“Casa Susanna” For Sale in Hunter, $99,000
Upstater Staff | November 21, 2014We love stumbling upon places like this. On the surface, it appears to be a country farmhouse desperately in need of renovating. But once upon a time, this was the home of Casa Susanna, a Catskills Mountain retreat where men could come to learn how to pass as women. Keep in mind that back then, cross-dressing was deeply frowned-upon if not straight-up illegal, so headmaster Tito Valenti (who preferred Susanna while dressed to the nines) moved his finishing school from his Manhattan apartment to the wilds of the Catskills. There’s a great article in Chronogram from back in 2007 about this place, and you should read it because it’s fascinating. Casa Susanna was also the inspiration behind Harvey Fierstein’s play “Casa Valentina.” And, there’s coffee table book featuring old photos found by book authors Robert Swope and Michel Hurst in a Manhattan flea market (you can find it on Amazon; just ignore the description that says Casa Susanna was located in New Jersey). Anyway, back to the house itself. It’s got 7 bedrooms and sits on nearly 5 acres just north of Hunter Mountain. As we said, it needs work. But what a find, regardless, for anyone looking to own an intriguing piece of Catskills history.
Beds: 7
Baths: 2
Square Feet: 2314
Lot Size: 4.7 acres
Taxes: $4284
3450 Route 23C, Hunter (Welch Realty) GMAP
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