Enter the Dragon

Village building inspector Eyal Saad said the building can be saved and restored, “if you have enough money.”As problems, he cites holes in the flooring; the back (where the fire was) is open to the elements; someone took out some of the building’s floor joists and the floor now sags; and the foundation on a new addition (new being a relative term), since it was added a number of years ago, needs to be dug up. “Because it was not put into code and that’s why I put a stop work order on it,” he said.

The list of repairs is extensive but not endless. If purchasing and fixing up the building is too costly a business proposition, isn’t it still within the bounds of a labor of love? Snyder says it wouldn’t be love, but insanity. I point out that love can sometimes exceed the bounds of sanity. He concedes that point.

The non-profit plan

The mansion called “one of Ulster’s most complexly picturesque houses” by William Rhoades in Ulster County, New York: The Architectural History & Guide was built by paper magnate W.R. Sheffield in 1883. The architect was Alfred H. Thorp, who had been Edward T. Potter’s junior partner in the design of Mark Twain’s Victorian Gothic house in Hartford, and the house resembles it with its twin but not identical gables. Sheffield, the heir to the J.B. Sheffield & Son paper company, located on the Esopus Creek, called the estate Cloverlea [also sometimes Clovelea]. Later, after housing other families, it became an inn and, most recently, Dragon Inn, a thriving Chinese restaurant.

Historic preservationists point to this legacy when seeking support from local government to protect the home. The Clovelea Conservancy takes its inspiration from the Saugerties Lighthouse Conservancy, which successfully acquired and restored the derelict lighthouse. Smith said the group would even copy the lighthouse business plan and make the home a B&B.

“I see Clovelea as Saugerties’s Wilderstein,” Smith said, referencing the historic home and magnificent gardens in Rhinebeck in Dutchess County. “It’s very restorable.”

The group, which has about 20 members, recently applied for 501(c)(3) charitable status. The next step would be to take out a mortgage and make an offer. The listing price is $1 million, which Smith said is on the high side. He cites an assessment on the website Zillow.com of $325,000 as more realistic. Combined with the estimate for repairs, that’s a total of $625,000.

“Between a mortgage and donations, we should be able to do it,” Smith said. The group has set up an online petition here.

Former building inspector and Lighthouse Conservancy president Alex Wade is skeptical the new group could pull off a Lighthouse-style project. For starters, they got the Lighthouse for $1. As a symbol of Saugerties, it was extremely popular, and local fundraisers netted $75,000. Another $75,000 came through the Hudson River Foundation, obviously not an option for Clovelea. Three $50,000 grants came from the state, the village and a fund created following the Exxon-Valdez oil spill. High quality, reasonably priced contractors did the work. All told the project cost around $400,000 and an incredible amount of hard work and luck, even with the advantages the Lighthouse had.

However, Wade did say, “It’s a sensational, wonderful building that could be saved.” He believes it would require a different method, though — someone would have to invest money and open a business there; there’s not enough grant money in this era of austerity.

Local government’s role

Meanwhile, the Historic Review Board is moving forward with historic landmark designation for the main house, carriage house and gate house. An earlier 2007 designation was judged incomplete by the village attorney earlier this year. The owner, who reignited the issue last fall with the request to demolish the building, is obviously opposed to the designation, which would only make it harder to raze. The Review Board is expected to make the full designation, at which point Wu can appeal to the state, citing financial hardship. (He owes nearly $70,000 in back taxes and faces foreclosure from the county and a private lender.) If granted, the demolition request would go to the Village Board.

Snyder said he’s not sure what his client would do. Previous reports of a plan to build upscale condos on the property were exaggerated; they related to a hypothetical scenario he offered to the board. He said there are no set plans to develop the property; the only goal is to demolish the building and take it from there.

Snyder added that members of the conservancy have asked to meet with him and Wu to discuss the possibility of purchasing the property.

“At which time we will go over the realities of the situation,” Snyder said.