This inviting property was the country home of New York City radio legend Leonard Lopate and artist Melanie Baker. It’s located in Pawling, N.Y., a peaceful, quiet village not too far from Poughkeepsie or Danbury, Conn. The couple’s main home is in Lopate’s native Brooklyn.
Leonard Lopate has been a fixture on New York radio since 1977. He had a long-running show on WBAI called “Round Midnight,” with late-night interviews and also call-in discussion. In the mid-1980s, Lopate moved to WNYC to present a midday talk show that was eventually called “The Leonard Lopate Show.” He was renowned for interviewing luminaries from politics, the arts — names like Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Gore Vidal, Sting, and so on. Unfortunately, Lopate was fired by WNYC in 2017 for making some off-color remarks to female radio staffers, such as calling one of them “bosomy,” and informing another that the avocado was named for the Aztec word for testicle. After that, Lopate came back on WBAI and can be listened to online at wbai.org.
As for his wife, Melanie Baker’s artist’s statement begins as follows: “My work is focused on power and the demise of empire. I make large scale drawings in graphite, charcoal, and pigments.” The barn/artist studio on this property bears witness to her large-scale drawings.
The couple have just sold this place, listed with Andrew Gates at Houlihan Lawrence with a final asking price of $725,000. The home is updated yet still contains ample evidence of 1940s charm, including original wood paneling and a fireplace. The open floor plan flows beautifully, from kitchen to beamed living area, to French doors to the stone patio. Of particular note is the slate-floored mudroom and the many built-in bookshelves, as well as the window seat. Four bedrooms and three baths are located in 2,676 square feet. The plot, too, is very attractive. Six acres of land includes a creek, the barn, and old-growth tulip trees.
Given how charming the place is, it’s not at all surprising that someone has snapped up this attractive getaway.