Monday, April 14, 2008

Bagatelle

Thomas Hastings, the very well known and talented architect of numerous estates on the North Shore (and numerous other very famous creations) built his own estate in Old Westbury in 1908. He wanted a study full of books, his wife wanted a stable to keep her horses. In 1913 a fire destroyed the original house, but Hastings rebuilt the new one to the same plans. The detail in this house is amazing, and you can tell that Hastings spared no expense. The front is a countyard, one side the front door, one side an allee of trees, one side a wall with a garden gate and one side the stables. Helen Hastings could look at her horses while standing in the doorway to the home.



The stable doors have since been removed, with half the structure now an apartment.

The rear of the house. Hastings planned the house around the rear and the open field that occupied the backyard (and also supplied a view to the dining room). Since then many trees have grown in destroying what Hastings had originally intended.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

very cool. thanks for the info and photos

Sandy said...

It would be great to see some interior photos; the dining room is all teak, which covers the original Delft tile. The teak walls were all made in Asia, and there is a door that they build into the wall, that doesn't have a wall opening behind it. Very interesting house.