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SAUGERTIES, N.Y. –  Opus 40 and Bard College have teamed up in an effort to purchase the Harvey Fite House next to the iconic monument, according to the president of Opus 40 Board of Directors.

In a statement on Friday, Jonathan Becker said that the college and Opus 40 are seeking to purchase the Fite House that is surrounded by the organization’s property.

“I am pleased to say that we are working with Bard College to purchase the house owned by Pat and Tad Richards and bring it into the Opus 40 site to be developed as a visitor’s center, library, and site for educational programming,” Becker said in a statement. “The house is currently on the market. The Richards family prefers to sell the house to Opus 40 and Bard College. “

Becke added that “the family, Opus 40 and Bard want the properties united as Barbara Fite envisioned to preserve the majestic environment the Harvey Fite created. …. However, we need to raise funds to purchase the house before another buyer steps in.”

Becker said that a fundraising effort has begun.

“We are hoping to raise $300,000 within the next month if possible, in order to acquire the house at the amount and on the timetable that works for the Richards.”

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 property, which includes the famous 6.5-acre bluestone sculpture.

“We hope that local philanthropists will help purchase the house and thereby transition into a year-round community resource, hub of economic revitalization, and site of cultural and natural bounty,” Becker added.

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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