William Pitt Julia B. Fee Sotheby's International Realty
- Abercrombie & Fitch cofounder David T. Abercrombie's castle is on sale in New Castle, New York.
- The four-bedroom home sits on nearly 50 acres of land, though it's not livable as is.
- The property is on sale for $2.9 million.
A castle built by an Abercrombie & Fitch cofounder could be yours for just short of $3 million.
About an hour's drive from Manhattan, you can find the Abercrombie Estate in New Castle, New York. The 49.6-acre lot includes a 4,337-square-foot castle.
The property, listed by Christina Diminno of Julia B. Fee Sotheby's International Realty, was completed in 1927 by David T. Abercrombie, the cofounder of Abercrombie & Fitch, according to its listing on Realtor.
William Pitt Julia B. Fee Sotheby's International Realty
The Realtor listing states that Abercrombie designed the home to fit his wife's vision. The property includes the castle — which features a tower, a large patio with an outdoor fireplace, and a spiral staircase — and a barn.
According to Westchester Magazine, the Scottish-inspired castle had 25 rooms when it was built, including servant's quarters. Abercrombie created an acronym from his children's names — Elizabeth, Lucy, David, and Abbott — to title it Elda.
The outlet reported that a paint-researching company later bought the castle, but it ended up abandoned during the 1950s, incurring fire damage that it never fully recovered from.
William Pitt Julia B. Fee Sotheby's International Realty
After it changed ownership several times, Morgan Immovable Property Corp. bought it in 2011. The company has been trying to sell it since 2017, Westchester Magazine reported.
Diminno told Westchester Magazine that after the house was listed in 2017, Abercrombie's descendants expressed interest in purchasing the property but didn't have the funds. So it remains on the market for $2.9 million.
Today, the castle is listed as having four bedrooms and four and a half bathrooms, but it isn't livable.
William Pitt Julia B. Fee Sotheby's International Realty
Neither the barn nor the castle have modern plumbing or electricity, and they must be completely renovated before they can be lived in. It's also covered in spray paint and has broken windows and doors, highlighting how it's been run down in recent years.
Abercrombie founded the Abercrombie Company in 1892 as a sporting goods store, the company's website states. It became Abercrombie & Fitch in 1904 when Ezra Fitch joined as Abercrombie's partner, but Abercrombie left the company by 1910 when it opened its first department store.
The company's heyday was in the early 2000s, but it's become popular again with Gen Z shoppers. Perhaps renewed interest in the brand will help the property find a new steward.