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SAUGERTIES, N.Y. – The Harvey Fite house surrounded by the grounds of Opus 40 is up for sale with an asking price of $1.5 million, according to the homeowner.

A real estate listing, posted by New Paltz Realtor Laurie DellaVilla-Miller, said the Fite House property at 50 Fite Road in the Highwoods hamlet of Saugerties includes 1.7 acres. The listing shows that it was previously listed for $3.9 million in 2010 and $3.5 million in 2021,

The Fite House is surrounded by the Opus 40 property, which includes the famous 6.5-acre bluestone sculpture.

“Harvey Fite, the creator of Opus 40, built this wonderful rustic post and beam home where he lived and worked,” the listing said. “This majestic home overlooks his magnificent six acre earthwork sculpture and a quarry pool, cleared out and shaped for a swimming pool by Harvey Fite, with marvelous natural spring water.”

Homeowner Tad Richards said in a statement that generations have loved the home.  The house has been Richards’ home since 1944, when his mother, Barbara, married Harvey Fite. He and Pat, Richards’ wife, were married there in 1987, and spent the next three decades as caretakers of Opus 40.

“It’s hard to know where to begin talking about a house that has been your whole life,” Richards said. “It is a work of art, the joint vision of a great artist and his wife, but before everything else, it is a home, a place that has been lived in and loved by four generations.”

DellaVilla-Miller said that Opus 40 operates separately from the home and will remain open to visitors after a sale is made.

The Realtor.com posting said that the “main sculpture can be seen through picture windows in both bedroom and living areas as well as the massive deck offering beautiful views of the entire landscape. The 2,860 square-foot house has four bedrooms, located on the first floor. The downstairs also has three bathrooms.

“The two back bedrooms, with bathroom and a small kitchenette, have a separate entrance and are ideal for AirBnB use,” the posting said. “The upstairs has a beautiful kitchen, designed and built by Harvey Fite, and two living areas, the beautiful historic living room which was part of the original 1939 structure, and a lovely family room with a picture window spanning the entire wall, floor to ceiling, facing the sculpture and the mountains.”

Fite designed the living room as a sculpture studio and living space, so part of it is a one-story room with a large stone fireplace, the listing said.

The other part, the original studio, is two stories high, with a staircase leading up to a balcony that overlooks the room and provides an entrance to the upstairs room.

“The house is a breathtaking work of art which is, at the same time, a cozy and inviting home that was much loved by the Fite family for 80 years,” the listing said.” We know that a family who buys it will have a showplace for art, crafts or business, will entertain with pride and grace. and will feel the love and comfort which makes a true home.”

In August 2021, Opus 40 directors and owners of the Fite House agreed to keep lodging visitors off the historic sprawling bluestone structure.

The pact meant that a 400-foot long temporary fence that had been erected between the properties could be taken down.

“It’s an agreement that Fite House won’t have anymore camping or parties and that anyone who stays there who’s not part of the Richards family will sign an agreement stating they know where the property boundaries are,” Opus 40 Executive Director Caroline Crumpacker said at the time.

In December, the Opus 40 sculpture park received a $300,000 grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for the repair and conservation of the park’s bluestone sculpture

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