Putting the South in South Salem

Maison de Ville, a pale-yellow Creole Colonial on Boway Road in South Salem sits on 20 acres. (GINNEL REAL ESTATE/MODERN ANGLES PHOTOS )

By JOYCE CORRIGAN

When Cornelius Vanderbilt II first envisioned The Breakers — his 70-room, 125,000-square-foot “summer cottage” in Newport — he decided only an Italian Renaissance palazzo with classical proportions and lavish décor could embody the Gilded Age grandeur that he and his family (then the nation’s richest) had essentially defined. 

A century later, closer to home, Ralph Lauren purchased the 250-acre Oaklands in Bedford, a dramatic 1920s stone Norman-style manor, long a preferred architectural style of English nobility. Could there be a better testament to the upper crust tartan and tweedy esthetic that helped make its new resident a billionaire?

Similarly, 21 years ago, Manhattan residents Robert and Andrea Greene were looking for the quintessential country getaway and stumbled upon 133 Boway Road in South Salem. Maison de Ville is an elegant, pale-yellow Creole Colonial with distinctive double lacy-style iron galleries — the traditional metal filigree technique sometimes called “New Orleans tracery.” Set on 20 storybook acres down a long driveway, off a road dotted with historic Hudson Valley Colonial farmhouses, the home is an intoxicating, unexpected shot of Southern charm. Hold the local craft beer, this is a mint julep in a frosty silver cup.

“We’re proud parents of a son who’d gone to Tulane, so we’d visit several times a year,” Andrea Greene said. “We were enchanted by the magnificent homes in New Orleans and always said our next home needed to remind us of the Garden District and French Quarter with their dreamlike gas-flamed lanterns.” Enter Maison de Ville. 

Creole Colonial architecture blends 18th and 19th century French and Spanish colonial styles, adapted for the heat, fires and flood-prone storms of Southern climates with raised foundations, expansive galleries and decorative ironwork that replaced wood. Maison de Ville, built in 1976, was actually fashioned after Elms Court, a mid-19th century mansion in Natchez, Mississippi, also known as “House of a Thousand Candles.” Its exquisite lacy, Italianate ironwork and double tier façade has earned it a place on the National Register of Historic Places. There’s even a New York connection: Elmscourt was commissioned by wealthy planter Frank Surget for his daughter, Jane, and her husband, lawyer and Union sympathizer, Ayres Merrill. The Merrills temporarily moved to New York during the Civil War, and Ayres was later appointed ambassador to Belgium by Ulysses S. Grant.

The Greenes named the Boway Road home after one of their favorite boutique hotels in the French Quarter. 

“Maison de Ville is a romantic hideaway, quietly luxurious with lush gardens,” recalled Andrea Greene. “I bought several of their bathrobes, now hanging in our guest bedrooms.”  

They purchased the home in 2004 from a young antiques dealer from Georgia who had added her own Southern flair. While the stucco exterior, typical of Spanish influenced architecture, retains cool air and sheds moisture, Andrea Greene notes its adaptability to Westchester winters: “This home is a fortress! In cold months, it stays warm with just the fireplaces going. In the summer, cross ventilation is the ultimate luxury.” Through three seasons, the Greenes often sleep with the doors open to the gentle breezes. Even the laundry room has its own private balcony. 

Over two decades, the Greenes undertook extensive renovations indoors and out. The dirt drive was paved and edged with cobblestone curbing, crumbling stone walls were repaired, a new roof installed, and 15 acres enclosed with fencing. Gardens were designed and planted with drip irrigation and sprinkler systems. The elevated terrace was rebuilt with paver brick and new wrought-iron railings. Inside, hardwood floors were laid in bedrooms, the hall, and study, while porcelain tile replaced the outdated terracotta in the kitchen and pantry. 

“Just this year,” added Greene, “all balconies and French doors were redone. For the initial renovation, we hired a team of carpenters and masons from Galicia, Spain, to live here for five months — they were amazing.”

The Greenes were in the decorative lighting business for many years before selling two decades ago.

“Between our travels and our factories worldwide and frequenting antiques shops everywhere, we had all the knowledge and expertise we needed to restore this house,” said Greene. All of Maison’s interior lighting and ceiling fans were sourced from their own collections. “We’ve taken advantage of our down time to curate our collection,” she said.

The home’s gardens are a personal passion. Japanese maples, peonies, variegated hostas, hydrangeas and wildflowers intermingle with large rocks and decorative urns inspired by their many business trips to Italy’s Bassano district. “We love flowers and plantings to be discovered amidst archaeological ruins,” mused Greene. 

Maison de Ville has long been the model family escape, which became an added bonus during the pandemic.

“We added a half basketball court and zip line for the grandchildren and relined the pool with refurbished tile,” recalled Greene. “During COVID we ran ‘Camp Evergreene.’ With the grandchildren in the city and Westchester, and summer camps closed, we opened up the property. We all made the best of an awful situation and had an awesome adventure.” For adult recreation, proximity to Ridgefield, Conn., and Katonah allowed easy access to favorite cultural and culinary haunts. 

After two decades of Maison’s serene charms, the Greenes are ready for a new adventure and are selling the property.

“We still have a home in New York City and find we’re spending a lot of time in Palm Beach visiting my 99-year-old dad,” Greene said. It’s time for a place in Florida and maybe a smaller home in Connecticut near a beach, she reasoned. “We really do love to decorate,” she said, “For our next home, I’m thinking Mid Century or Minimalist Modern.”

Maison de Ville, 133 Boway Road, is currently listed with Mary Anne Condon of Ginnel. For more information, visit https://ginnel.com/properties/133-boway-road-south-salem-ny-10590-key910748