MABBETTSVILLE — For those who thought the plan to transform the former Migdale Castle — built by steel tycoon Andrew Carnegie for his only daughter back in 1927 — into a luxury spa hotel with gourmet restaurants and other top-notch amenities was dead, think again.
NYC restaurateur, author and Kingston resident Will Guidara is still chasing his dream to develop the estate located on roughly 350 acres in the Town of Washington (TOW) hamlet of Mabbettsville. He reached out through his publicist to The Millerton News last week to share his newest plans for the application he had withdrawn from the TOW Planning Board in March 2021.
“Since announcing our plans last March, we’ve focused on listening to local feedback and refining our proposal in response to what we heard,” stated Guidara. “That work is still ongoing, but we’ve made a number of changes that we’re excited to share. At its heart, our project is designed to breathe new life into a historic Millbrook building and bring jobs and investment to the area — while preserving its character and history.
“We look forward to continuing our conversation with Town of Washington residents as we craft our new proposal,” he added.
In early February 2021, TOW residents first heard about the application made to the Planning Board by the holding company Janet’s Farm LLC for Guidara’s project. He was interested in purchasing Migdale Castle for the project, named Second Mountain.
The estate was put on the market by the Wildenstein family, valued at $14 million.
The resorts he compared Second Mountain to in other states later that month before the Town Board easily cost visitors $10,000 for a nice, relaxing weekend. There’s no word that’s what Guidara intends to charge at his hotel, once done, especially now that he is making changes for a smaller footprint.
Of course, initial plans called for the Migdale estate to be converted into a luxury hotel with two restaurants, glamping facilities, guest cottages, an indoor pool and spa, hiking trails, tennis courts and other amenities, according to the original application.
That application immediately became a hot topic at Town Board meetings and around the community. Some of the above features have since changed, said Guidara.
For one, he no longer intends to include glamping on site. Nor did he mention in last week’s interview any outdoor amenities except tennis courts, and the indoor spa and pool, if included, would only be for guests only and therefore not impact neighboring residents.
Guidara appeared at numerous Zoom presentations in 2021 with the Town Board, TOW Planning and Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA). He needed ZBA approval for a Zoning Overlay District for his original project to proceed.
Community concerns
Some of those virtual meetings drew nearly 200 attendees — quite possibly a town record — as the project quickly became controversial.
In fact, two different residential groups formed to protest Second Mountain; both groups hired attorneys to fight the application.
Immediate neighbors said they didn’t want their pristine woodlands altered, and that such a large project would change the quaint character of the village. They also claimed Second Mountain was not in accordance with the TOW’s Comprehensive Plan (CP).
Some in town said they were overwhelmed by the sheer size and opulence of Guidara’s plans, and feared an increase in traffic, noise and light pollution.
Others were concerned about its impact on the town’s water supply, its production of waste and that it would disturb the local environment.
Others see bright side
Yet some in the community said they favored the project, citing its economic advantages, the number of tourists it would attract to the town and village and the number of jobs it would produce locally.
Application and CP
Washington Town Supervisor Gary Ciferri had received a letter from Joshua Mackey, an attorney representing Guidara, on Feb. 18, 2021. The attorney requested the town amend the CP to allow for a zoning overlay district and that it permit hospitality uses in the restricted zone and in the CP.
By April 8, 2021, Ciferri announced he had received another letter from Guidara’s attorneys rescinding the previous petition for the overlay district that would have allowed the mixed-use zone of the property.
Mackey argued that after hearing from the community and various boards, it seemed the only path toward approving the project demanded the TOW have an opportunity to amend its CP, which was passed in 2015.
A moratorium was ultimately passed by the Town Board to halt all further review of the Second Mountain application or any others seeking to create hospitality uses until the CP could be reviewed, and possibly amended.
CPRC survey results
A Comprehensive Plan Review Committee (CPRC) was ultimately formed, consultants were hired, a survey conducted and an Open House held this February.
The results indicated that the current CP does support hospitality uses. The consensus was that residents prefer smaller rather than larger facilities; the environment must be protected; hospitality businesses must not adversely impact residences and should fit in with the town’s rural character. It was also agreed that emergency services should not be compromised, nor should anyone’s safety or security be threatened by such uses in town.
New project details
Guidara addressed some of these issues with The Millerton News, stating that the new project is much smaller in size than the original application for Second Mountain, with 77 hotel rooms rather than 95.
The accommodation structures are also fewer, down from 77 units to 40 units. Only one new residence is planned, for the Guidara family.
Parking will be moved deeper into the property, though the tennis courts will remain where they are.
The developer said he reached an agreement with the current owners of Migdale Castel to extend the purchase contract as his team moves forward.
The $60 million overhaul to the estate is expected to create 130 new jobs in addition to construction jobs. Guidara also noted that improvements will increase the property value, thereby increasing tax revenue for the TOW.
“The project fits under existing zoning provisions with modifications” and does not require an “overlay district,” he added.
The applicant is working with Chazen Companies for its environmental and engineering designs and details, as well as for environmental and land-use issues.
Mitigation factors
The town’s aquifers and water supply will not be impacted by the project, he added, and all wetlands and related species will be protected and preserved. The project managers plan to have waste treatment equipment on site to properly dispose of all waste, as well, to deal with residents’ concerns.
Also wanting to address concerns about traffic, Second Mountain reps said there should be minimal impact on local roads as the site is located off Route 44, which can easily accommodate vehicles. Additionally, Migdale is set far from neighbors, is surrounded by hilly terrain and is not visible from the road, also mitigating concerns about additional noise and light.
TOW response
When called on Thursday, March 31, Washington Town Clerk Mary Alex relayed she’s heard nothing new about the Second Mountain project recently. Same went for Ciferri. Zoning Administrator and Building Inspector James Finley also said he had no new information to share.
Soon enough…
Guidara said he plans to make his new plans public and available to the TOW, its residents and any interested parties so there can be future discussions. Soon he plans to submit a new application to the TOW so the project can start to move forward through the official channels.
Aly Morrissey
If you’ve driven down Main Street in Millerton, you’ve passed the former home and shop of one of the village’s earliest female entrepreneurs. At a time when most businesses were owned by men, Mary Kisselbrack made a name for herself in the late 1800s as a well-respected milliner and dressmaker.
On April 11, 1891, train conductor George Kisselbrack purchased a 124-by-232-foot vacant lot at 54 Main St. and hired locally renowned builders Beers and Trafford to design what would become their home and Mary’s business.
In a historical document, “A Beckon Call to a Village,” the house was referred to as “one of the handsomest, architecturally, in the village.” With gables, pointed roof lines and delicate shades of colors on its exterior ornamentation, the document noted that “no stranger passes it without an admiring glance.”
Today, the home still stands, and recently operated as a restaurant called Manna Dew Cafe, which closed its doors in 2023.
Mary Kisselbrack operated her business out of the west side of her home and developed a reputation for her skill, style, and business acumen.
“Mrs. Kisselbrack spares no pains in satisfying her patrons,” an 1890s Telegram article, the village’s newspaper at the time, said.
Kisselbrack’s reputation earned her customers from different parts of the country — some as far away as Florida — in addition to regular clients from Salisbury, Lakeville, Sharon, Amenia, Pine Plains, Copake and Hillsdale.
“With a woman of the long experience and exquisite taste of Mrs. Kisselbrack at the head of the millinery and dressmaking business, we may be sure that our wives and daughters will be reasonably supplied with the most stylish bonnets and dresses,” the article said.
In her 1905 obituary, Kisselbrack was described as a “self-made woman” who possessed “more than ordinary ability.”
On Oct. 5, 1905 — just over two months shy of her 56th birthday — Kisselbrack died following a severe, three-week illness. According to an obituary that appeared in the Millerton Telegram, she suffered a fibrous tumor and peritonitis.
“While she was not afraid to die, she lamented leaving home and loved ones,” the obituary said. “She talked of dying and of her funeral arrangements as calmly as if going away on a visit.”
Nathan Miller
Millerton’s business community will soon see the completion of a public wastewater system, addressing what local officials and business owners have called a major constraint on commercial development in the community for decades.
The $13.8 million project, which is expected to serve the core of the Village of Millerton and a commercial stretch of the Town of North East along U.S. Route 44, represents one of the largest infrastructure investments in the community in decades, and brings an end to calls for a sewer system that stretch back to World War II. Officials say the system will safeguard local waterways while creating a foundation for long-term economic stability.
Millerton trustee Matt Soleau, who has been working closely on the wastewater project and also operates a local full-service custom building firm, said in February that both residents and businesses are constrained by outdated septic systems, particularly on smaller lots where upgrades cannot meet modern health standards.
The proposed wastewater district aims to serve the core of the village, including its business district, as well as the commercial section of the Town of North East along Route 44 extending from Cumberland Farms to the New York-Connecticut border. Properties within the proposed service area currently rely on individual septic systems, including tanks with leach fields, and outdated systems like seepage pits, cesspools and holding tanks.
Village officials said many properties are limited not by zoning alone, but by septic constraints.
“As a result, many homes cannot legally add bedrooms, create accessory dwelling units or convert existing structures,” Soleau said.
Under the proposed system, most properties would retain their existing septic tanks if they are code-compliant and in good working condition. If a tank does not meet current standards, a new one would be installed as part of the project.
The existing tanks will still be used to collect solid waste, but liquid waste will travel through the municipal system to a treatment center. Treated wastewater will then be returned to Webatuck Creek.
Existing leach fields would be taken out of service and left in place, allowing property owners to reclaim that land for landscaping, driveways or ADUs.
For businesses, many commercial properties rely on old septic systems that are already maxed out, which makes it difficult or impossible to open water-heavy businesses like restaurants, cafes, salons or fitness studios.
Officials also emphasize the environmental benefits. A modern, up-to-date wastewater system will protect the natural environment, including the Webatuck Creek that flows right through the village.
Village officials say the construction phase will aim to limit disruption throughout the village and town, proceeding in targeted segments, with defined areas opened for installation, restored, and then closed before crews move on. The goal, Soleau said, is to allow normal activity to continue as much as possible throughout the process.
“Protecting the safety of our residents and visitors, preserving continuity of local businesses, maintaining access, and retaining residents’ quality of life throughout construction are non-negotiable priorities,” Soleau added.
The project hit major milestones this year, with village officials securing needed funding from a congressionally-directed spending grant of just under $4 million announced in February. That additional federal funding represented the last chunk of money needed to move the project forward.
Officials expect to begin construction on the system next year, with a tentative completion date targeting 2028.
Additional reporting provided by Aly Morrissey.
Graham Corrigan
Wooden beams made from tree trunks comprise the load-bearing structure under Millerton’s Moviehouse.
There are a handful of buildings that have stood the test of time over Millerton’s 175-year history. But if there’s one that stands out as a singular representation of the town, it’s the Millerton Moviehouse and its iconic clock tower.
Built in 1903 as a grange hall, it was soon converted into a movie theater with a second-floor ballroom. It was one of a handful of buildings that came to define the town in the following decades, standing tall across the street from the Episcopal Church and Millerton Inn, next to Terni’s, and up the hill from Millerton’s train station.
When a fire destroyed the local department store and other storefronts on the north side of Main Street in 1955, the Moviehouse became a landmark that represented the village’s early history.
It fell into disrepair in the 1970s and was briefly run as an adult theater. Marian and Carr Ferguson bought the theater in 1974, hoping to revive its status as a first-run theater and remove the pornographic element. Their four teenage daughters ran the theater for two years before the Fergusons sold the Moviehouse to Carol and Robert Sadlon in 1978.
“It was a single theater with 300 seats. There was no heat, no air conditioning,” said Carol Sadlon when asked about the state of the theater when she and her husband purchased it.
The Sadlons worked hard to improve the facilities over their nearly 50-year tenure. They added heat, air conditioning, and a second screening room. In 2012, they replaced the 35mm projection systems with a digital system.
But when COVID hit in 2020, the Moviehouse was an early casualty. By November 2020, the property was on the market, and the whole concept of movie theaters was in question.
Vaccines arrived in early 2021 — and a buyer for the Moviehouse followed soon after. The new co-chairs, David Maltby and Chelsea Altman, made the purchase in February 2021 and reopened the theater as a non-profit.
Its new non-profit status allowed the Moviehouse’s operators to seek grant funding. They initiated a massive renovation campaign that included redesigning both floors and adding an elevator. They also replaced the signage, and upgraded the seating this past April.
This past month, the Moviehouse received $99,000 as part of a grant provided by the New York State Council on the Arts that will pay to renovate and stabilize the 120-year-old building.
Looking forward, general manager Jeremy Boviard has big plans for the Moviehouse’s future. “What excites me about the possibilities looking forward is that we continue our positive trajectory as a regional arts center,” Boviard said. “We want to reach a wide variety of demographics, and continue to grow in lockstep with the needs of our community.”
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Aly Morrissey
Ralph Fedele sits at a desk in the historic Irondale Schoolhouse, which he led the effort to relocate to downtown Millerton.
“It was in dire straits. Right on the road, but beautiful. I remember thinking, ‘Wouldn’t that be a great building to move into the village?’” —Ralph Fedele
A one-room schoolhouse sits on Main Street along the Harlem Valley Rail Trail, offering an opportunity for locals and visitors to step inside a piece of living history.
The Irondale Schoolhouse that now sits in downtown Millerton was not originally located on Main Street. The building was first constructed in 1858 along what is now Route 22 in the Irondale section of town, defined by Irondale road and the Old Mill that still sits along Webatuck Creek. At the time, the schoolhouse was one of 14 that served the Town of North East’s children.
Starting in 2015, the building was disassembled and moved — piece-by-piece — thanks to the efforts of a local organization called the Friends of the Irondale Schoolhouse and a Millerton resident that has dedicated much of his life to the community and preserving local landmarks.
That man is Ralph Fedele, a revered figure in the community both for his efforts to restore, maintain and educate people about the former schoolhouse and for more than a decade serving on the North East Town Board.
Fedele moved to Millerton from New York City 37 years ago, in 1988, and has since worn many hats – volunteer, historian, advocate, elected official – yet he still doesn’t believe he’s earned that title.
“I’m a transplant,” he said matter of factly. “I’m from the city.”
Years after settling in Millerton full time, Fedele was driving north on Route 22 when he spotted an old, classic building and couldn’t stop thinking about it.
“It was in dire straits,” he recalled. “Right on the road, but beautiful. I remember thinking, ‘Wouldn’t that be a great building to move into the village?’”
That moment would eventually turn into Fedele’s lasting legacy.
Fedele joked that people may have thought he was crazy during the lengthy restoration. “I was a tyrant,” he said with a laugh. “I really made sure that we were able to get it done.” The effort required coordination with the state, the county, village and town officials, and his newly assembled nonprofit board.
As a self-proclaimed history buff, Fedele didn’t stop at the restoration. He found a list of students in old records and did what any determined historian would do. He opened the telephone book and started making calls.
Eventually, he tracked down one of the schoolhouse’s original students – Mary (Mechare) Leitch – who, at the age of 101, returned to the building after renovations were complete.
“It was a marvelous time,” smiled Fedele. “I was so happy to see her.”
North East Town Supervisor Chris Kennan, left, and Mary Leitch, who was the last living Irondale Schoolhouse student until her death in 2025.Provided
Leitch died on Dec. 24, 2025, at the age of 103.
Leitch was born in Millerton in 1922 and grew up on Winchell Mountain in the hamlet of Irondale. Her early schooling was at Irondale’s 1858 one-room schoolhouse until it closed in 1930. She was proud of having been the last person to attend the school. From the third grade onward, she attended school in the Millerton school district.
“If you sit still, you will rust,” was a favorite Leitch saying, perhaps inspired by the Irondale district and the area’s iron industry.
Leitch delighted in the outdoors and in the company of animals and people, caring for many dogs—especially Jack Russells—and cherishing the horses that were part of her long, vibrant life. An avid sportswoman, she enjoyed deer hunting and fishing, keeping her licenses current right up until her passing. She was a longtime member of both the Jack Russell Club of America and the Dutchess County Professional Horsemen’s Association.
In 1958, she married William “Billy” Leitch of Millbrook, a professional horseman, sharing a love of the sporting life and enjoying active membership in the Millbrook Hunt Club. Billy pre-deceased her in 2015.
Nathan Miller
Millerton’s former Water Department building, ravaged by fire, as it awaited demolition in summer 2025.
Nearly 18 months after a fire destroyed Millerton’s Public Works building, which housed the Highway Department and Water Department, construction is expected to begin within weeks on a new Water Department facility and pumphouse.
The new building would restore the village’s full water pumping capacity and allow officials to end the state of emergency declared after the fire. Village officials are also planning a separate Highway garage, with details of that project still being finalized.
Fire project manager Caroline Farr-Killmer has been in charge of replacing the building since the fire destroyed it. In June, she said construction could begin on the new Water Department and pumphouse once the plan is approved by the Dutchess County Department of Health.
Millerton Mayor Jenn Najdek said she expects construction to start as soon as the designs get approval from the health department.
Officials described the new Water Department building as an urgent need. Farr-Killmer explained the village’s water system has been functioning with just one operational well, causing concerns about potential water shortages at that wellhead and its longevity. The village cannot operate the second well until it is enclosed in a structure, Farr-Killmer said.
Najdek originally expected Board of Health approval to come in early June, but as of Thursday, July 9, the plans are stalled as health officials deliberate the plans.
Despite the stall, Najdek doesn’t expect the project to affect Millerton’s plans for the week-long celebration of Millerton’s 175th birthday set for July 11 to 19.
Since the fire last winter, property restoration firm BELFOR has been working to clear and prep the site for a brand new set of buildings.
Farr-Killmer explained the Water Department building, which will house one of Millerton’s municipal wells, must now be a separate structure from the Highway Department building due to environmental and health regulations. Municipal wells require up to a 200-foot buffer from other structures to prevent drinking water contamination.
In the weeks after the fire, Farr-Killmer visited the charred building almost daily and documented damage to the structure and inventory. She said the fire itself was only the beginning, and pointed out that navigating insurance, rebuilding plans and deadlines have been hidden challenges.
Graham Corrigan
NorthEast-Millerton Library
A new initiative at the NorthEast-Millerton Library aims to digitize a collection of photographs, newspapers and other historical materials documenting the community’s early history.
Once completed, the collection will be available online and will include photographs, yearbooks, newspaper microfilm and slides reflecting the area’s past. The materials come from personal collections as well as archives from the Millerton News and its predecessor, the Millerton Telegraph.
Library Director Rhiannon Leo-Jameson has been overseeing the project. “It’s fascinating to see what makes it in,” she said. “There’s lots of landscapes and scenery, and little moments from town, like children jumping rope. Those sometimes have a hand-written caption, like, ‘having fun on the first nice day of the year.’”
Momentous occasions are also included — politician Robert Moses pops up during a campaign tour through the region, and Hudson Valley native Franklin Delano Roosevelt is a recurring figure. A member of his security detail was from Millerton.
The selection of what is being posted online involves a process that still relies on the discernment of the human eye. “I was surprised at how manual it still is,” Leo-Jameson said. “They spot check a reel to determine the image quality and aperture, then they scan the whole reel, then they send it to a second company who will manually segment the news articles.
Once the images are fully digitized, they’ll be available on the Hudson River Valley Heritage website at hrvh.org. Yearbooks dating back to 1951 from Webutuck School District and Millerton Union Free High School are already available. “There are so many names I know from working in the community,” said Leo-Jameson, “and it’s amazing to see how young they were.”
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