Rhinebeck farm once owned by mob boss lists for $1.5M

One mob boss was more interested in raising horses than using their remains to terrify a recalcitrant movie mogul.

The 98-acre Rhinebeck horse farm once owned by Anthony “Fat Tony” Salerno, the late boss of New York’s Genovese crime family, has hit the market for $1.5 million. “Tony’s Horse Farm,” as the listing calls it, has pastoral mountain views, more than a mile of riding trails and an in-ground pool, making it a peaceful spot for Salerno to recuperate between stints in prison in the 1970s and 1980s for racketeering, loansharking and illegal gambling.

The Rhinebeck horse farm (Hudson Modern)

The realtor, Zev Eisenberg of Hudson Modern, said he’s opting to market the Hudson Valley property on its merits rather than its past.

“It’s certainly steeped in history, but we decided that the many unique selling points were better to focus on,” Eisenberg told The Real Deal in an email. “It’s also extremely private – one of the reasons Tony bought it in the first place!”

Salerno, who died in prison in 1992 at the age of 80, is far from the only renowned connection to the Rhinebeck, long a destination for well-heeled New Yorkers seeking a rural escape that’s about 100 miles north of the city. The 19th-century business magnate and Titanic victim John Jacob Astor IV was born in Rhinebeck, and a local estate once owned by Astor was the site of former first daughter Chelsea Clinton’s wedding in 2010. That event put a spotlight on the once-sleepy town, and gave a welcome jolt to its real estate market.

The property at 214 Oriole Mills Road, a 10-minute drive to the village itself, has a 480-foot elevation facing west, putting it on a small mountaintop with views to the Catskills, Eisenberg said, declining to identify the seller. It hit the market just over a week ago.

The Rhinebeck horse farm (Hudson Modern)

The property is split into two parcels, one with a Rhinebeck address and the other in Red Hook and both with mountain views, creating an opportunity to build two luxury homes in addition to the farm, the listing says. Eisenberg said several showings have been for siblings or parents seeking a family compound.

It includes a caretaker’s studio and a large, 200-year-old timber framed chestnut barn that the listing suggests could be dismantled and sold for lumber. The property includes two other barns, an eight-stall one with a hay loft and an 8,200-square-foot steel indoor riding rink, and another with stalls for four horses, an office and a bathroom.

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