Exclusive | A family’s decades-old private island is being listed for the first time

The salad days of Alexander Nicholas were ruined in a blessing of the Thousand Islands: St. Mary’s Island.

Forty years ago, his parents saw a small fishing shack on a speck of island overlooking St. Lawrence River in Alexandria Bay, part of the delicious Thousand Islands region in upstate New York and located right on the Canadian border. The 3-acre island had little more than a dock and a few trees; it also lacked a road bridge. They ate it.

“Our family lived upstate and we would always go to the Thousand Islands and stay in motels and hotels,” said Nicolas, 46, who now resides in St. Louis. Petersburg, Fla. “One day, they found an island for sale, so they bought it. Even 40 years ago, you couldn’t be too selective – you were lucky to find something for sale. It was an absolutely magical place to go every summer as a child.”

Over the next five years, that humble fishing cabin gave way to a distinctive geometric home with 2,964 square feet, three bedrooms, two bathrooms and lots of cedar touches.

Now, Nicolas has put his parents’ visionary retreat on the market for the first time with an asking price of $1.5 million. The Agency’s Mike Fabbri and Joshua Garner have the listing.

Now, a new owner will inherit the wonderful taste of the family.

“My mother is an abstract artist. She likes to paint and design. My father is a surgeon. I watched them design my childhood home as a child. Then this. They always wanted to do things the way they wanted to do them,” said Nicolas. “And of course, they love natural wood.”

The family prioritized massive loft spaces with dramatic ceiling heights, a wrap-around porch—and light cedar planks inside, outside, and covering the ceilings. But while most island homes are built in the center of the land, or on higher ground, the Nicolas family boldly positioned their escape right at the water’s edge. Thanks to the hydraulic controls of the dams at the height of the river, there was no fear of flooding, and the unused land made room for a garden. However, it was not easy.

“They had to get a military-style helicopter to bring the power line across the river,” he says. “At the time, it was unheard of to have grid power on an island.”

For buyers now looking for a forest retreat in one of the state’s most scenic regions—one long popular among families from upstate cities not too far away, like Utica and Syracuse—this listing stands out for more than simply great design.

“It’s a reminder of the simplicity and beauty of the natural world,” Garner said. “It enriched the seller’s childhood and that will certainly be carried over to the new owners.”

Garner also points out that owning this property puts a new generation of ownership in a very high profile company. After all, St. Mary’s two-story, turret-shaped wing is a post-modern nod to an island-chic neighbor, Boldt Castle.

Built between 1900 and 1904 by legendary hotelier and owner of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, George Boldt, the 120-room, six-story castle was meant to be a gift to his wife, who died before it was completed. Other properties were built on the region’s 1,864 islands for the Vanderbilt, Kellogg, Wrigley, Gould, Browning and Trudeau families.

“There’s such a history there,” Nicolas said, adding that the area’s turn-of-the-century mansions inspired his career as an architect. (He owns the Florida-based firm Nicolas Design & Development.) “Now, we think of the Hamptons as a posh place, but this was the original money place.”

Perhaps most importantly, Boldt and his castle are what put the Thousand Islands in the mouths of Americans of all incomes. Although the origins of Thousand Island salad dressing (a creamy, tangy blend of mayonnaise, ketchup and pickles) are debatable—the leading legend says it was invented at Boldt’s behest by Waldorf-Astoria maître d’hôtel Oscar Tschirky. .

“It’s a funny little thing,” said Nicolas. “It’s the only reason most people have ever heard of the area. It gives the locals something to rally around.”

Back on the island, a small footbridge connects it to Manhattan Island (yes, really)—a community of five more homes. The mainland marina is a 10-minute boat ride away. But to do it like the locals, you’ll need to invest in some toys.

“Instead of riding your bike to your friend’s house, you get on a jet ski and just jet ski,” Nicolas said. “It’s kind of magical.”