Emmy-winning talk show host Sally Jessy Raphael has just reduced the asking price of her longtime New York castle by $1 million.
This unique Hudson Valley estate, an Elizabethan-style timber-framed mansion built over a century ago, is now listed for $5.5 million. Raphael, originally named Sally Lowenthal, has owned the property for more than 25 years, having purchased it in 1997 for $1.725 million, according to PropertyShark records. She initially listed it for sale in October of last year at $6.5 million.
The grand manor is situated on over 25 acres in the village of Pawling, approximately an hour and 45 minutes north of Manhattan, and is rich in history. The current property was constructed in phases from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s, replacing an earlier structure dating back to the 1740s, as stated by listing agent Harriet Norris of Douglas Elliman.
After being owned by the same family for multiple generations, “Sally was the first person outside of the family to own the house,” said Norris.
The property was in disrepair when Raphael purchased it, “but Sally loves a project and loved this house,” Norris explained. “She had the resources and the talent to take on such a project. She invested millions of dollars into this house.”
Today, the three-story mansion retains a wealth of period details, including hand-carved pilasters, leaded glass windows, Gothic spires, beamed ceilings, wood-paneled walls, and a hand-carved oak staircase.
“She wanted to preserve its period character,” Norris said. “She more than left her mark on it and made it beautiful.”
The mansion features 17 bedrooms—including several staff rooms and a children’s wing with small bedrooms and a nanny’s room—nine bathrooms, four half bathrooms, and 10 fireplaces.
“Even though it’s huge, there are lots of places you can sit and cozy up,” Norris said. For example, a window-lined space off the dining room overlooks the property and grounds, making it a “great place to sit and read a book or have a glass of red wine during a snowstorm,” she explained.
Another notable spot is the veranda, which is lined with removable windows that can open the space up like a porch.
The expansive grounds feature two caretaker’s homes, a carriage house, a yoga studio, and stables. The acreage proved useful during the summers when Raphael hosted Camp Sally for more than 10 years.
“She would invite local kids to spend a week at Camp Sally,” Norris said, adding that Raphael would enlist friends to teach the kids skills like photography or baking. “Whoever she knew that had a talent for something, she had us all there.”
Raphael, 89, couldn’t be reached for comment. She is best known for her tabloid talk show “Sally,” which debuted in 1983 and ran for 19 seasons and 3,820 episodes until 2002.
“This house is a very special house, and it needs a very special buyer who has the resources, the passion, and the ability to embrace the project,” Norris said. “It’s a work in progress, as many of these big houses are.”
“People thought it was priced pretty well before, and now it’s priced even better,” the agent added. A buyer “can use that million dollars to take care of maintenance going forward.”