It is older than the White House, built by a British loyalist who fought against the very country that would eventually claim it as a symbol, and buried beneath its floors are brick passageways that may have sheltered both redcoats and runaway slaves. <\/p>\n
The circa 1791 Greek Revival estate at 1569 Hoosick Road in Brunswick, NY \u2014 known locally as \u201cThe White House\u201d \u2014 just hit the market at $595,000 through listing agents Anthony D\u2019Argenzio and Brittany Craig of Houlihan Lawrence, The Post has learned.<\/p>\n
Set on 18.8 pastoral acres outside Troy, near Albany, it is one of the earliest known examples of Greek Revival architecture in the Northeast.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt does predate the original White House<\/a> in DC by about a year,\u201d Craig said. \u201cObviously, the influence at that time was the Roman Empire, democracy, and the Greek architecture that was coming into play in major cities.\u201d<\/p>\n A sprawling circa-1791 Greek Revival estate known locally as \u201cThe White House\u201d has hit the market outside Troy, New York, offering nearly 19 acres tied to both Revolutionary War history and rumored Underground Railroad activity. This Old Hudson at Houlihan Lawrence<\/p>\n Built by John Melchoir File, a German immigrant who fought for the British at the Battle of Saratoga and then stayed put while his loyalist peers fled the country, the 3,444-square-foot mansion on 18.8 acres. This Old Hudson at Houlihan Lawrence<\/p>\n The man behind it was John Melchoir File, a German immigrant and Rensselaerwyck landowner who commanded more than 200 acres and fought at the Battle of Saratoga \u2014 on the British side. <\/p>\n When the war ended, most loyalists fled to Canada or sailed back to Europe. File stayed, and then built one of the most architecturally ambitious homes the region had ever seen.<\/p>\n The home predates its Washington namesake by roughly a year and ranks among the earliest known Greek Revival structures in the Northeast. This Old Hudson at Houlihan Lawrence<\/p>\n \u201cHe was one of a kind. He was incredibly progressive. He was a visionary,\u201d Craig said. \u201cAnd we can see that through and through with this kind of standalone property where we don\u2019t see anything near that, especially that early 1791.\u201d<\/p>\n The home bears all the hallmarks of its Federal-era ambitions \u2014 grand columns, a sweeping curved central staircase, original moldings, exposed beams and neoclassical woodwork so well-preserved that Craig noted, \u201ca lot of social media historians have been posting content around how much of the original woodwork is still intact.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Then there is the basement.<\/p>\n Beneath the home\u2019s wide-plank floors lies a herringbone brick road \u2014 an unlikely material for a residential foundation in any era \u2014 flanked by what appear to be sealed tunnel structures.\u00a0<\/p>\n The home is listed for $595,000. This Old Hudson at Houlihan Lawrence<\/p>\n Beneath its original columns, curved staircase and intact neoclassical woodwork lies a herringbone brick basement with sealed tunnel structures that family lore connects to both post-Revolutionary loyalist escapes and, later, the Underground Railroad. This Old Hudson at Houlihan Lawrence<\/p>\n Family lore, passed down through generations of owners, holds that File used the passageways first to funnel British soldiers northward toward Canada after the Revolution, and later, in the 1830s, turned them over to an altogether different cause.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause that was already there, we were told he was part of the Underground Railroad<\/a>, used that space in the 1830 era to give passageway and safety to those coming from the South that needed protection or getting to Canada, since it was already there,\u201d Craig said.<\/p>\n Craig acknowledged the paper trail is thin.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI really was trying hard in the archives to back that up,\u201d she said, adding that the property sits along what was once a major marching corridor into Vermont and toward Saratoga. \u201cIt\u2019s very likely that George Washington\u2019s cavalry did come through that spot, perhaps even stayed there or influenced the White House as we know it. I didn\u2019t find anything in actual archives to support that other than many, many years of family rumors that went down the line.\u201d<\/p>\n A plaque inside the house reads simply \u201cThe White House.\u201d<\/p>\n A Munich-based interior designer purchased the property in 2017 and completed the bulk of an interior restoration \u2014 central air, marble baths, refinished floors \u2014 before COVID grounded her in Germany and effectively ended the project. This Old Hudson at Houlihan Lawrence<\/p>\n The current owner, who is from Germany, never got a chance to live in the home amid the pandemic shut down. This Old Hudson at Houlihan Lawrence<\/p>\n The property was most recently purchased in 2017 by a Munich-based interior designer with a specialty in historic restoration. Her son was then a college student in Connecticut, making transatlantic trips manageable \u2014 until they weren\u2019t. COVID-19 grounded her in Germany for the better part of two years, and when travel restrictions finally lifted, the contractor backlog<\/a> that had paralyzed the American construction industry made finishing the job nearly impossible from abroad.<\/p>\n \u201cShe never was able to live in the home,\u201d Craig said. \u201cHer family \u2014 she ended up having grandchildren and life turned for all of us quite a bit between 2020 and 2025.\u201d<\/p>\n What she did manage to complete from afar is substantial. The interior received central air conditioning, refinished hardwood floors, updated plumbing and marble bathrooms. The kitchen was extended to add a breakfast room. French doors replaced the original living room windows, opening onto a stone terrace with views across the land. A separately zoned unfinished apartment with electrical already roughed in sits ready for conversion.<\/p>\n The kitchen\u2019s original brick wall \u2014 floor-to-ceiling, clearly load-bearing against the threat of fire from the massive hearths that once heated the space \u2014 was left intact. A preservationist who toured the home told Craig it represented the most original section of the structure. She estimates at least half the house remains as-built.<\/p>\n \u201cThe trim work is insane,\u201d Craig said. \u201cA lot of the spiral staircases, super special.\u201d<\/p>\n The commercially zoned property has already drawn offers from abroad and foot traffic from across the country. This Old Hudson at Houlihan Lawrence<\/p>\n The listing describes the property as a rare opportunity to own a deeply rooted piece of early American history within reach of Albany, Saratoga Springs and southern Vermont. This Old Hudson at Houlihan Lawrence<\/p>\n What remains undone is largely exterior \u2014 the roof chief among them. Craig pegs total renovation completion at roughly 60 to 65 percent, enough that a buyer could move in comfortably while tackling the final phase on their own timeline.<\/p>\n