Red Hook’s Steen Valetje estate sells at a discounted price

The historic Red Hook estate known as Steen Valetje has been sold for $18.5 million, a drop from the $25 million from its June listing price.

The 290-acre estate at 124 Eden Knoll was built in 1851 as a gift from William Backhouse Astor Sr. to his daughter Laura, who married Franklin Hughes Delano, a businessman and great uncle to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The Roosevelt family owned the estate through 1966 and went through several owners before being acquired in 2020 for $16.5 million by Suzy Welch, the writer and widow of former General Electric chief executive Jack Welch.

Welch renovated the 16,600-square-foot mansion, which has 10 bedrooms, nine bathrooms and three half-bathrooms. The three-floor residence has two fully appointed kitchens, 16 fireplaces and an elevator.

The Wall Street Journal reported that despite the discounted sale price, the transaction nonetheless became a record price for a Dutchess County residence ”“ the previous record was $18.37 million set in 2011 for a Millbrook estate.