Peek Inside an Artist’s Quirky Tower House in the Catskills

Located in the Catskills near Woodstock, New York, there’s a house that’s not your average property. The Tower House has a history as interesting as its interiors, that incorporates both the Muppets and the Grateful Dead.

Artist and Long Island native John Kahn built Tower House over a period of 15 years, and it was finally completed in 2002. Crafted from repurposed materials such as slate, copper, aircraft grade aluminum and redwood (and also local wood and bluestone), the property is considered his largest “sculpture.”

In addition to creations that “that utilize complex engineering principles and a variety of materials that ‘play together’ like stone, wood, glass, metal and fabric,” Kahn built sets for his friend and collaborator Jim Henson, including the touring company set of Fraggle Rock and others.

The 3,518 square foot Tower House has three bedrooms and four bathrooms across its five floors (four of which comprise the tower—the basement level is normal and rectangular). The inside includes some creative and playful design choices, including a bathroom with a toilet in the middle of the room and a giant Scrabble board on a playroom wall. You have to check out the photos and the floor plans to fully appreciate this unique listing.

According to 6sqft, Kahn sold the property and its 5.5 acres in 2007 to move to Easter Island. The current owner is a holistic orthodontist who used to be the secretary to the Grateful Dead—and was also married to the late Owsley Stanley, famed LSD “superproducer” and audio engineer.

The estate also has a guest house, a sauna imported from Sweden, a large studio building, and three storage buildings. The land is dotted with a variety of sculptures by Kahn, including a large tower that was a NYC water main in a past life.

The home is listed with Keller Williams for $1.2 million.