Wednesday, November 10, 2010

'The Cliffs'

'The Cliffs', the James W. Beekman estate designed by Henry G. Harrison c. 1863 in Oyster Bay. Click HERE to see the brochure from when 'The Cliffs' was for sale and click HERE to see 'The Cliffs' on google earth.


12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sadly, a comment on Google Earth states that it's been gutted and -
"It now resembles something like a cross between yacht cabin, a disco, and a Turkish bath -- we're talking curved walls, lots of tile and glass brick." Why is it that those with cash are those that lack taste?

The Down East Dilettante said...

And why is it that they feel they have to piss on old houses---bend the houses to their will rather than appreciating what the house has to say to them...

Anonymous said...

where can you see the google earth comments?

Anonymous said...

Just scroll down a bit below the links.

Anonymous said...

I forgot to mention....double click on the property and you should get a screen giving a brief history of the owner. Below that you'll find comments...there's only one.

ChipSF said...

well, even if the interior is not preserved the exterior looks pretty good with that distinctive roof line, the dormers and the bracketed porch. Just the rocking chairs are missing.

lil' gay boy said...

Please be careful with your claims vis-a-vis "Google comments" ––– first of all, it is not related to Google, it is Wikimapia, and just like its brethren, Wikipedia, is neither moderated nor regulated.

The comments that appear are unverified & should be taken with a grain of salt as they reflect nothing more than one person's opinion ––– there are no peer reviews of the comments on either site.

HalfPuddingHalfSauce said...

You'll not find a more complete online guide to Long Island's Gold Coast then wikimapia There is a peer review on the comments - you can vote yay or nay and even have comments removed if found to be inaccurate or offensive. Comment in question has 10 positive/confirming votes.

lil' gay boy said...

HPHS, thanks for refining my thoughts (never jot out a comment whilst running out the door). Wikimapia is one of my favorite sites, but I consider it somewhat akin to the Spinzia books vis-a-vis clarity.

My concern is that it is most often statements of personal opinion, not objective facts, that get posted & voted on. Ninety-nine times out of 100 the comment is not only informative but adds a personal dimension that enriches the experience (and once they add a bird's eye view like on Bing Maps, it will be perfection).

But as with most Wikis, regulation is voluntary, and not always diligent. I do know from the last real estate listing I'd seen for the The Cliffs that the supposedly offensive alterations had by that time been "corrected".

It also behooves us to question the motive of the commenter, as well as the 10 folks who gave it a thumbs-up. In the current political climate, was it really vitally imperative that the commenter indicate the owner who oversaw the offending renovations was Arab?

If the renovator was, let's say, of Italian extraction, would the commenter's displeasure been differently conveyed? Perhaps it was nothing more than a sad, ignorant attempt to embellish feeble humor; but it does make me turn a more jaundiced eye to such freewheeling comments.

But hey, that's just my two cents. After all, I come from that hippie generation: ...question everything...

Security word - bletif: a boring computer graphic.

HalfPuddingHalfSauce said...

lil' gay boy I'll agree with you, the racist undertone of the comment taints its creditability.

I'm not offended but concerned with your words regarding wikimapia as it relates to Long Island's Gold Coast since I started and have created most of the tags identifying whats left. I use proven reference material to insure accuracy. I use the Spinzia books, cross referenced with SPLIA and numerous others. Its not meant to be the full story, more as a overhead guide for visualization purposes. I'm always adding content - links to related sites, photos, Bing, etc. Corrections are made. My goal is a thousand tags by the end of the year.

Comments just add another color to the rainbow.

Anonymous said...

My grandparent's home from the 1950's to the 1970's. All original then. I lived there when I went to Adelphi in the 50's.

PaulH said...

So your grandparents owned the Beekman House during the filming of Silent Night, Bloody Night in 1971? Very cool. It looks beautiful in the movie. Too bad they changed it.
By the way, I went to Adelphi also, but in the 80s.