fbpx
  • Subscribe & Support
  • Print Edition
    • Get Home Delivery
    • Read ePaper Online
    • Newsstand Locations
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Contact
    • Advertise
    • Customer Support
    • Submit A News Tip
    • Where’s My Paper?
  • Subscribe to Our Newsletters
    • Hey Kingston
    • New Paltz Times
    • Woodstock Times
    • Week in Review
  • Manage HV1 Account
  • Free HV1 Trial
Hudson Valley One
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s Happening
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Featured Events
      • Art
      • Books
      • Kids
      • Lifestyle & Wellness
      • Food & Drink
      • Music
      • Nature
      • Stage & Screen
  • Opinions
    • Letters
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Help Wanted
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s Happening
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Featured Events
      • Art
      • Books
      • Kids
      • Lifestyle & Wellness
      • Food & Drink
      • Music
      • Nature
      • Stage & Screen
  • Opinions
    • Letters
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Help Wanted
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Log In
No Result
View All Result
Hudson Valley One
No Result
View All Result

Saugerties resident buys former Dragon Inn

by David Gordon
May 19, 2021
in Community
3
Saugerties resident buys former Dragon Inn

Nina Schmidbaur recently purchased the historic mansion, Clovelea, formerly the Dragon Inn in Saugerties.

Nina Schmidbaur recently purchased the historic mansion, Clovelea, formerly the Dragon Inn in Saugerties. (Photos by Dion Ogust)

Nina Schmidbaur grew up next to the Dragon Inn on Route 9W in Saugerties, and as a small child, dreamed of one day owning the restaurant and restoring it to its former beauty. This may seem like a childish dream, but it recently came true and Schmidbaur is now the owner of the crumbling mansion, originally known as Clovelea. She plans to operate a mental health practice there and also use it as a residence.

Schmidbaur, a psychotherapist, said she remembers seeing the building destroyed in a fire in November, 1993. “I was eleven years old saying, ‘I hope to own this property one day,’ and now, 20 years later, I do.” The process of tracking down the owner and negotiating the sale took eleven months, Schmidbaur said. She declined to name the price. 

Built as a home for businessman William R. Sheffield in 1882, Clovelea was sold to another businessman about 12 years after it was built. In the 1950s, the building became the Stonewall Hotel. It became Anton’s Restaurant in the 1960s, according to historian Michael Sullivan Smith’s website. It later became the popular Dragon Inn Chinese Restaurant, and it flourished until a fire damaged the building in the early 1990s. It has since deteriorated significantly.

Several buyers or would-be buyers had planned to tear it down, but were stopped by history buffs and the Historical Review Board, because of the building’s attractiveness and its past. The building is registered locally as a historic site.

Schmidbaur will also have to clear her plans with Saugerties Mayor Bill Murphy and the Historic Review Board. “Both the mayor and the board said they would not be putting things in my way,” she said, and added that she has permission from code enforcement officer Eyal Saad to begin clearing the debris from the property.

Clovelea, formerly the Dragon Inn in Saugerties.

Schmidbaur also said she would be open to seeking grants to help with the cost of renovating the building. In the meantime, she is accumulating “sweat equity,” clearing some of the debris on the property.

Schmidbaur says that her aim is to renovate the building to have her practice on the first level and live upstairs. The first floor could accommodate between nine and 12 offices, which Schmidbaur would rent to holistic medical practices, such as psychotherapists or herbalists, among others. She emphasized that she would be looking for practitioners who share her commitment to making the treatment affordable for all those needing it. “My practice, Collective Resilience, was started during the pandemic in response to community need,” she said. 

Schmidbaur is the chair of the Hudson Valley Guild of Mental Health Practitioners Social Justice Committee. She is running for the Saugerties Town Board and is a member of a group of candidates and supporters called Citizens for Saugerties. “I am an activist,” she said. “Advocacy is part of social work.” 

Schmidbaur said she intends to document the entire renovation of the Dragon Inn on Instagram or Facebook. 

Tags: members
Join the family! Grab a free month of HV1 from the folks who have brought you substantive local news since 1972. We made it 50 years thanks to support from readers like you. Help us keep real journalism alive.
- Geddy Sveikauskas, Publisher
Previous Post

Racial equity, anti-racism plans discussed in New Paltz

Next Post

Saugerties Senior High School announces third quarter Honor Roll

David Gordon

Related Posts

Gardiner Day cancelled due to heavy rain
Community

Gardiner Day cancelled due to heavy rain

September 29, 2023
New ideas for Woodstock Library
Community

Library for sale: desirable central Woodstock location available

September 28, 2023
Elting Library Fair honors Sally Rhoads and Carol Roper
Community

Woodstock Library plans a spatial transition

September 27, 2023
Lights On, pickleball, food trucks and other news from Saugerties
Community

Saugerties recreation facilities improved

September 27, 2023
Gardiner Day returns to Majestic Park September 30
Community

Gardiner Day returns to Majestic Park September 30

September 26, 2023
Highland Open Studio Tour this weekend
Art & Music

Highland Open Studio Tour this weekend

September 26, 2023
Next Post
Trump’s taking back trans kids’ protections won’t change local approach

Saugerties Senior High School announces third quarter Honor Roll

Please login to join discussion

Trending News

  • Miller Middle School approves deployment of resource officer for 2023-24 school year 1.6k views
  • Dog owners ask the town for more support at the Ulster County Dog Park 1.2k views
  • A successful Hudson Valley food co-op tells its story 755 views
  • In New Paltz, a plant store, a massage provider, and a tattooist open a store together 726 views
  • Millions of New Yorkers may suffer worse food insecurity as food stamp program hangs in the balance 618 views
  • Library for sale: desirable central Woodstock location available 599 views

Weather

Kingston
◉
54°
Cloudy
6:51 am6:40 pm EDT
Feels like: 54°F
Wind: 6mph N
Humidity: 99%
Pressure: 30.17"Hg
UV index: 0
SunMonTue
77/57°F
75/54°F
79/57°F
Weather forecast Kingston, New York ▸

Subscribe

Independent. Local. Substantive. Subscribe now.

×
You have free article(s) remaining. Subscribe for unlimited access.
View Subscription Offers Sign In
  • Subscribe & Support
  • Print Edition
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Contact
  • Subscribe to Our Newsletters
  • Manage HV1 Account
  • Free HV1 Trial

© 2022 Ulster Publishing

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s Happening
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Featured Events
      • Art
      • Books
      • Kids
      • Lifestyle & Wellness
      • Food & Drink
      • Music
      • Nature
      • Stage & Screen
  • Opinions
    • Letters
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Help Wanted
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Subscribe & Support
  • Contact Us
    • Customer Support
    • Advertise
    • Submit A News Tip
  • Print Edition
    • Read ePaper Online
    • Newsstand Locations
    • Where’s My Paper
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Manage HV1 Account
  • Log In
  • Free HV1 Trial
  • Subscribe to Our Newsletters
    • Hey Kingston
    • New Paltz Times
    • Woodstock Times
    • Week in Review

© 2022 Ulster Publishing