The Manse / William Collins Whitney Estate

William Collins Whitney, the patriarch of the Whitney family, had McKim, Mead and White design him a Tudor style house in 1902 on the 1,000 acres he purchased in Old Westbury, known as 'The Manse'.  He wanted to build an estate that rivaled Biltmore in North Carolina.  His son Harry Payne Whitney inherited the house and estate, and eventually Harry's son Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney would go on to inherit it, demolish this house and build a new one in its place, designed by Billy Delano c. 1940.  Upon his death, the property was split up, some going to development, some to the Old Westbury Country Club and some to NYIT.  Click HERE to see where 'The Manse' stood on google earth.

The massive stables building.  Part of the original structure has been demolished, possibly due to a fire.  Designed by George A. Freeman (1898), the building is now part of NYIT.

A cottage across from the stables.

The indoor tennis court.  This structure originally had a glass roof.

The gymnaisum.  Also designed by George A. Freeman (1898).

The water tower.  The Whitney estate sits on the third highest point on Long Island, and this water tower served numerous functions throughout its life.  It was a windmill, a fire lookout, and during WW2 a lookout post for enemy aircraft. 

The farm group now sits on the property of NYIT.  The dairy has been converted to the student center.

The view from the top of the hill where the house sits.

Click below to see the Whitney estate as it looked partially intact in a 1966 aerial shot.