Adams-Bernstein House Sold, to be Restored for Affordable Housing

The town of Yorktown sold the deteriorating Adams-Bernstein House, which has been the center of some controversy over the last two decades, on Wednesday to a buyer who plans on restoring it as an affordable housing unit.

Mark Franzoso, whose Franzoso Contracting company is located in Croton-on-Hudson, accepted the keys to the home in a ceremonial tradition immediately after the closing. He purchased the house for $170,000.

"My plan is to completely restore the house, and I hope to make it available for affordable housing," Franzoso said. "My plan also includes restoring the barn and making it available for public use, possibly as an entertainment space as it was in the 1940s."

Franzoso would restore the barn and the house, using "green materials." The restored barn would be then made available to small theatre groups, seniors citizens, Yorktown schools for events and other non-profit groups for meetings, fundraisers and entertainment. 

In addition, the property would be subdivided to allow the contractor to build a second house on the site and either sell it at market value or make it available for rent.

"This represents the best kind of scenario when private enterprise works with government to get things done," Yorktown Supervisor Michael Grace said.

The home, an 1840s farmhouse named for the tenant farmers who built it and the couple who once lived there, is located at 3147 Old Yorktown Road. Yorktown realtor William Primavera brokered the deal on behalf of the town.

"This was more a labor of love on my part to find the perfect buyer," Primavera said. "I have been personally dedicated over the past nine years to make sure that the house was saved and restored for adaptive use like this."

Yorktown town board members agreed in May to let Primavera be the listing realtor for the the property, which had fallen into disrepair in the 20 years since it was bequeathed to the town of Yorktown in the will of Helen Bernstein.

Read more about the home's history and the real estate deal by clicking here.

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