auction for $53,500, narrowly outbidding other bidders including a local landlord.
  • Eight and a half years into restoring what they call “Disaster Mansion,” the collapse became another major item on a renovation project that is still unfinished.

Insights

After buying a mansion for $53,500, what is the final price tag for saving it from total collapse?
Can new state tax credits turn 'disaster mansions' into viable dream projects for everyday people?
They fled the Bay Area for affordability, but are they investing in a region that others are also leaving?