Wednesday, February 16, 2011

'Killenworth'

'Killenworth', the George du Pont Pratt estate designed by Trowbridge & Ackerman c. 1913 in Glen Cove, as featured in a 1919 issue of Arts & Decoration. Below, Mrs. George du Pont Pratt, nee Helen Deming Sherman. Click HERE for more on 'Killenworth'. Click HERE to see the brochure from when 'Killenworth' was for sale.

Pictures courtesy of The Down East Dilettante.

11 comments:

John J. Tackett said...

Is it still a "diplomatic retreat"?

The Ancient said...

That's like asking, Does the FBI still bug the trees?

Kellsboro Jack said...

An article from Time magazine in April 1946 indicated the Reds (vis-a-vis "Amtorg") paid $120k at the time and also leased the J.P. Morgan property as well. Time remarked that [the Morgan property] adjoins Killenworth.

Looking at Google maps I have to ask what Morgan property was adjacent to Killenworth? Junius Spencer Morgan's Salutations was always separated from Killenworth by the assorted Pratt properties. If it is Salutations I have to confess I never knew the Russians leased that ;>

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,886908,00.html

The Ancient said...

KJ --

I think the article is referring to "Matinecock Point."

The Down East Dilettante said...

Sounds to me as if it was one of those journalistic moments where Matinecock Morgan (the estate that was Red occupied) sort adjoined some Pratts, so it sort of adjoined Killenworth. All too often the people who don't live there don't get the geographical and social connection. (The book I linked for Ancient to Callendar house almost drives me crazy for that very reason. The author might as well have written it from Vienna for all he got right of the nuances and geography.

The Down East Dilettante said...

forgot to mention that something that entertained me in the Killenworth pictures was that the caption for the sitting room photograph, with the portrait of Mrs. Pratt over the mantel, is that the picture was taken by Mr. Pratt, 'exclusively for this magazine'

magnus said...

Salutaions belonged to Junius Spencer Morgan, son of JPMorgan, Jr. Saluations sits on a small piece of land called West Island that in seperated by a small inlet and causeway from East Island that was once his father's property. I was told that the Russians rented the JPMorgan, Jr. property for a period after the 2nd World War. While not contiguous to KIllenworth, it's "close enough for Government work" as they say, which is why, I'm sure, it was desribed as "ajoining" it.

And the interior of Killenworth (at least this view) is better than I thought it would be. If not cutting edge (I don't think that the Pratt's were an especially stylish family), it has real charm and a cozy feel. Hardly what you'd expect from the exterior.

magnus said...

DED- once again, our comments crossed in cyberspace. And what I wouldn't give for a stack of Arts and decoration maganzines. It must be a treasure trove.

HalfPuddingHalfSauce said...

If I'm reading the floor plans correctly the Morning Room is the featured room.

Anonymous said...

does anyone know if killenworth will be open to the public in the near future. i know a public visit or charity event was arranged a few years ago through the town of glen cove. i tried calling the ny russian embassy and go nowhere. i am better of calling the kremlin, i was transferred a thousand times.

magnus said...

Anon:

I've lived in Glen Cove for over 40 years and to my knowledge, Killenworth has never been open to the public. The mutual antipathy that has long existed between the Ruskies at Killenworth and the community at large is perhaps best summed up by the oft repeated (and I'm sure apocryphal)story that our abysmal cel phone reception is caused by the Russians jamming the airwaves with nefarious communications to the mother land. Every time I pass the gates of Killenworth, I still conjure up the mental picture of Boris Badenov and Natasha from the old Bullwinkle cartoons of my youth.