'Pretty Penny,' Inside and Out

In Nyack, a piece of history is for sale.

One of the region's most famed homes—best known for housing actress Helen Hayes and, more recently, media personality Rosie O'Donnell—is on the market for $5.9 million.

The 235 N. Broadway home's monikers may at first seem exaggerated—"Pretty Penny," "the White House on the Hudson," "the finest Italianate Victorian Estate in America." But take a peek inside and you'll learn quick they're fitting.

The home's history and past visitors alone are enough to entice potential buyers, regional historians and sneaky residents hoping to finagle an open house ("Hello, my name is H.E. Pennypacker and I'm a wealthy industrialist looking to settle down...")

Hayes and her playwright husband, Charles MacArthur, purchased Pretty Penny in the 1930s and turned the property into an artistic hub. During their ownership, nabobs like Laurence Olivier, Marilyn Monroe and even President Ronald Reagan (well, actor Reagan at the time) passed through.

The home was later purchased by O'Donnell, and is now owned by an avid art and map collector (antique artwork from several eras is currently hanged around the house.)

Over the years, various elements of the house have been overhauled, updated and modified. The current side door was once the front entrance, but the sprawling entry hall and driveway for carriages remain intact. When O'Donnell owned the home she renovated areas like the kitchen and master bedroom—still, the rooms retain 1930s ambiance and sweeping Hudson views.

But it's not just the architecture and storied history that put Pretty Penny on the map—it's what's inside. For example, in the basement: a mural of Hayes' and MacArthur's children, painted by Nyack's other résident célèbre, Edward Hopper.

There's also original and antique furnishings throughout. Molly Samett, an associate with Ellis Sotheby's International Realty, explained the furniture fetches an impressive price—one 6-foot bureau in a second-floor bedroom could put a student through Harvard, she noted.

The home's property—tough to see from the road over gates and towering trees—has a pool, pond and several gardens. Hayes kept a famed rose garden during residence, a hobby the current owner has expanded upon. The property now features stone pathways, a stream and a collection of rare conifers priced at about $500,000.

"On particularly hot days—before air conditioning—Ms. Hayes would open her pool to neighborhood children," Samett explained. "You don't see people doing things like that very often."

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Check out Patch's photos for a thorough and exclusive tour, and check back soon for more profiles of remarkable real estate in the area.

Also, stay tuned for a Helen Hayes feature on her upcoming birthday (Oct. 10).

The details:

• 7,000 square feet
• 15 rooms
• 6 bedrooms
• 5 full baths, 3 half
• 8 fireplaces
• 1.149 acres
• Wine cellar and full bar
• 4 car garage
• Wall murals by Edward Hopper
• $500,000 of flora in gardens
• Price: $5,900,000
• Taxes: $39,926
• Rent (per month): $60,000
• Schools: Nyack

Interested in buying or renting? Contact Molly Samett at (845) 359-4940, or molly.samett@ellissir.com.