Friday, September 24, 2010

'White Lodge'

'White Lodge', the estate of Gardiner Winslow White designed by Harold P. Erskine c. 1915 in Mill Neck. White was an amateur golf champion, setting a record in 1916 with the number of tournaments he either won or placed in, leading the Metropolitan District players in invitation events of that year. Erskine was associated with the construction of Lord & Taylor's flagship store on Fifth Avenune in Manhattan. 'White Lodge' is currently for sale for $4,495,000, click HERE to see the listing on Daniel Gale. Click HERE to see 'White Lodge' on google earth.



Listing photos from Daniel Gale / Sotheby's.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Zach, do you know where White's money came from?

Zach L. said...

I've yet to locate his obituary but his wife's obit just calls him a "former metropolitan amateur golf champion". His wife came from an old colonial family.

The Down East Dilettante said...

Lovely house, but dear God, who do these new people get to decorate their houses? That living room just hurts in a hundred ways

The Ancient said...

Anon --

I think the money came exclusively from the wife's father, who'd been involved in mining in Colorado in the late 19th century. Ostensibly he was involved in the creation of the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company, which was later bought out by Rockefeller and Gould interests. (The successor company is currently owned by some Russian oligarch.) The father, Thomas E. H. Curtis, spent his money freely, and seems to have acquired a world class collection of Roman and Phonecian glassware, as well as many other items that impressed his obituary writer at the Times. (9/1/15)

White married Curtis's daughter two years later.

Zach --

Wasn't the Hoffman Nickerson property (Monomoit) adjacent or very nearby?

TDED --

What is that, some kind of crypto-Gothic cornice in the LR? (There was a major fire at the house in the Seventies. Maybe this is what happened with the insurance money.)

Anonymous said...

TDED,
I would argue that in comparison to most other "new people" house interiors this one is exquisite (sad, but true). This is a lovely bit of architecture but the major, unseen drawback is that Shore road is (and its traffic noise) is directly behind, and fortunately, below the house.

J

Anonymous said...

Looks like the interiors were done by Mario Buatta or one of his acolytes. The house has lovely bones, but the precious wallpaper and foo-foo window treatments must go!

lil' gay boy said...

Nana always said that some people only have taste in their mouths...

...I'm sure that, aside from the usual porn, we all have at least one item in our homes we'd rather never see the public light of day; perhaps not whole rooms of them, but still...

From the aerial photo you can see the lovely long driveway, and the steep drop of the hill down to Shore Road should ensure not only privacy & quiet, but an unobstructed view of one of Long Island's incredible sunrises.

Although somewhat encroached upon, the siting makes the most of the terrain & acreage; and I confess to a weakness for whitewashed brick; it ages so gracefully.

Security word –– taterse: brief tater tots.

magnus said...

Mario Buatta my a--. Even if his work is not to your taste, he's talented and knows quality. The interiors here are bad Baker furniture meets Waverly Fabric meets Calico Corners. Oh, and to personalize a room, make sure to add hundreds of photos in random frames and a fake amaryllis. It really is terribly disappointing, given how charming the exterior appears.

The Down East Dilettante said...

Ancient---that cornice appears to my untrained (tee hee) eye to be made up of precast plaster brackets made to imitate the Georgian Gothick so popular in the late 80's (but not nearly as nice). I'd be surprised if it were original, esp. with that obviously original Italian renaissance style mantel

Lil Gay Boy, Big Gay Guy agrees wholeheartedly about whitewashed brick.

Magnus, I concur all the way---good intentions (and probably sorta kinda Buatta-inspired), but I think Baker is being kind----those big arm sofas are usually Discount Furniture Ware House.

And, embarrased am I to notice in my original comment that I said 'these new people'. That's the sort of phrase, that if I heard it uttered by anyone else, would make the hair stand up on the back of my neck...

Anonymous said...

The Gothic arches look like an old L-n-T fascia decoration in the "Exotic Treasures" section of a long lost Home furnishings department. I too, doubt its original but somehow they look department store display.
3 votes for WW brick done well.

Anonymous said...

Zach... I'm so glad you're posting current real estate listings. When this house first came on the market I was very impressed -- lovely whitewashed-brick exterior, beautifully landscaped grounds and excellent views. Although the 1927 E. Belcher Hyde map show 'Gardiner White' on this parcel, as usual, the listing agent's description is sorely lacking the historic information that you provide. Thank you very much for filling in the details about this lovely home and its original owners.
-- CDR from San Marino (formerly of NYC)

Anonymous said...

The Whites made their money from several sources among them were the US Flour Trust and the Columbia Paper Bag company. Gardiner's father was Winslow White - a noted yachtsman and horseman with large stables in what is now Commack. My mother was descended from the Whites and in addition to the paper bags they also produced other paper goods. I believe they were the first to produce the brown paper shopping bag.

Blaine White Tavares said...

ANONYMOUS, I'm curious about your mother's White decendency. I am Gardiner Winslow White's granddaughter and grew up on the property, living in the guest house until I was 15. I would like to hear from you. How?

OTHER BLOGGERS:
The White and Curtis financial background is reasonably accurate.

Gardiner Winslow White died in September 1981, age 90. The house was then sold to Coe Kerr, whose grandmother (coincidentally) was my father's godmother.

Last year I revisited the property and plucked up the courage to enter the house after a chance encounter with its current owner. I was surprised and pleased to see that much of the interior architecture is still much the same, including the original fixtures in what was my bathroom when I stayed there, which was often. Even the shelves remain in "my" closet, where my grandmother kept her many hats. And, yes, the cornice in the living room IS original. The wood paneling in the dining room was painted white during my grandparents' time. Of course the kitchen and most bathrooms have been modernized.

Blueprints were drawn up in the late 1920's to enlarge the house and add a swimming pool and tennis court. 1929 put an end to the plans and I'm surprised that subsequent owners have not made any changes or improvements in that respect.

Incidentally, the fire in Oct. 1973 burned only the guest house, which was about 200 yds. from the main house. There is also a 6-car garage flanked by two 3-bedroom cottages, once the homes of the gardener, the cook and the chauffeur.

The Nickerson property is parallel to "White Lodge" on its north side.

Although my grandmother went through what we teased was her "Spanish period", you can be sure that the house was beautifully decorated in line with the times....and full of photographs everywhere.

Keith Gregory said...

My father and I did some landscaping work for Coe Kerr when he owned it. It is a very lovely property, with an amazing view. The steep hill is indeed steep.

As far as a pool - there really isn't much room for a pool. I would think you'd want the pool in the back of the house - and that doesn't give much room as that is where the property starts the steep decline to shore rd.