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River Street Social, a Victorian built in the Italianate style in 1850, sits on over two acres across from the Schoharie River, overlooking the picturesque Oucongena mountain range. Located in the heart of the beautiful Schoharie Valley, the current owners are only the fourth family to call this architectural beauty home over its 175 years of existence. In its past lives, it was a family home to the Beekmans and a boarding house known as the Oucongena View from 1940 to 1970 before it became a primary residence again. After a lengthy restoration, the building has returned to its old glory and has been converted into a boutique bed & breakfast and social club.The expansive main house has six bedrooms and six and a half baths. In addition, two independent one-bedroom guest houses are attached to the main house, one on the first floor and another on the second, with separate entrances. The house is grand in scale, with epically high ceilings and tall windows. Still, with newly installed geothermal heating with a backup propane furnace and new insulation, it remains very efficient in energy consumption. The first floor has a large, modern country kitchen, a butler's pantry with a refrigerator, coffee bar, dishwasher, and a beautiful, spacious mudroom off the side entrance. Two stately parlors, both with wood-burning fireplaces, a dining room, a library, a powder room, and a first-floor bedroom suite complete the floor. A wide central hallway with Harlequin tiles has the main staircase leading upstairs to five bedrooms, five full baths, and the laundry room.Design details abound, like York wallpaper in the hallways, dovetail oak soft-close drawers and oak countertops in the kitchen, vintage tubs and sinks in wholly redone bathrooms, and antique mirrors. The original trim was matched where it was missing, and non-original additions, like non-structural walls that didn't belong, were removed entirely.Attention was not only turned toward the interiors - extensive work with the surrounding landscape has been completed over the past years. The side and back yards are now entirely fenced, with new perennial gardens and hedges planted around the whole house, interwoven with the property's older plants like Joan's peonies, iris, and roses. A vegetable garden and fruit orchard were planted in the back with frost-free faucets and lighting, and an herb garden was seeded outside the kitchen entrance. The carriage house was repaired with a second floor that has been gutted for the subsequent owners to create a space in their own vision.River Street Social is located in the heart of quaint Middleburg, less than an hour from Hudson to the East and Cooperstown to the West and just under three hours from New York City. The region is known for its proximity to incredible farms and abundantly beautiful natural landscapes - rivers, mountains, and rolling hills. The house can also be purchased turnkey with all furniture and most furnishings. |
