An Old-Fashioned Lodging House
An Old-Fashioned Lodging House by
Historic Homestead Hospitality, LLC
An Affordable Adult Living Arrangement
Historic Salem, New York, minutes away from the Southern Vermont border
A former Manhattan hotelier, Thomas W. Muscatello, and a prominent Retail Executive, Joseph L. Capozzoli, have created a business called the Historic Homestead Hospitality, LLC in Upstate New York. Thomas Muscatello, who worked twenty-three years with Hilton Hotels Corporation, and Joseph Capozzoli, who has been in retail and product development for over twenty-five years, purchased a magnificent 19th century Victorian mansion in Salem, New York. The eleven room historic home has recently been renovated and will be open to the public on November 1, 2006 for long term stays. On the Mansion’s property is a charming 1850’s Carriage House; both are in the Center of the Village.
The Victorian is in the Queen Anne style, the most elaborate and the most eccentric style of all the Victorian style architecture. The style is also referred to as romantic, yet it is the product of a highly unromantic era – the machine age. Their home in Salem has what you’d want to see in a 19th century Victorian of elegance: bay windows, turrets, porches, steeply pitched roof, textured shingles, asymmetrical façade and lemonade porch, brackets and an abundance of decorative detail. The first floor contains a dazzling large foyer, period sitting parlor, formal living room, formal dining room, tea and breakfast room, kitchen and a bathroom facility. The second floor has five grand bedrooms and a bathroom facility with a Jacuzzi tub. All oak and pine flooring is original to the house and recently restored impeccably well. For the interior furnishings, Muscatello and Capozzoli have chosen Victorian Period, Modern and Belle Époque elements in selecting fabrics and furniture, blended together in a minimalist style.
The capacity is four permanent boarders, with full room and board. Each permanent guest will have his/her own private bedroom, all utilities included, and with a furnished or unfurnished option. In other words, you can bring in your very own bedroom furniture if you’d like. Included in the monthly fee are three meals daily with afternoon tea and snacks. Meal planning for special diets is offered. The Victorian also offers a vast assortment of free amenities: TV cable access, high speed internet access, laundry service, housekeeping and local area car service. Each boarder will have complete use of the common areas: study, sitting parlor, computer room, grand dining room, formal living room, breakfast room and enclosed porch. The boarders can invite their friends and family to call upon them at any time. “It is their home within our home”, stated Tom Muscatello.
The all-inclusive monthly fee is $985.00. In calculating an average person’s monthly rent, utility bills, food costs and amenities, this rate is exceptionally reasonable. “We wanted to do something for physically fit and independent seniors who can manage on their own. So many struggle with weekly bills and just barely make ends meet. Affordable living arrangements for seniors are greatly needed all across America”, Capozzoli shared. “It is our small part to be able to open up our home to four seniors out there who wish to live well in a quiet rural setting. If you are a fifty something recent retiree or an independent octogenarian seeking companionship, desirous for a change from city living, searching for an affordable solution, and wanting better quality of life, we are the answer to wishful thinking”. Their Victorian is not a nursing facility and medical care is not provided. It can be summed up as an elegant private residence in which you will come to live comfortably in a relaxed, yet elegant, home environment, where services are rendered graciously and where meals are prepared according to your liking. “And you have to walk to the Post Office next door to pick up your mail because they do not deliver the mail in Salem.” Idyllic, peaceful, and serene!
Salem is in Washington County and is half way between NYC and Montreal, just three and one half hours from Manhattan. “When we want to connect with nature, we take a stroll in the magnificent countryside and breathe in the Vermont Green Mountain air. When we feel like visiting a city, we take a short ride to Saratoga Springs and Albany. When we feel like shopping, we take a drive to Manchester, Vermont, a lovely town filled with shops. When we want culture, we visit the Hyde Museum in Glens Falls or attend one of the many art galleries in the County. Theater is alive and well in Upstate New York, too.”
Salem boasts of “Music from Salem Musicians” performers, the Fort Salem Theater for the Performing Arts, Salem Art Works (SAW) on 120 acres of Salem pasture, three famous local Covered Bridges: Rexleigh, Eagleville and Shushan, Mettawee River Theater Company, historical homes on the National Landmark Registry and
Steiningers Chocolate Factory and Restaurant.
A journalist with the Troy Daily Times called Salem in 1888 “the prettiest town in Northern New York.” Thomas and Joseph recall their first visit to Salem last year and exclaimed “Salem is the prettiest Village in North America.” They fell in love with the 18th and 19th century architecture on East Broadway, a National Landmark District in the Village. Salem acquired its name after a compromise between the Congregation of Presbyterians who insisted on calling it New Perth and the New Englanders who called it White Creek. The two parties came together harmoniously and settled on a name taken from the Hebrew word shalom meaning peace.
Salem, New York is located near Albany and Saratoga Springs, and very close to the Hudson River and Vermont border. Joshua Conkey and James Turner, two soldiers who fought in the French and Indian War, first settled there in 1761. In 1764, the town became established, thanks to Alexander and James Turner. The town was then divided between New Englanders from Pelham, MA, and a group of Scotch/Irish Presbyterians from Ballibay, County Monaghan, Ireland.
The countryside is breathtaking; agriculture dominates the setting. Alpaca and sheep farms, horse ranches, dairy farms, and cultivation of various crops and berries create spectacular scenery for all ages. Running through the area are the Battenkill River and the White Creek that supply Salem with water from Vermont’s breathtaking Green Mountains. Found in the Salem area are antique centers, art galleries, artisan shops, cheese shops, farmers’ markets, farm stands, historical homes and societies, homemade artisan bread shops, local theater workshops, museums, restaurants and all the luxuries of a truly Historic American Village.
