185 Colony Road, Arkville, NY

About 185 Colony Road

A very rare opportunity to own a piece of art history in Arkville! The Pakatakan Artist Colony was formed in 1886, when John Francis Murphy, an American landscape painter, persuaded local businessman Peter Hoffman to build a hotel to accommodate visiting artists. Many artists fell in love with the area, and decided to stay and build summer houses and art studios for their painting. This particular house and studio was built for Parker Mann, also a painter of landscapes, who christened it ''Nestlewood.'' The artist's houses were purposely built to blend into the forested mountainside of the Catskills, and the styles of each house had similarities in construction and design. This seasonal home has four bedrooms, a generous living room and kitchen, a covered screened-in porch, and many windows that are original to the home, to let in the light. Two of the bedrooms upstairs have balconies, so one could enjoy the early morning sunshine, or the fog coming through the trees. The living room has a fireplace with a wood stove insert, which is the only heat source. The covered porch is delightful and large enough for a gathering of your closest friends. The studio is slightly smaller than the house, but feels grander. It has two bedrooms; a small one on the first floor and a more expansive one on the second floor, with lots of windows. It has a WC, and a sink in the hallway. Its high ceilings and tall north-facing windows let the right kind of light in for an artist at their easel. This house and studio have stood the test of time, but they both need a lot of love. Built on piers, the house has begun to shift noticeably, while the studio is more level. House roof was replaced in 2025, studio roof in 2018. The main house balcony was rebuilt in 2025. Some of the piers the house sits on were reinforced with concrete footers and wood supports a few years ago, but the piers under the kitchen could use the same. There is a drilled well, and the septic system is unknown. However, it can absolutely be restored as a special place in an enchanting era of Catskills history!

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