Of all the vacation homes on the market, this may be the most unusual: a fomer Roman Catholic rectory.

Located in Hague, next to a Catholic church where services have been discontinued in all but the summer months, the four bedroom, red brick house is for sale at a listing price of  $249,000.

The Catholic diocese in Albany is selling the house, which sits  on a four tenths of an acre lot, said Nancy Jefts, a realtor with Davies-Davies.

“We listed the house in January, and there’s been some interest since then, but we think that will really pick up now that summer’s here,” said Jefts.

According to Jefts, the house’s advantage as a vacation home lies in the fact that it’s within walking distance of the Hague Town Beach and boat launch.

Restaurants, shops, the community center, and the Hague Market are even closer, said Jefts.

But what truly distinguishes this house from other houses available within lakeshore hamlets is the construction, Jefts said.

“The house is incredibly solid and well-built,” said Jefts. “The costs of constructing it today would be astronomical.”

Realtor Nancy Jefts

According to Jefts, records state the house was built in 1950, but the architectural style, interior layout, room dimensions and details suggest a house of much earlier vintage.

“It’s reminiscent of houses built in Glens Falls in the 1920s,” said Jefts.

The ground floor consists of a kitchen, which looks as though it was last remodeled in the 1950s, a dining room and den separated by glass French doors, a living room and access to a winterized porch,.

An open stair case leads to the four bedrooms. The master bedroom contains its own bathroom (and a safe, where offertory receipts were kept),  as does a small bedroom reserved for the priests’ housekeeper.  A suite of two bedrooms share a half-bath.

Upstairs details include transoms above the doors, a floor to ceiling, built-in linen closet and high ceilings that make even the smaller bedrooms feel spacious.

The house carries with it some deed restrictions which anyone shopping for a vacation home may think unusual, but will not find surprising, given the house was once a Catholic rectory. The house cannot be used as an abortion clinic, an adult bookstore, a theater showing x-rated films or a topless bar.

For more information, contact Nancy Jefts at Davies-Davies and Associates at 656-9068.