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| 1 LaVeta Place in Nyack, New York |
A “legally” haunted New York house is on the market again.
Former owner Helen Ackley — who lived in the Queen Anne Victorian at 1 LaVeta Place in Nyack, from the 1960s to the late 1980s — publicly asserted the presence of various poltergeists who hailed from the Revolutionary War era and regularly shook beds, slammed doors and traipsed the halls with their phantom footsteps.
Her home, which dates back to the 1890s and fronts the Hudson River just 25 miles northwest of Manhattan, is about to list for $1.9 million with Nancy Blaker Weber of Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty.
It has a spooky history, sure, but also a litigious and star-studded one.
It started when Ackley put the allegedly possessed property on the market in 1989. When she began the process of selling the 15-room, single-family dwelling to Wall Street bond trader Jeffrey Stambovsky, she failed to disclose the spectral situation within.
In a lawsuit that would make headlines around the globe and set a precedent for future real estate transactions, Stambovsky sued Ackley over the deliberate omission and fought to obtain his deposit while backpedaling out of the purchase.
Then, in 1991, New York’s Supreme Court ruled that the home was officially haunted and, in favor of Stambovsky, decreed that Ackley had the responsibility to disclose the property’s apparent apparitions to future buyers.
Ghosts be damned, the stylish manor was subsequently scooped up by film director, screenwriter and actor Adam Brooks, who lived there for 20 years. Brooks reportedly never detected the presence of ghosts.
The home’s current owner, Jewish singer and rapper Matisyahu, also hasn’t reported any supernatural sightings.
“It’s a fun backstory to this gorgeous home,” says Weber, “but none of the previous three owners over the last few years have seen any ghosts.”
The fully restored house, replete with three floors and more than 4,600 square feet of living space, is located on one of Nyack’s most enviable tree-lined dead-end streets and is within walking distance to downtown. With views of the Hudson from nearly every window, the home features seven bedrooms plus guest quarters, 4½ baths and an updated kitchen with farmhouse sink, Viking appliances and concrete countertops.
History buffs will love the original inlaid hardwood floors, arched doorways and stained glass accents throughout. Outside is newly built three-car garage, a spacious wraparound porch and an in-ground saltwater hot tub overlooking the river.
Singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson, who lived on the property from 2012 to 2015, says the home is enchanting — but not creepy.
Haunted House: The Legend of 1 La Veta Place, Nyack
LOWER HUDSON VALLEY BY RICHARD ELLIS ON OCTOBER 31, 2016 0 COMMENTS
Every Halloween you can be sure to see costumed children collecting candy and carved pumpkins adorning windows- but if you live in Nyack you are guaranteed to also hear about the legend of 1 La Veta Place, which was deemed a legally haunted house in 1991 by the New York Supreme Court.
Over more than two decades I have had the opportunity to represent it for sale twice, and have an insider’s view of what has affectionately become known as the “Ghostbusters House.”
Take a step back in time to the late 1980s, and I was at the start of my career as a real estate broker. I was asked to represent 1 La Veta Place, a late 1800s house that had been on the market for a couple of years with another brokerage. The owner, Mrs. Ackley, was very proud of her house, but insisted she wasn’t the only inhabitant. She described two women in hoop dresses and a little man in a Revolutionary War era red coat that also would visit. The only catch is they were not living. This fact didn’t seem to disturb Mrs. Ackley, but I remember I would often get nervous going down to the very large, dark basement to put on whatever few lights there were!
After about a year a buyer was interested and put a deposit down. Right before it closed, the seller asked us to advise the buyers of the ghost visitors, which we did. They still wanted to proceed and jokingly said they would call the “ghostbusters in,” referring to the popular movie of the time.
Two weeks after contracts were signed, however, the buyers had a change of heart, and the rest as they say, is history. The case went to court, and while my firm and I were released from the case, the owner/seller was held liable. Ultimately the case settled out of court, but along the way the New York Supreme Court ruled the home legally haunted.
As a result, New York State real estate license law changed for a brief time, requiring the broker to have to automatically disclose if a home owner said they had a ghost. Since then the home has gone down in pop culture history, with media from all over covering the story.
When the home went back on the market, I showed it to several clients and one would tell stories of feeling something brush against him in the hallway. Eventually the home sold for about the same price as it would have sold the first time.
Fast forward to about 2012, the third owner after Mrs. Ackley called us to list the home for sale. While the owners didn’t mention the ghosts, the first day I had a showing there, I had my own supernatural experience. As I went around the house putting the lights on, the door bell rang as I made my way to the Tower Room on the top floor. The clients had just arrived to view the home. As I put the last light on a light bulb burst and a small fire started. The flame grew larger and a nearby shade caught fire before I could put it out.
Was it a ghost I encountered that day? Did they object to the house changing hands again? Many in the psychic world say there is no such thing as coincidence. Perhaps the activity at 1 La Veta Place was simply an old soul wanting me to know they were still there. We will never know for sure… one thing is certain, however, the next time you hear a creek in the floor or a voice in the night, just keep moving forward and don’t look back.
Hudson Riverfront Queen Anne circa 1890; location for one of Edward Hoppers paintings. This perfectly restored classic is located on one of Nyack's prettiest tree lined dead end streets. Previously home to the award winning film director Adam Brooks, indie singer/songwriter Ingrid Michaelson, and now home to the singer rapper Matisyahu, the beautiful space and soft river light form a perfect sanctuary to nurture the creative spirit.
Edward Hopper, The Lee Shore
The setting of The Lee Shore appears to be Cape Cod. Yet the precarious placement of the house right down at the waterline and the house's prominent turret clearly suggest Hopper was dreaming back to his boyhood days in Nyack.
Nyack, NY the town where Hopper was born and lived until he was nearly 30. The area around the Hopper family home (now the Edward Hopper House Art Center) is nestled along the banks of the Hudson River. Below is a house that particularly caught young Hopper's eye. Philip Koch, Turret House, Nyack, vine charcoal, 9 x 12", 2015
It is on Loveta Place, four blocks from Hopper's home on North Broadway. With an elaborate domed turret, it sits right on top of the river's edge. You could easily toss a coin out one of its windows and hear a splash as it hit the water. Philip Koch, Turret House, Nyack, oil on panel, 9 x 12, 2015
River views from almost every room foster an unparalleled connection to the river in this spacious yet intimate home. Fully renovated home complements the style and was crafted by a top builder.
The House is a 45 minute drive up the Hudson River from Manhattan.
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| East Side of the house faces the Hudson River. |
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| This is an older picture, but it gives yo a nice view of the west side of house. |
The Front of the House again from the street.
The Foyer
The Living Room
The Dining Room
The Sun Room of Dining Room
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| The Sun Porch off the Dining Room during previous owners. |
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| The Sun Porch during current owners |
The Kitchen
Other Bedroom's in House and their Bathrooms
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| A sleeping porch in this 1890 Victorian home |
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| Converted by Master Owners into a Sitting room Next too master bedroom |
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