The Abandoned ‘Elda’ Estate
David Abercrombie’s Family Home

You may have heard of David Abercrombie by way of of Abercrombie & Fitch, though he has nothing to do with the brand since 1907. Prior to 1907 he had established the brand of sporting equipment for the elite and very wealthy drawing from his many years of working as a surveyor, mapping the rails through the rough and wild terrain of the Southeast United States. Setting up shop with a business partner (Fitch) in downtown Manhattan, the pair outfitted the nearby wealthy Wall Street tycoons with high quality sporting wear and supplies for their vainglorious expeditions, as well as other notables. Think Richard E. Byrd (first to reach the North and South poles by air), Robert Peary (“discovered” the North Pole via dog team. So it was really the dogs.), President Theodore Roosevelt (You know him.), Amelia Earhart (You know her.), Ernest Hemingway (Legend.) Anyway, he and Fitch disagreed about the direction of the business; Fitch wanted to expand wares to the general public. And hey I suppose he succeeded if you know what Abercrombie & Fitch is, general public!

David Abercrombie went on to have a military career and, in the 1920’s, bought property in Ossining, New York to begin construction on an estate he would name Elda–a name derived from the first letter of each of his four children’s names: Elizabeth, Lucy, David and Abbott. The family moved in in 1928 but only occupied the great stone space until the 1940’s. Two of the children met untimely deaths: Lucy in 1929 by a chemical explosion in her father’s factory and little David died in 1937 from a kick to the abdomen by a horse. Patriarch David Sr. died that same year; his wife would vacate the house and move in with her daughter Elizabeth. The lavish home has been unoccupied since, though there have been a few attempts at renovating from the massive vandalism that has occurred since its abandonment.

To follow, the current state of things at Elda, with a few shots of it back in its prime. For much more detail on the structure, check out this article, the source of the above info.