Alexander Nicolas’s salad days were slathered in a Thousand Island blessing: St. Mary’s Island.
Forty years ago, his parents spotted a small fishing cabin on a speck of an island peeking out of the St. Lawrence River in Alexandria Bay, part of the zesty Thousand Islands region in northern New York, and located right on the Canadian border. The .3-acre islet had little more than a dock and a few trees; it also lacked a road bridge. They ate it up.
“Our family lived upstate and we would always go to the Thousand Islands and stay in motels and hotels,” said Nicolas, 46, who now resides in St. Petersburg, Fla. “One day, they found an island for sale, so they bought it. Even 40 years ago, you couldn’t be too selective — you were lucky to find anything for sale. It was an absolutely magical place to go every summer as a kid.”
Over the next five years, that modest fishing cabin gave way to a standout geometric custom home with 2,964 square feet, three bedrooms, two baths and whole lot of cedar touches.
Now, Nicolas has put his parents’ visionary retreat on the market for the very first time with an asking price of $1.5 million. Mike Fabbri and Joshua Garner of the Agency have the listing.
Now, a new owner stands to inherit the family’s wonderful taste.
“My mom is an abstract artist. She loves to paint and design. My dad is a surgeon. I watched them design my childhood home as a kid. Then this. They always wanted to do things the way that they wanted to do them,” said Nicolas. “And of course, they love natural wood.”
The family prioritized massive loft spaces with dramatic ceiling heights, a wraparound porch — and light cedar planks inside, outside and covering the ceilings. But while most island homes are built in the center of the landmass, or on the highest ground, the Nicolas family positioned their escape daringly right on the water’s edge. Thanks to hydraulic dam controls on the river’s height, there was no fear of flooding and the unused land made space for a garden. Still, it wasn’t easy.
“They had to get a military-style helicopter to bring the power line across the river,” he says. “Back then, it was unheard of to have grid power on an island.”
For buyers now looking for a woodsy retreat in one of the state’s most scenic regions — one long popular among families from not-too-distant upstate cities, such as Utica and Syracuse — this listing stands out for more than just great design.
“It’s a reminder of the simplicity and beauty of the natural world,” said Garner. “It enriched the seller’s childhood and that is sure to transfer to the new owners.”
Garner also points out that owning this property puts a new generation of ownership in pretty high-brow company. After all, St. Mary’s two-story, turret-shaped wing is a post-modern nod to a châteauesque island neighbor, Boldt Castle.
Built between 1900 and 1904 by legendary hotelier and proprietor of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, George Boldt, the 120-room, six-story castle was intended to be a present for his wife, who died before it could be completed. Other estates where built on the region’s 1,864 islands for the Vanderbilt, Kellogg, Wrigley, Gould, Browning and Trudeau families.
“There’s such a history there,” said Nicolas, adding that the area’s turn-of-the-century mansions inspired his career as an architect. (He’s the owner of the Florida-based firm Nicolas Design & Development.) “Now, we think of the Hamptons as the chic place, but this was the original old money spot.”
Perhaps more importantly, Boldt and his castle are what put the Thousand Islands in the mouths of Americans of all incomes. Although the origin of the Thousand Island salad dressing (a creamy, tangy mix of mayonnaise, ketchup and pickles) are controversial — the leading legend says that it was invented at the behest of Boldt by the Waldorf-Astoria maître d’hôtel, Oscar Tschirky.
“It’s kind of a funny little thing,” said Nicolas. “It’s the only reason most people have ever heard of the area. It’s gives locals something to rally around.”
Back on the island, a small foot bridge connects it to Manhattan Island (yes, really) — a community of five other homes. The mainland marina is a 10-minute boat ride away. But to do it like the locals, you’ll need to invest in a few toys.
“Instead of biking to your friend’s house, you hop on a jet ski and just jet ski over,” Nicolas said. “It’s kind of magical.”