The living room’s vaulted ceiling and general bigness eliminated most chances of coziness, but the giant windows gave lovely views of the valley. It seemed more fussed over than cared for. When I toured one of these homes, a five-bedroom unit belonging to a family (which would cost between $4.6 and $6.5 million there are also smaller units and condos), the overall feeling was that of a place not lived in. Taken together, from the patio of the Ridge House up above the residences, these brown squares on all this lush greenscape are inoffensive, even attractive. The results are modern and fine, a late-to-the-game ski-town expansion vibe. Residents can simply buy a plot of land and build their own structure-pending board approval-but most of the 245 sites include homes that have been chosen from a menu, in both their structure and interior design. The houses offer as many options in their design. There’s a man-made beach, equestrian offerings, shooting, kayaking, tennis, squash, basketball-you name it. Kids who chopper up can swim in the ol’ swimming hole, which they’ve also stocked with bass and trout, should there be any fishers in the family. The property includes a gorgeous three-acre organic farm, where member-residents are encouraged to go “shopping”-I nearly missed my train home because I got caught up playing with the chicks and giant Flemish bunnies in the greenhouse. The 245 houses and condos are built with local materials whenever possible views are maximized the tin roof over our heads had been treated with acid for that weathered dairy-farm aesthetic. ![]() He aims to evoke that spirit on many levels, starting with design. ![]() Meldman talked about the history of the Hudson Valley, how it had supplied New York with all its building materials, milk, and meat, how it was the city’s engine. After his death, Discovery bought the land. Greens fees were $18 per person on weekdays $24 on weekends. “It was terrible,” said Melman of the course’s general upkeep. The local golf course would not permit him to join, so he built his own. ![]() The history of Silo Ridge involves a local man named Tom Segalla, who purchased a 675-acre former dairy farm for $1.15 million in 1985. “As Discovery’s private clubs are apolitical, we would welcome anyone to go through the membership process,” comes the reply, with a note that they’ve hosted presidents of both parties. Later, I ask Meldman if he and his partners would ever consider Donald Trump or any of his kids, if they applied. When you become a member, so do your kids and your parents. Like all of the Discovery locations and clubs, Silo Ridge has vertical membership. Whether his clients come for economic reasons (a real gentleman farmer would want to build it himself, would want it all to be his, and that takes serious money), or a simple lack of creativity, or time, what he’s offering can be best described, like the U2 song, as even better than the real thing. “If you have a ranch and you’re a gentleman farmer, the thing is you have to babysit it 24-7,” he said. He also seemed genuinely enthusiastic about creating an experience for his clients, emulating that of a gentleman farmer in Hudson (as he does for his islanders at the Baker’s Bay destination in the Bahamas or the wannabe mountain men at the Yellowstone Club in Montana).
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