This historic Hudson Valley estate known as Overlook is where the legendary musician Billy Joel found inspiration to compose songs including “New York State of Mind,” released in 1976 — which he started to write on a Greyhound bus on his way back home to 26 Kings Road in Highland Falls, NY.
This is also where Joel created his fourth studio album, “Songs in the Attic,” which was recorded in 1980 and released in 1981. While Joel never owned this dwelling, he leased it as a long-term rental.
The five-bedroom, four-bathroom main house sits on 2.26 riverfront acres in Orange County. It’s now on the market for $1.99 million — down from its $2.5 million ask earlier this year.
The residence, which became a temple of rock-and-roll inspiration, was built in the 1950s on the foundation of banker JP Morgan’s Gilded Age summer escape. Specifically, the owners’ great grandmother was JP Morgan’s maid there.
That 1880s estate, known as Cragston, burned in a fire in 1948, according to reports. During Morgan’s era, visitors to the home reportedly included Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla and Andrew Carnegie.
When Joel moved in, he had his piano hoisted up through a window into a bedroom on the second floor, according to the current owners, who had turned it into a bed-and-breakfast. That room is now covered with music note wallpaper and is affectionately known as the Billy Joel Room.
The home also features an open chef’s kitchen and a double-sided fireplace that divides the high-ceilinged living room from the sunlit sitting room. Certain original details from Cragston, like the fireplace, remain. French doors in the dining room open to an awning-covered porch.
Outside, there’s a deck and a “daffodil-dotted lawn” overlooking the Hudson River. There’s also a large pool and a one-bedroom, one-bath pool house with a kitchen. The property also features a modern three-bedroom, two-bath carriage house that was built in 2020. The grounds feature mature gardens and century-old trees.
The listing broker is Wendy Maitland of Atelier by Wendy Maitland.