Maybe it’s the warm-toned stone facade of the 18th-century Dutch Colonial mansion. Or maybe it’s the nightly bonfires, the locally sourced dinners at its farm-to-table restaurant, and the cultural events held on its property.
The mission of the new owners is to mesh the history of the property— which dates back to 1757—with modern conveniences, while retaining a sense of community that’s essential to life in the Catskills region.
Either way, Hasbrouck House in Stone Ridge boasts all the trappings of a home away from home. The New York-based real estate developer Gowanus Hospitality Group purchased the former Inn at Stone Ridge in 2015, renovating the mansion, carriage house, and stable over an 11-month period. Opened Labor Day weekend 2016, Hasbrouck House totals 30,000 square feet with 20 guest rooms and suites, and is home to Butterfield, a farm-to-table restaurant that serves breakfast and dinner six days a week during the warm season.
“We saw the potential and the history, and, from a hospitality perspective, we wanted to give the property what it really needed, which was a full overhaul,” says Akiva Reich, president and CEO of Gowanus Hospitality. “From a design perspective, to acknowledge the history but be present with technology and design of today—that was the challenge.”
The property has a variety of rooms—everything from a carriage house suite that accommodates six guests, to a single room in the mansion with two twin beds, best for two friends staying overnight—and while they’re on a higher price point (the most affordable room is $275 per night), they were each designed to reflect a timeless aesthetic while maximizing convenience and comfort.
Those design touches are everywhere in Hasbrouck House. Every window was renovated to match the 18th-century Dutch Colonial style, while red Persian rugs in each room accentuate hardwood floors. The rugs add dynamic color to a guest room palette of soft blues, whites, and grays, while leather furniture and small touches of velvet add a classic, contemporary feel.
Guest rooms feature Wi-Fi, flat-screen televisions with on-demand programming, iHome docking stations, and marble walk-in showers. Bathroom floors are heated, and the temperature in every room of every guest suite can be controlled.
“People are telling us they’re having their best nights of sleep in ten years here,” says Reich. “And most of the people staying in the rooms, they find they can stay in the room the entire day.”
If visitors want to venture out from their guest rooms, they’ll find numerous spaces to convene at Hasbrouck House. Among property amenities are a 50-foot landmark swimming pool, a lake, newly forged trails, a 3,500-square-foot bluestone patio, and a wellness center featuring services like yoga, reiki, massage, and acupuncture through Brooklyn-based Maha Rose Center for Healing.
Hasbrouck House also opened a recreation room in the mansion basement, which features pool tables, arcade games, bar tables, and high tops. That space is perfect for big-game parties and boys’ night celebrations.
The property hopes more celebrations will be in order in 2017, as it’s planning country barbecues on the patio, makers markets, and weekly movie nights. Nightly bonfires will give way to storytelling, and in the morning, guests can come to the lawn for an inspiring yoga session.
“We’re trying to do something a little more elevated but staying true to the region and the land.”
A major element of culture in the Hudson Valley is its farm-to-table heritage, and Butterfield, the on-property restaurant, showcases a menu devoted to that heritage. Butterfield will regularly change its menu to reflect seasonal offerings, but will feature dishes like pork chop with braised leeks and roasted cauliflower, and pickled-and-charred dandelion salad with cranberries and almonds.
Butterfield will be open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday in warmer months (along with à la carte breakfast and lunch), and Thursday through Sunday during winter. It’s also open for Saturday and Sunday brunch year-round.
At the bar, the entire beer tap line is local, and chocolates from Fruition of Shokan are on display and offered to guests.
“We’re trying to do something a little more elevated but staying true to the region and the land,” says Reich. “The idea is definitely to source things locally as much as possible.”
Staying local, and staying true to the community in and around Stone Ridge, is essential to Hasbrouck House’s goal for being a lodging and cultural destination. From the patio barbecues to the outdoor yoga sessions to the 18th-century charm,
Hasbrouck House: 3805 Main Street, Stone Ridge, 845-687-0736 hasbrouckhouseny.com
Hasbrouck House wants to be the place where community members can convene in comfort and style. “There’s a need for people to stay the weekend, but we want to acknowledge for people living here and people coming up to call this a second home,” says Reich. “It starts here. That’s the mission: to create a community.”
