Abandoned 1837 Church Converted to 37-acre Catskills Landscape—Complete with Bell Tower Library

An early 19th-century Greek Revival church that was abandoned two separate times has been “carefully reimagined” into a $3 million landmark in upstate New York.

Spanning over 37 acres at the foot of the Catskill Mountains, this property retains its original 1837 log frame, with hand-exposed beams creating a stunning view from the moment you walk through the door.

“What really stands out is the great room, which is the church itself,” said the listing agent Annabelle Taylorof Four Seasons–Sotheby’s International Realty. “Yes, all those exposed beams provide the ‘wow’ factor as well.”

Those rays are just one of many signs of the site’s former life as a religious center—which ended in the 1990s, when it fell into disrepair to the point of demolition.

Almost thirty years later, new life has been breathed into the area at the hands of architects Nik Vekic again Quinn Marquardtwho bought the derelict church for the record low price of $425,000 in 2023, years after a previous attempt to save the building was abandoned.

At that time, the church, which had been dismantled and moved from its old location to Gilboa, NY, was in a bad state. However, that didn’t stop Vekic and Marquardt of ICDT Studio from seeing the potential of intestinal remnants.

“The previous owner moved the church to its current location with the intention of turning it into a residential area, but that idea was never fully realized,” said Taylor. “The sellers have completed the work and have come again.

“They also extended the lower level with more living space. It’s a very large building with a large community room, but there’s a lot of space separation so you can have a lot of privacy.”

Vekic and Marquardt spent two years transforming the church into the stunning 6,242-square-foot facility it is today—one that honors its heritage, while offering an array of modern amenities.

“When we first walked through it, we saw the first wooden church frame, and we both saw the power of that,” Vekic told Mansion Global.

The soaring cathedral ceiling served as inspiration for its stunning great room, which features an open floor plan, an eye-catching fireplace, and a large dining area with a table that runs from one side of the space to the other.

As for the building’s steel tower, the design duo transformed it into a library, with bookshelves extending up to large windows that fill the space with natural light.

Also found throughout the stunning interior are a 600-bottle, temperature-controlled wine cellar hidden under the stairs, accessible through steel doors; a guest wing with a four-bed room; and a home office on the third floor with a separate staircase in the front tower of the church.

“They were inspired by the structure of the church, but this is the first change they have made,” he said. “It makes for an amazing living space. They are very creative people who own a design studio.”

Other designer highlights include a floor-to-ceiling gas stove in the great room, a dining room designed for high-end entertaining, and a chef’s kitchen with marble countertops and a pantry with a second sink and a wood-paneled refrigerator.

The exit level includes a media room with a wet bar and a laundry room with dual washers/dryers.

The finished product, as it were, can be purchased as a retreat—or it can be considered the basis of a larger, composite-style property or investment opportunity, Taylor notes.

“There is no zoning in the city of Balboa, so you can have a hospitality business because there are no restrictions,” he notes.

“With 30 hectares, you might be able to separate this place. There are walking paths, streams, waterfalls, and outdoor rocks. So apart from the living space, this place is very beautiful. You can go hiking and never leave the place. It’s amazing.

“It’s located in the foothills of the Catskills, so it has a nice retreat feel, yet you can be at the Windham Mountain Club in 20 minutes. This place can work for a lot of people. A casual can be a family, but it can also go to a fun-loving couple.”