Fiorello La Guardia served three successful terms as mayor of New York City from 1933-1945. After his political career, he moved to the English Tudor mansion set in the rural Fieldston section of Riverdale in the Bronx. After retiring from politics, he lived a quiet country life on this estate until he died in the home in 1947.The home was originally built for the famed magazine illustrator, Arthur I. Keller. Because Fieldston was a private community with an interest in historic preservation, only certain architects were “approved” to build in this area. It’s likely this reason that the stately 8 bedroom home retains such high quality architectural bones. The library exudes grandeur with its cathedral ceiling, and occupants can travel through lovely arched doorways as they move from room to room. Exposed beams, a wood-burning fireplace and a blissful garden room that opens directly to a patio and landscaped yard are lovely features.The kitchen, though in need of an update, has a lot to offer with plenty of space and an authentic butler’s pantry. Other bonuses are the 2 car garage and a spacious finished attic.The owner after La Guardia was Robert Silverberg, a science fiction author that made most of his money from a side venture writing erotic novels. He even alluded to the estate in one of his books, The Book of Skulls. He wrote, “how unreal the whole immortality thing seemed to me now, with the jeweled cables of the George Washington Bridge gleaming far to the southwest, and the soaring bourgeois towers of Riverdale hemming us on to the right, and the garlicky realities of Manhattan straight ahead.”If that description strikes your fancy, this estate should definitely be on your radar. Susan Baldwin of Robert E. Hill, Inc has the listing, according to 6sqft.
