The former Dowling College campus in Oakdale is back on the market.
Tigar Realty, which listed the property now owned by Mercury International LLC., is seeking bids through June 30 for the roughly 25-acre waterfront estate, which includes the Idle Hour Vanderbilt mansion and seven other buildings used by the closed Dowling College.
The 125-year-old, 45,000-square-foot Gilded Age mansion features 110 rooms, 45 bathrooms, and a grand ballroom with a 240-karat-gold leaf ceiling, along with an oak-paneled library imported from a French chateau, according to Tigar Realty’s listing.
“We anticipate there will be a lot of interest,” said Timothy Williams, chairman and CEO of Tigar Realty. “I think the property is so unique that it’s going to take the right organization or buyer, but we do anticipate an active engagement.”
As of April 20, Williams said he hasn’t received any official offers yet, but his firm has heard from companies across different sectors, including education, health care, and hospitality.
The property is currently zoned for residential and educational purposes.
In deciding the property’s future, Williams said that his firm is committed to engaging and sharing updates with the community, and that “a potential right buyer is going to be someone who does the same.”
Williams added that he’s already started dialogues with local civic groups, including the Oakdale Civic Association and Idle Hour Neighborhood Watch, and that he and his team are available to the groups at any time.
“After years of vandalism, we are encouraged at the prospect of new ownership of the former Dowling College property,” the Oakdale Civic Association board said in a statement. “We welcome new developers who will respect the historic nature of the Vanderbilt mansion and the current residential zoning governing the surroundings of the property. We hope this process leads to responsible redevelopment that projects the community’s interests and preserves the significance of this longstanding Oakdale landmark.”
The property has gone largely unused since Dowling’s closure a decade ago, and instances of vandalism and overgrowth spurred the community to take action.
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