Fierce Fire Rips Through ‘Cursed’ Lo-Hud Abercrombie Castle
A Hudson Valley castle once owned by Abercrombie and Fitch co-founder, David T. Abercrombie, went up in flames over the weekend.
The Croton-On-The Hudson Fire Department shared that on Sunday, April 17th, 2022, Tanker 10 was "dispatched on an Automatic Aid assignment with @millwoodfire for a reported structure fire on Croton Dam Road (Route 134)." If you didn't know, that's the location of the abandoned Elda's Castle.
The Abercrombie-owned castle, which was built back in the 1920s, went on the market back in the summer of 2020. However, according to the Croton-On-The Hudson Fire Department, it was still vacant when the fire blazed through the halls. They write:
Car 2081 arrived with Millwood’s Chiefs & assisted with cutting a locked gate to the vacant property. Due to it being well off the main road on an overgrown driveway with downed trees in it, initial access was limited to fire apparatus. Millwood MA-10 laid out 5” supply hose fed by their T15, our T10 & @bedfordhillsfd T5.
The lower Hudson fire department explains that crews were out for "nearly 3 1/2 hours" extinguishing the fire on all floors of the castle.
Many believe the Ossining castle is cursed due to a string of deaths in the Abercrombie family. It has been reported that Abercrombie's daughter Lucy died shortly after the castle was finished in 1929 after an explosion at her father's factory. 2 years later, Abercrombie himself passed away in the castle, followed by his son David Jr. in 1937.
Elda Castle was on the market for $3.2 million in 2020. When the castle hit the market, the spiral staircase and an open courtyard, which was meant to look like ruins, were intact and in decent condition.
When you think Abercrombie & Fitch, you probably think back to the super preppy days of shirtless models hanging out at the front of the store. David T. Abercrombie got his start as a topographer and successful outdoor outfitter.
If you'd like to relive the times of Abercrombie's lowrise jeans and get a whiff of that memorable fierce body spray, you may want to check out the newest Netflix documentary White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch.
Fierce Fire Blazes Through Former Abercrombie Mansion in Ossining, NY
Rent This Insane Medieval Castle Overlooking Lake George
New York Mob Boss John Gotti's Abandoned Mansion with Secret Room Discovered!