The Joshua Martin House, locally known as the Judy Tomkins House, is an exemplary late 18th century stone and clapboard home that's been sensitively restored by its current owners. It sits on a knoll with seasonal views of the Hudson River, in a magnificent and private landscape. The property is located in the Snedens Landing neighborhood, a historic district, on a narrow, winding road, that was designed for carts and horses in the old days, and is part of Palisades, NY.
The home is turnkey and has such an amazing, comfortable vibe, and rich provenance. It's an excellent example of the vernacular architecture erected in Palisades during the late 18th, early 19th century. It features hand hewn beams, a Federal style fireplace mantel in the library and old wide board pine floors. The house features a simple layout with a large gallery/living room with fireplace and doors that lead to the stone patio and garden in the rear yard. An old world eat in kitchen has concrete countertops, old fashion cupboards, super wide board floors and a back staircase that faces south and west for sunlight almost all day long. An awesome library boasts hand hewn beams, wide board floors, a Federal style fireplace mantel and an old style window that looks out to the yard. The primary suite on the main level with access to the garden features the third working fireplace, bath, and its own private screened in porch. The second floor offers an additional three bedrooms and three baths.
Joshua Martin built the house and lived in it for about 60 years as did Judy Tomkins. In keeping with the Snedens tradition of having a strong association with the arts, it became a second home to some of the most important figures of American contemporary art when Tomkins owned it. Through Leo Castelli’s gallery in Manhattan where she exhibited her acclaimed photographs, she befriended Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg, among others, and for over a quarter of a century they gathered at this property to celebrate Thanksgiving and Easter in their “favorite house on the Hudson” with a woman they credited with influencing much of their life and style. Judy was a writer, having published several books, a very talented photographer, who exhibited her work in many shows, and later in life she literally helped change the landscape of Snedens Landing, becoming a leading landscape designer in the area. A remarkable woman!
The cliffs of the Palisades which rise high along the Hudson River north of the GW Bridge, on its west bank, suddenly break, just south of Snedens Landing, and the land goes down to the river, which is the first break in the mighty Palisades. Snedens Landing came about in the 1600s by the Snedens Family (who also married with the Dobbs family), who ran the ferry across the river to Dobbs Ferry. The 27th mayor of NYC, William Merritt, owned a property at this time on the Hudson. Merritt was part of the Dobbs family, who first ran the ferry across the river, which is probably how the Snedens Landing ferry first started. It ran until the early 1940s. There are 3,000 acres of parkland accessible from Snedens Landing for hiking, walking and enjoying.
The Joshua Martin House is a short walk to the Hudson River, the Snedens Landing tennis court, parklands, the Palisades Library, the Palisades Community Center, The Market and NYC transportation is within walking distance. Snedens Landing is only 25 minutes from the Upper West side and 40 minutes from Tribeca. It looks and feels like the county but it's amazingly close to "the city". Nothing Compares to Snedens Landing.