Abandoned on the Palisades: The Ruins of Cliffdale Manor

For the past couple weeks, I’ve been scouting the Rockland County area, and every time I drive the Palisades north…

…I notice this strange castle-like structure whiz past out my window:

Clearly the ruins of something, it kept bugging me each time I drove by until finally, I had to stop and figure out what it was.

I found a place to park near the highway and came across a trail that seemed to be leading to the structure…

It took about 15 minutes of walking, and then I saw it through the trees…

A fascinating two story stone castle-like structure set into the hillside overlooking the Hudson…

But what was it? An old fort? I had to get to my first scouting appointment of the day, so I couldn’t stay long. But I snapped a few pictures, and planned to look up more info when I got home.

I’m not sure what I was expecting…But later on, when I found out that this…

…used to be this (line up those four windows for orientation)…

I was blown away. And yeah, I had to go back to explore further.

From the authoritative Palisades Interstate Park website, I learned that I had stumbled on the ruins of Cliffdale Manor, built in 1911 as the summer home for one George Zabriskie. Zabriskie hailed from one of Bergen County’s wealthiest and most prominent families and worked as a NY representative for the Pillsbury Flour Mills.

His estate stretched far out around the manor house…

…winding down the natural embankment to this incredible garden pond near the Palisades cliffs…

…as well as a series of terraced gardens:

So how did Cliffdale go from being one of the most remarkable mansions on the Hudson to these dilapidated ruins?

As detailed by the Palisades Interstate Park website, the property was purchased by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., in 1930, along with much of the surrounding area, in an attempt to halt over-development of the cliffs spurred by the newly built George Washington Bridge.

In 1933, Rockefeller donated the land to the Park Commission with the request that the cliffline be returned to its natural state. In the following years, numerous turn-of-the-century mansions were bulldozed, including Cliffdale Manor.

Except, you can still find plenty of Cliffdale ghosts if you take the time to look past the surface:

The largest chunk of Cliffdale still standing is the two story foundation/basement, which also housed a garage. If you walk up on top of it…

…you’ll find yourself standing on what was once a patio overlooking the Hudson:

Even cooler, if you look at the ground…

…you’ll see that a portion of it is still covered in red tiles…

Very likely the same tiles from when the original manor, as seen in this picture of the patio (most visible in the bottom right corner):

Strewn around the area are a number of columns…

…which are most likely the numerous columns seen in the above two photographs:

The view from the patio today…

…and in 1921 as depicted in Valentine’s Manual of Old New York:

As you move away from the old patio area, the tiles disappear but the flooring remains. This is where the actual manor once stood…

Go back 100 years, and I could have been standing in Zabriskie’s ballroom!

Going back down the hill, “1911” is written on the stone, commemorating the construction date:

Below, the basement is fully open to be explored.

Going inside through what was once the garage entrance, I’ll admit, my New York paranoia instantly kicked in. Intensely silent, with the Palisades traffic strangely muted and only the sound of dripping water to be heard, I suddenly realized there were a LOT of nooks and crannies for some deranged killer who called this place home to jump out of…

…like this caved-in cellar area:

Or, more likely, up these stairs…

Realizing this website is clearly worth sacrificing my life for, I went up…

As it turns out, just an empty room (for now!):

Outside the manor ruins…

…There’s a pretty neat stone staircase…

…which winds up around the building…

…to a lower level terrace.

Additional basement space has since been closed up…

For example, you can see a stoned-up door and window here:

However, portions have been broken through, and you can even spot old brickwork inside:

What especially fascinated me was whether anything was left of the garden pool, which really must have been incredible to see:

The above picture was probably taken from the patio, and the same view today doesn’t seem to hold much promise:

However, as it turns out, it’s pretty hard to completely erase the past. On the way down to where the pond and garden used to be, I found this neat curved double staircase…

One side of the curve:

And lo and behold, once you’re through the trees, a portion of the garden/pool does still remain!

At the end opposite the cliffs, you can see a pair of stairs…

…which meet in the center to form a single staircase down to the lower level – did this once lead into water?

Meanwhile, strewn about the grounds are these short columns…

…which appear to be the last remnants of the old pool:

A column today…

…and in 1911:

There are a few other unidentifiable structures, like this short stone pillar set in the ground. Probably will never know what this was:

The columns sprawl right up to the cliffs. Looking back on these pictures, I’ve begun to wonder: what would you find if you started digging?

Finally, one last very cool bit most likely dating back to Cliffdale: a neat stone overlook tower (now fenced off for your safety!):

Exploring the Cliffdale remains was a lot of fun, and it’s just one of the many mansion ruins dotting the Palisades Park trail.

Along the way, there’s bunch of great views and lots of little details to stumble on, and I definitely recommend a trip if you get the chance.

To visit, park your car at the scenic lookout (the second one, I believe, after heading north from the GW Bridge) and take the trail at the north end of the parking lot. It’s about a 15 minute walk to the ruins (click here for the general area on Google Maps).

While Rockefeller’s work ultimately saved the Palisades from over-development, it’s nice to know that the ghosts of Cliffdale still remain, hopefully enchanting generations for decades to come.

For more information on visiting the park and its history, be sure to visit The Palisades Interstate Park Commission.

-SCOUT

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