Friday, March 11, 2011

The Ogden Phipps Estate

The Ogden Phipps estate designed by Delano & Aldrich c. 1929 in Old Westbury. The house sits in the northwest corner of Ogden's father Henry C. Phipps' estate 'Spring Hill'. Click HERE for more on the Ogden Phipps estate. Click HERE to see the Ogden Phipps estate on google earth and HERE on bing.

40 comments:

The Devoted Classicist said...

What a handsome property. Much can be learned from the masters Delano & Aldrich.

wooded bliss said...

Did Ogden Phipps or the Phipps family have the father's home, Spring Hill, torn down?. How did that happen?.

Anonymous said...

Wooded bliss...what from what I understand, Ogden tore down Spring Hill as soon as his mother passed in 1972. That always annoyed me since, at the time, he was the wealthiest man in America. If he didn't want to be burdened with taxes, I don't understand why he didn't do what his cousin Peggy did with Westbury House and create a foundation to open the house to the public. I guess he, or his sister didnt care enough for it.


Anyway, thank you Zach for posting these photos. I heard Ogden had a house built on Sping Hill's site, and always wondered as what it looked like. A fine house indeed. Do you have any interior shots? Also, does this home still sit on it's original 20 acres, or has some of that property been eaten up by the Spring Hill development? Is it still in Phipps family hands?

A while back in a news article after the tragic death of Cynthia Phipps, they had photos of her home which was up for sale. What a grand home it was. Do you know if her home is still extant, and if so, where ?

Zach L. said...

Anon-

This was Cynthia's house, those pictures you saw were of the interior. It passed to her after Ogden passed away, her brother Dinny has a place around the corner. It still sits on 20 acres (albeit abutting Glen Cove Road). Was purchased 2 years ago for $11 million and is currently undergoing renovations by the new owners.

Anonymous said...

Thank you Zach. I hope the renovations will be respectful of the home and land. It looked like "move in as is, no need for any work" by the photos I saw.

What is Dinny's house like?

Zach L. said...

The Phipps family did indeed keep that house in impeccable condition. The house did not however have central air or other modern conveniences which is what I believe the new owners planned on changing.

I've never had an up close encounter with Dinny's place so I unfortunately can't really comment on it. Looks like a lovely house from afar though.

lil' gay boy said...

A moment, please for those in Japan, whether we have friends/loved ones there or not.

Zach, was Dinny's house carved out of the original Spring Hill acreage? If so, where exactly is it sited in relation to the original house or Ogden's petit maison?

Security word - ambequa: a new product that combines designer distilled water with a sleep aid.

Gary Lawrance said...

In case anyone is looking for a good movie this weekend," The Greek Tycoon",1978 starring Anthony Quinn & Jackie Bisset
has a few scenes shot at," Lands End", so great to see it looking beautiful!

Anonymous said...

There looks to big big house with intact stables south on Red Ground Road. It looks as if it was one time part of Spring Hill.

lil' gay boy said...

Thanks, Zach.

I'm assuming it's the rather understated property of buff colored brick south of Hastings Road between Stone Arch Road & Lewis Path, bounded on the south by those rather vulgar contemporaries on Grace Drive?

I guess he's a hold out; I cannot imagine the developers of Stone Arches not wanting that juicy morsel.

Anonymous said...

LGB....do you mean the brick house on Red Ground Road, before it turns into Hastings and just before you hit Stone Arch? (I'm going by BING).

The Down East Dilettante said...

Anonymous 9:50, regarding tearing down his father's place: Interestingly, he was a supporter, with his sister, of Staatsburgh, his grandparent's palatial estate on the Hudson. One suspects that he simply didn't want tourists on his property, and didn't want to keep up the house..

Anonymous said...

DED, I can understand not wanting tourists. But Peggy Phipps Boegner lived in Orchard Hill,which was much closer in proximity than Ogdens home was to Spring Hill. I think maybe they just didn't want to put in the effort...it's just a waste of a beautiful piece of architecture and historial and museum quailty interiors. It really saddens me that so much beauty and craftsmanship has been lost and destroyed.

Anonymous said...

Scroll down a bit for interior shots when the house was for sale.

http://www.luxist.com/2009/06/09/phipps-mansion-sells-after-4-million-price-cut/

lil' gay boy said...

Anon 3:51, if you're referring to the house on the north side of the road (on your left if you're going east on Red Ground Road), there's a lovely little estate occupying the southeast corner of Spring Hill, and the gatehouse is just beyond it, with the new entrance with its pond also on your left.

This is not the house I was referring to, but I think Zach knows its provenance. I once wrote him about seeing Spring Hill as a young teen before it was demolished; even abandoned, it was almost luminous on bright, sunny days.

If you continue along onto Hastings Road, just before you reach Stone Arch Road you'll find a white split-rail fence on your right; this encloses the property I'm talking about. As you approach Lewis Path (a private road), you pass a stable/service building on our right, at the edge of an open field.

On the far side of that field, behind the trees, is another stable/service building; beyond that lies the main house. Happy hunting, but as Mama over at The Real Estalker says, "...have some sense. Do not go knocking on any of the damn doors [ . . . ] Seriously. Just don't do it."

wooded bliss said...

LGB.. I think the house you refer, without looking at the map, was owned by Paul Bradley Murray in 60's -70's. Great house. Perfect for a huge family.

wooded bliss said...

LGB, ( nice monogram) I am wrong . The house you refer to east of the gate, is formidable.. , sorry, Paul B. Murray, (Grandson of Thomas E. and T.E.M. Jr., lived at the place just west of Spring hill gate. I looked at the map.But it wasn't brick back in the day: Clapboard siding, Gentleman farmer's home, I would think part of the Spring hill farm group. How bout those old farm houses up in the woods above Guinea woods road at Red ground?? Are they still there?..I always thought they reminded me of what you would see upstate.
Did Ogden Phipps have a name for his place or did it fall under the Spring Hill moniker?

ROS said...

What a great estate, thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

I was in the house in the 1980's. The house contained one of the largest collections of french furniture in private hands. I beleive that either christy' or sotheby's published an auction brochure. try e bay.

Anonymous said...

The catalog is for sale on e bay for $33.00 Just type in Ogden Phipps.

Zach L. said...

It was Sotheby's, October 19th, 2002.

lil' gay boy said...

Wooded Bliss, if you're referring to the dark-shingled group of buildings in the southwest corner of the estate (corner of Glen Cove Road & Red Ground Road), south of Ogden Phipps house, my understanding is that they were all service buildings connected with the larger stable complex and paddocks to the east (the driveway to the small cottage at the intersection has always connected to the stables further on, at least since I was a wee tyke.)

Zach, a little further north on Glen Cove Road, just past Main Drive, is a transplanted colonial that was doctors' offices at one time. I remember it being moved down from Glen Cove sometime in the past, but don't recall much of it's provenance ––– ring any bells with you?

Security word - shothe: the penultimate drink before passing out.

Anonymous said...

lgb...
I had seen the colonial you're referring to in it's original location. It was located off the service rd heading west, two streets past the mobil station... not sure if that's east hills or roslyn heights. It's a small u-shaped street called horseshoe road east / west. When I arrived they had already excavated the foundation to get ready for the move. They built about 16 ugly homes on the site. The developer was calling it the mini mansion. We happened to be stuck in traffic on the day of the move... it was strange seeing that thing coming down glen cove road. It really looks ridiculous in it's current location.

wooded bliss said...

i remember that move too...it looked riculous then as now. Trivia, Who remembers Bohacks grocery store, before Gristedes, now CVS..that was the only grocery store in the area. The managers name was Sid.Oh yeah, and Stride Right shoe store (all my oxfords and loafers) and Clyde JR'S (for Florence Eisman) and Clyde Debs?

HalfPuddingHalfSauce said...

A weeks worth of comments...

Heres where the old Colonial stood on Horseshoe Dr. -

http://www.historicaerials.com/aerials.php?scale=4E-06&lat=40.7856058861559&lon=-73.6281198345146&year=1966

The structures in question on the south side of Hastings Road have a number of names associated with it, Willets, Garvan and Bancroft. The buildings closest to the road show a build date of 1918, used as a cow barn and bull pen. The house and buildings to the south show a build date of 1932. Outbuildings are listed as Chauffeur's House and stable. Bing shows a conical shaped tower attached to the stable -

http://www.bing.com/maps/explore/default.aspx#/rlpy4fzzmqg4dpv3

In my search from last week to id "Sunny-something" on Brookville Road I found "Hark Hill Place" -

http://wikimapia.org/#lat=40.9039893&lon=-73.5862809&z=18&l=0&m=b&show=/19164720/Hawk-Hill-Place

Check the HistoricAerials link using the slider option to see this properties split personalty.

I know I'm late on this - white wash on the Gardiner residence if only to set-off the black-iron grille work around the windows. In one of the Google links about the fight over ownership of Gardiner Island "Sagtikos Manor" was mentioned as a family home -

http://wikimapia.org/#lat=40.7023949&lon=-73.2754129&z=18&l=0&m=b&show=/6038710/Sagtikos-Manor

Check the area out for "Thorneham" -
http://wikimapia.org/#lat=40.7023746&lon=-73.2564926&z=16&l=0&m=b&show=/16446795/Thorneham

St. Peters was once a indoor tennis court for the estate.

The other "Lands End" -

http://wikimapia.org/#lat=40.9006605&lon=-73.5939145&z=17&l=0&m=b&show=/2673906/Land-s-End

Mildred Pierce set to air March 27. Watch the making of -

http://www.hbo.com/mildred-pierce/index.html#/mildred-pierce/about/video/making-of.html/eNrjcmbOUM-PSXHMS8ypLMlMDkhMT-VLzE1lzmcu1CzLTEnNh8k45+eVpFaUsDFyMjKySSeWluQX5CRW2pYUlaayMQIAUmYXOA==

Feature to look for at wikimapia, bottom left corner - click on the Google logo. Opens Google Maps and allows you to view area at street level.

Anonymous said...

Hehehe...HPHS...your the best!!!

Anonymous said...

Wooded Bliss- I remember all of those stores. The main shoe salesman at Stride Right was Dave. There was a hardware store next to Bohacks with an"electric eye" chime when you walked in. Also a small deli that sold "fancy" foods, like S.S. Pierce Vichyssoise and caviar. The store closest to the gas station had a soda fountain with great malteds-we called it the Breyers' store.The smaller shopping center on the service road contained the Meadowbrook Bank and a barber shop where you could sit in a rocket-ship. Just noticing the other day what a crappy looking hodge podge the center has become.

wooded bliss said...

Anon 1:35,
thanks for the memories..I used to get my hair cut by Tony and sometimes Guiseppe at said barber..and next to them was O'Henry's mens and boys shop.I remember the soda fountain very well too and can see the guy who ran it (in my minds eye) right now.

Anonymous said...

HPHS...

Any other info on the Thomas Bancroft / Ogden Mills Phipps 1932 house on Hastings? It was a most elegant structure... I'm guilty of having driven up the driveway back in the 80s. I can't seem to find the name of it's architect. Photos don't seem likely other than Bing.

HalfPuddingHalfSauce said...

Nothing more on Bancroft or the property. Anyone?

Auntie sezzzzzz... said...

What marvelous blogs you have!!! What a wonderful service you provide. Recording past beauty. Before the present foolishly demolishes it. -sigh-

lil' gay boy said...

HPHS, did you notice how the family portrait of the Hatches in the Life Magazine article (showing the Emil J. Stehli family portrait) was an almost exact duplicate of the iconic family portrait of the Vanderbilts?

Coincidence? I think not.

As for the Bancroft property, I do remember my Nana, who lived in Norgate, taking us over there with apples to feed the horses (she claimed she had the owner's OK & knew him from church, I believe). I was too little to know or ask questions...

Security word - calogie: a failed Weight Watchers method for reducing calories by excessive spitting; led to the points system.

HalfPuddingHalfSauce said...

I know the Vanderbilt portrait. I haven't come across the Hatches that you mentioned. Side note - Mrs. Stehli had a niece that survived the Titanic.

http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-survivor/hedwig-margaritha-frolicher.html

Anonymous said...

Wooded Bliss-I had forgotten about O'Henry', thanks for the memory jog. I did remember the name of the fellow at the "Breyers'" Store-Steve.

lil' gay boy said...

Inspired by the recent postings regarding the Gardiners, I took my trusty iPad (and my Mac Mini) and created this special Hamptons interlude for you to escape from this dreary world ––– at least for two minutes & fifty-five seconds, anyway. Watch it in HD if you can.

All the properties are currently on the market, from the Gardiner residence in the heart of East Hampton to Skytop in Montauk . . . enjoy!

Security word - ficsmort: a quick drying adhesive used in funeral homes.

HalfPuddingHalfSauce said...

LGB - Have yet to find the Life magazine article you mentioned. Can you post a link? Your video is gone? Thanks

Unknown said...

I grew up on the Phipps estate, my father was the chef for Ogden Phipps and his family. I lived there from age 10 to 19. I was sad to see the place sold. I have not been back to see it. It has been over 20 years now. Many fond memories, as well as sad ones. I lived in the house behind the barn on the hill. It was the Best!

Anonymous said...

Ezluv65-
I was lucky enough to eat what your dad cooked for us when we visted our cousins... Thank you my friend.......

Anonymous said...

This house is in the September Architectural Digest 2012. It was recently renovated.

smarty said...

Ogden "Dinny" lives on Hastings on the right side off of red ground road. I've been working on the grounds there for about 5 years. He splits time there with his house in Palm beach. I also work at Cynthia's house as well. The new owner is a really nice guy. Some of the landscape has changed and modernized but it's the same house. It's still called the "Whitney-Phipps" estateI've got pictures of spring hill now where the house used to be also. I love going in there and seeing where the old house used to be.