A century-old Catskills estate with Hollywood history, sweeping views of the Ashokan Reservoir and a deeply rooted connection to one of New York’s most ambitious engineering projects has returned to the luxury real estate market.
Baker Mansion, the former childhood home of actor and comedian Chevy Chase, is being offered for $3.675 million in West Hurley, New York. Built in 1918, the neoclassical residence occupies 12.49 acres and includes a five-bedroom, three-bath main house, a detached three-bedroom carriage house, a saltwater pool and extensive outdoor living spaces.
The property is represented by Michelle Bergkamp and Ashley Prather of Corcoran Country Living, according to Mansion Global’s listing report.
For CaliforniaLuxuryHouses, Baker Mansion is particularly compelling because its value extends well beyond the price tag. It is simultaneously a celebrity property, an architectural survivor, a piece of Catskills history and a private retreat overlooking one of New York City’s most important water sources.
A Historic Estate With a Hollywood Connection
The story of Baker Mansion begins long before Chevy Chase became a household name.
The residence was constructed in 1918 for J. Waldo Smith, the chief civil engineer associated with the Ashokan dam and reservoir project. The Ashokan Reservoir was completed in 1915 as part of New York City’s effort to secure a major new source of drinking water, and the project remains one of the defining engineering undertakings in the Catskills.
Smith’s connection to the project was reflected directly in the design of his home. Baker Mansion was built from Rosendale concrete blocks, a durable local material also used in the construction of the Olivebridge Dam. The mansion’s distinctive cupola reportedly gave Smith a vantage point from which he could observe the enormous reservoir project taking shape, using a telescope.
More than a century later, that architectural detail has become one of the property’s most memorable features.
The residence eventually entered the Chase family’s history. Chevy Chase spent part of his childhood there before becoming one of the defining comic performers of his generation through Saturday Night Live, the National Lampoon’s Vacation franchise and a long career in film and television.
According to current owner Diane Raimondo, the Chase family owned the mansion for more than seven decades. The family sold the property following the 2005 death of Chase’s mother, Cathalene Parker. Raimondo purchased the mansion in 2013 and later acquired the adjacent carriage house in 2017 from Chevy Chase’s half-brother, John Cederquist.
That ownership history gives the property an unusual place in celebrity real estate. Unlike a mansion purchased after an actor has already achieved fame, Baker Mansion was part of Chase’s early life, long before Hollywood turned his name into a global brand.
A 1918 Mansion Reimagined for Modern Country Living
From the outside, Baker Mansion retains the formal presence expected of an early-20th-century estate.
The stone residence is distinguished by stately columns, a broad porch, patterned concrete-block walls and a hillside setting that places the Catskill landscape almost directly into the architecture. Large upper-level windows and the cupola make the views an integral part of the house rather than simply an amenity beyond it.
Inside, the renovation has been designed around preservation rather than wholesale modernization.
Original red-oak moldings, doors and hardwood floors remain among the defining details. High ceilings and generously proportioned rooms reinforce the sense of scale, while large windows bring daylight into the formal living areas.
The living room centers on a red-brick fireplace, while French doors open toward a stone patio and the landscape beyond. The former observation cupola has been adapted into a breakfast room, turning a feature originally associated with reservoir construction into one of the home’s most distinctive everyday spaces.
The primary bedroom offers another unusually direct relationship with the landscape. Its ensuite bathroom includes an antique claw-foot tub positioned to take advantage of views toward the Ashokan Reservoir.
The property’s current owner has also introduced contemporary comforts without stripping away the historic character. Among the additions is a fiberglass saltwater pool, surrounded by a sun terrace and positioned to make the most of the estate’s mountain setting.
Raimondo described the atmosphere in particularly evocative terms when speaking to Mansion Global: “The property is magical and serene…it feels like Tuscany.”
That comparison makes more sense once the property is viewed as a whole. The mansion is reached by a mile-long private road, with glimpses of the landscape appearing through the trees before the residence itself comes into view.
As Raimondo put it, the approach offers “glimpses through the trees of the paradise awaiting you,” before the stone mansion appears beside the Catskills and the blue water of the reservoir.
The Grounds Offer a Private Catskills Retreat
The 12.49-acre setting is arguably as important to Baker Mansion’s identity as the house itself.
The property combines open landscape with established woodland, including cedar, white pine and mulberry trees. Mature lilacs planted during the Chase family’s ownership remain part of the grounds, while wildflowers attract bluebirds and hummingbirds. Wildlife in the surrounding landscape includes ravens, owls, deer and bears, while eagles can be seen around the reservoir.
Outdoor living is centered around the saltwater pool, sun terrace, stone patios and hot tub.
The detached carriage house adds another dimension to the estate. It contains three bedrooms and a large great room that could serve as guest accommodation, a creative studio, yoga space or flexible gathering area.
For a buyer looking for a second home or multigenerational retreat, the arrangement is notable. The main residence retains its historic identity while the carriage house provides additional private space without requiring guests or family members to occupy the primary house.
The setting also changes dramatically with the seasons. Summer brings dense greenery around the property, while autumn transforms the surrounding Catskills into a tapestry of changing foliage. Winter strips the landscape back, emphasizing the mansion’s stone architecture and expansive reservoir views.
At night, the property’s elevated position offers another advantage.
“There is no light pollution at night due to the height of this location and it offers an extraordinary show of stars,” Raimondo said.
For a property whose greatest luxury is its relationship with nature, that may be one of its most meaningful features.
Life Between Woodstock, Kingston and the Ashokan Reservoir
Baker Mansion is located in West Hurley, a Catskills hamlet approximately three miles from Woodstock. That location puts the estate within reach of one of the Hudson Valley’s best-known cultural destinations while maintaining the privacy of a rural setting.
Woodstock’s appeal extends well beyond its famous musical associations. The town has developed into a year-round destination for restaurants, galleries, independent shops, wellness businesses and live music. Tinker Street and the surrounding village offer boutiques, bookstores, cafés and dining, while the area’s artistic identity remains an important part of the local lifestyle.
The nearby dining scene includes restaurants such as Silvia, Garden Cafe and other independent establishments, giving residents access to a surprisingly varied culinary culture for a small Catskills community.
Closer to home, West Hurley provides practical conveniences along Route 28. A local Hannaford supermarket serves as a major grocery option, while the area also has smaller businesses and services. The Woodstock Art Exchange adds a gallery component directly within West Hurley.
For dining near the reservoir, Reservoir Inn offers a convenient local option on Basin Road, while Woodstock expands the range considerably.
The area’s outdoor infrastructure is equally significant.
The Ashokan Rail Trail runs 11.5 miles between West Hurley and Boiceville along the northern edge of the Ashokan Reservoir. The trail is open year-round from sunrise to sunset for walking, running, cycling, nature observation, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Its West Hurley trailhead is located along Route 28, making the reservoir landscape unusually accessible for recreation.
Transportation remains primarily road-based, but the location has strong regional connections. Route 28 runs along the northern edge of the reservoir, while Route 375 provides a direct connection toward Woodstock and Kingston. The Town of Hurley identifies Route 375 as an important north-south route connecting West Hurley with Woodstock.
Kingston is another important nearby center, offering additional restaurants, galleries, shopping and services. Mansion Global reported that the Kingston Stockade District was approximately a 10-minute drive from the property, further broadening the lifestyle options available to residents.
The result is an appealing combination for a luxury buyer: the privacy of a historic country estate without being entirely removed from restaurants, culture, shopping and regional transportation.
A Rare Piece of Catskills and New York History
The most compelling aspect of Baker Mansion may ultimately have little to do with celebrity.
The estate sits beside the Ashokan Reservoir, a body of water approximately 12 miles long that has supplied New York City’s five boroughs with drinking water for more than a century. Its creation fundamentally transformed the surrounding landscape, including communities that were displaced during construction of the reservoir.
That makes the mansion’s original connection to J. Waldo Smith especially significant.
Smith did not simply build a country residence in the Catskills. He built his home while overseeing an engineering project that would permanently reshape the region. The cupola, reservoir-facing windows and use of local Rosendale concrete blocks mean the mansion still carries physical reminders of that history.
The property’s connection to Chevy Chase adds a very different layer.
For decades, it was associated with a family whose son would go on to become one of America’s best-known comedians. Yet the house itself predates Chase’s career by generations and has a story that stands independently of Hollywood.
That distinction matters.
As CaliforniaLuxuryHouses sees it, Baker Mansion is most interesting not because a famous actor once lived there, but because the celebrity chapter is only one part of a much longer story.
A buyer acquiring the estate today would be taking on a 1918 residence, a piece of Ashokan Reservoir history, a landscape shaped by more than a century of changing ownership and a property that still preserves traces of the Chase family’s presence.
The asking price of $3.675 million places Baker Mansion firmly within the high-end Catskills market, but its combination of acreage, architectural provenance, reservoir views, guest accommodations and celebrity history is difficult to replicate.
In an era when luxury buyers increasingly look for authenticity alongside amenities, that may be the property’s greatest advantage.
Baker Mansion does not need to manufacture a story.
It already has one.
And from its elevated perch above the Ashokan Reservoir, that story stretches from early-20th-century engineering to Hollywood, from Chevy Chase’s childhood to the modern Catskills lifestyle—and from a historic mansion to the possibility of its next chapter.