'Villa Carola'

'Villa Carola', the Isaac Guggenheim estate designed by Howard Van Buren Magonigle c. 1916 in Sands Point.  Click HERE and HERE for more on 'Villa Carola'.

The Alfred Coster Schermerhorn Residence

The Alfred Coster Schermerhorn residence designed by Leroy P. Ward c. 1929 in Matinecock.  Schermerhorn was a stock broker and senior partner in the firm of Fahnestock & Co.  He divorced his wife, Ruth Fahnestock, in 1937 and she remarried the same day of the divorce.  In 1945 he was appointed the Washington representative of Chase Manhattan Bank of New York.  Click HERE to see the A.C. Schermerhorn residence on bing.  Postcard from the Gary Lawrance Collection.

'Pidgeon Hill'

'Pidgeon Hill', the Meredith Hare estate designed by Charles A. Platt c. 1916 in Huntington.  Click HERE and HERE for more on 'Pidgeon Hill'.  Photo from The Architect, 1927.

The Louis J. Horowitz Estate

The Louis Jay Horowitz estate designed by Hunt & Hunt c. 1918 in Lattingtown.  Horowitz was the president of the construction firm Thompson Starrett Co.  That construction company built such NYC projects as the Woolworth Building, the New York Herald Tribune Building and the Equitable Building among others.  The residence was demolished in 1954 but sat on Skunks Misery Road.  Click HERE for more on the Horowitz estate.  Postcard courtesy of the Gary Lawrance Collection.

The Colbert Report Meets The Great Gatsby

The Colbert Report
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Well this one made my day. The Colbert Report takes a humorous look at The Great Gatsby with Carey Mulligan including some green screen teleportation to Old Westbury Gardens and a photograph I took of the wall at 'Spring Hill'. And there's even an appearance by LeVar Burton reprising his role from Reading Rainbow (a childhood staple of mine in the '80s).  It begins around the 5:00 mark.

Old Westbury Gardens Wedding Dress Exhibit

A dispatch from Old Westbury Gardens: 

Westbury House is a magnificent, Charles-II style mansion on the grounds of Old Westbury Gardens. Given the indescribable beauty of the gardens, the wide open space provided by 200 acres, and the myriad variety of events offered, some visitors never quite make it inside. Though understandable, that’s a bit unfortunate. The house, decorated with priceless antiques, paintings, and original furnishings, is well worth experiencing on its own under any circumstances, but particularly now during a special exhibition of antique wedding dresses and accessories.

Though mid-June, 2013, various rooms of the house will display wedding dresses, tuxedoes, hats, luggage, and other items spanning the decades from the 1880s through 1940s, created by designers including Henri Bendell, Louis Vuitton, and the House of Tappé.

The exhibit is included with regular admission: $10 General; $8 Seniors; $5 Kids 7-17.

Old Westbury Gardens, 71 Old Westbury Road,

Old Westbury, NY 11568

516-333-0048 oldwestburygardens.org

'Avondale Farms'

'Avondale Farms', the Joseph Wright Harriman estate with alterations by Alfred C. Bossom c. 1918 in Brookville.  The house was originally built for Philip Livermore by Hoppin & Koen c. 1910.  Click HERE for more on 'Avondale Farms' and HERE for interiors.  The residence has since been demolished.  Photo from the Aiglon Archives.

'Elkhurst'

'Elkhurst', the Edward Mortimer Ward Sr. residence in Lattingtown.  His grandfather, James O. Ward, was a founder of Ward Shipping Lines.  E.M. was a member of the shipping firm Hageman & Ward.   Click HERE to see 'Elkhurst' on google earth and HERE on bing.  Postcard from the Gary Lawrance Collection.

The James Byrne Estate

The James Byrne estate designed by Grosvenor Atterbury c. 1906 in Oyster Bay.  Click HERE for more on the Byrne estate and what would become 'Planting Fields'.  Photo from the Annual Exhibition of the Architectural League of New York, 1908.

'Longfields'

 'Longfields', the William Payne Thompson Jr. estate designed by Carrere & Hastings c. 1910 in Old Westbury.  The estate was inherited by Thompson's nephew William Payne Thompson Preston Sr. in the early 1930s and these photos are courtesy of his daughter, Elizabeth Preston Hutchings.  The estate was sold to Ambrose Clark in the 1940s and the house was eventually demolished so Clark could incorporate the property into his adjacent estate 'Broad Hollow House'.  Click HERE for more on 'Longfields' and HERE to see the estate ruins as they look today.

'Hempstead House'

'Hempstead House', originally the Howard Gould estate known as 'Castlegould' and later the Daniel Guggenheim residence designed by Hunt & Hunt c. 1909 in Sands Point.  Click HERE and HERE for more on 'Hempstead House'.

Photo from the Annual Exhibition of the Architectural League of New York, 1913.

Some Great Gatsby Reviews

With the release of Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby only 2 days away the reviews are starting to come in:

The Hollywood Reporter

The New York Post

The Wrap

Indiewire

Variety

'Beaver Brook Farm'

'Beaver Brook Farm', the Henry Lewis Batterman estate designed by Harrie Lindeberg c. 1914 in Mill Neck.  Click HERE for more on 'Beaver Brook Farm' which has since been demolished.  Photo from the Annual Exhibition of the Architectural League of New York, 1915.

'Sherryland'

'Sherryland', originally the Louis Sherry estate with alterations by McKim, Mead & White c. 1915 in Manhasset and later owned by Virginia Graham Fair Vanderbilt.  She renamed the estate 'Fairmont' and resided there until her death in 1935 (click HERE to see her previous residence).  In 1938 the estate was sold to William Levitt who developed the property and main house into the Strathmore Vanderbilt Country Club.  Click HERE to see 'Sherryland' on google earth and HERE on bing.

Congrats Orb!

 Congratulations to the Janney and Phipps families, as well as trainer Shug McGaughey and jockey Joel Rosario on Orb's winning of the 139th Kentucky Derby!!  This is the first Derby win for the 'Spring Hill' line of the Phipps family and you can be sure the late Stuart Janney Jr. and wife Barbara Phipps Janney, her brother Ogden Phipps and mother Gladys Mills Phipps are all smiling down from above right now.  Stuart Janney III and Dinny Phipps (pictured below) are grandsons of Henry C. and Gladys Mills Phipps of 'Spring Hill' in Old Westbury.

Photos by Mark Zerof - USA Today Sports

Here Comes The Great Gatsby

 One week from this Friday, May 10th, we will finally see the release of Baz Lurhmann's version of The Great Gatsby starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby, Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan and Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway.  Though filmed in Australia, Lurhmann relied on historic Long Island photos (including those from Old Long Island) to create his versions of the Gatsby and Buchanan houses for the movie.  Click HERE for an Architectural Digest article on the set design, including a mention that 'Westbury House' was the basis for the Buchanan residence.  They also mention 'La Selva' (really?) as one of those used for inspiration as well as 'Beacon Towers' and 'Oheka'.  Click HERE to watch the trailer for the movie and HERE for my post on the movie from last summer.  Good or bad it will most certainly be entertaining.

The George deForest Lord Residence

 More on the George deForest Lord residence designed by Beers & Farley c. 1922 in Woodmere.  Click HERE for more on the Lord residence.

Photos from House & Garden, 1922.

'Brookholt' Advertisement

A 1920 advertisement for 'Brookholt', the O.H.P. Belmont estate designed by Hunt & Hunt c. 1897 in Hempstead.  Belmont died in 1908 and his widow Alva built 'Beacon Towers' in Sands Point in 1917.  Click HERE for more on 'Brookholt'.  Advertisement from Country Life, 1920.

The George deForest Lord Residence

 The George deForest Lord residence designed by Beers & Farley c. 1922 in Woodmere.  Lord, an attorney, was partner with Lord, Day & Lord.  Click HERE to see 'Overfields', his 1927 residence also designed by Beers & Farley in Syosset.  According to SPLIA and Spinzia the house is extant on Ocean Avenue but I have yet to locate it.

Photos from Architectural Record, 1922.

The Robert H. Fowler Residence

The Robert Henry Fowler residence designed by Edward S. Hewitt in Oyster Bay.  Fowler was a surgeon and author of Modern Tonsil Surgery, 1930.  He was also a founder and president of the New York Tonsil Hospital.  It is unknown if the house is extant.  Photo from the Annual Exhibition of the Architectural League of New York, 1921.

'Greentree' Entrance

The entrance to 'Greentree', the Payne Whitney estate designed by d'Hauteville & Cooper c. 1903 in Manhasset.  Click HERE and HERE for more on 'Greentree'.

'Portledge' Outbuilding

The gardener's and chauffeur's cottage at 'Portledge', the Charles A. Coffin estate designed by Howard Greenley c. 1910 in Matinecock.  Click HERE for more on 'Portledge'.  Photo from the Annual Exhibition of the Architectural League of New York, 1914.

'Portledge'

'Portledge', the Charles Albert Coffin estate designed by Howard Greenley c. 1910 in Matinecock.  Click HERE and HERE for more on 'Portledge'.  Click HERE to see the residence on bing.  Photo from the Annual Exhibition of the Architectural League of New York, 1913.

'Northwood' Farm Group

 The Alfred Hopkins designed farm group at 'Northwood', the Mortimer L. Schiff estate designed by C.P.H. Gilbert c. 1905 in Oyster Bay.  Click HERE for more on 'Northwood' and HERE for more on the farm group.

Photo from the Annual Exhibition of the Architectural League of New York, 1914.

The Charles A. Peabody Estate

The Charles A. Peabody estate designed by Grosvenor Atterbury between 1910-1912 in Cold Spring Harbor.  Click HERE for more on the residence which has since been demolished.  Photo from the Annual Exhibition of the Architectural League of New York, 1913.

'Killenworth' Gardens

The entrance to the garden at 'Killenworth', the George du Pont Pratt estate designed Trowbridge & Ackerman c. 1913 in Glen Cove with landscaping by James L. Greenleaf.  Click HERE for more on 'Killenworth'.  Photo from the Annual Exhibition of the Architectural League of New York, 1922.

The Joseph P. Knapp Residence

 The Joseph Palmer Knapp residence altered by Willauer, Shape & Bready c. 1913 in Huntington.  Knapp, son of Joseph Fairchild and Phoebe Palmer Knapp, was publisher of Everyweek Magazine and later owner of Collier's Weekly.  It is unknown if the house is extant.

Photos from American Architect & Architecture. 1914.

'Brookholt'

'Brookholt', the Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont estate designed by Hunt & Hunt c. 1897 in Hempstead.  Click HERE for more on 'Brookholt' which has since been demolished.  Photo from the Annual Exhibition of the Architectural League of New York, 1913.

The Whitney Art Studio

 The Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney art studio designed by Delano & Aldrich c. 1913 in Old Westbury.  Click HERE and HERE for more on the Whitney art studio.  Click HERE to see the studio on bing.

Photo from the Annual Exhibition of the Architectural League of New York, 1915.

'Muttontown Corners'

'Muttontown Corners', the William Adams Delano estate designed by himself c. 1911 in Muttontown.  Click HERE for more on 'Muttontown Corners' and HERE to see the residence on bing.  Photo from the Annual Exhibition of the Architectural League of New York, 1915.

'Solana'

 'Solana', originally the Stephen Howland Brown estate designed by Addison Mizner c. 1917 in Matinecock with later alterations for Charles A. Stone by William Welles Bosworth c. 1920.  Click HERE for more on 'Solana' and HERE to see it on bing.

Photo from the Annual Exhibition of the Architectural League of New York, 1921.