Glen Tonche


Glen Tonche is an estate atop Mount Tonche, in Ulster County, near Shokan, New York.
The estate's house was built in 1928 as the summer family compound of American businessman Raymond Pitcairn, whose family founded PPG Industries.

Design

Under Pitcairn ownership the compound on was largely made up of two main wings connected by a covered walkway. The balance of Mount Tonche over is under restrictive preservation.
The property as a whole reflects a blend of Tudor-style architecture with some Arts-and-Crafts influences. The south wing was a pentagon configuration housing the main kitchen, two servants' quarters, six guest bedrooms, six full baths, and a massive glass-enclosed mountaintop porch. The wing also featured a 29-by-36-foot dining hall capable of seating 100 or more guests. The north wing housed the library, eleven bedrooms, seven full baths and two-and-one-half baths, three-room servant's quarters, as well as a great room with floor-to-ceiling windows and vaulted ceilings.

Transfer from Pitcairn ownership

The estate remained in the Pitcairn family until it was put on the market in 1995 for $3.9 million, then $2.9 million, then in late 1998 down to $1.95 million, at which time it was sold to photographer and musician Randall Wallace.

Allaire Studios

The first record recorded at Allaire was Harvest Home by Jay Ungar in 1999. The studio was then substantially renovated and reopened in 2001 and has remained open since then where rock musician David Bowie recorded his album Heathen. and his next one, Reality In 2001, singer-songwriter Norah Jones recorded her debut album Come Away with Me. During five weeks in late 2006, the rock band Rush recorded the album Snakes & Arrows.

Resale

Reconfigured from the Pitcairn ownership built in 1924 the main house included nineteen bedrooms with three separate apartments on the property. The estate was purchased by New York photographer/musician Randall Wallace in 1998, winterized and turned into a world-class Destination Recording Studio where David Bowie, Norah Jones, Rush, Tim McGraw and many other bands recorded. Mr. Wallace kept the name for the property, Glen Tonche. The property was briefly offered for sale by Mr. Wallace when he lived on the West Coast however, in March 2016, he returned permanently and Glen Tonche was reopened with a new Neve Shelford Mixing Board and is still known internationally as the recording studio, Allaire Studios, now managed by its owner Randall Wallace who lives on-site.