Tuesday, June 28, 2011

'Brookwood'

'Brookwood', the Henry Miller Minton estate designed by Thomas H. Ellet c. 1929 in North Hills. Minton was chairman and president of Church & Dwight Co., the company behind Arm & Hammer Baking Soda. The house is no longer extant.

9 comments:

The Devoted Classicist said...

Something a little different, a nod to Francois Ier with those dormer pediments. I can think of several slight adjustments that would be improvements, to my eye. But I wonder if the replacement was better?

Doug Floor Plan said...

I also kind of like this house although it was (sad to use the past tense) quirky – as Classicist said the dormer pediments are a little different; & I suspect those small transom windows flanking the balcony over the front door are to bathrooms … but they make me wonder how tiny the bathrooms must be. Even the finial on the gate post at left seems a little awkward for the post & yet it matches the finials on the dormer pediments. I like the nice big windows.

The Down East Dilettante said...

Definitely a quirky take on the French manoir style---but clearly a very civilized house, with those large first floor windows allowing good light, and French doors onto balconies, etc. Very likeable.

lil' gay boy said...

Those dormers were an odd, somewhat too precious affectation in my opinion ––– not directly referential to a specific building or style, I am further thrown off by the finial-topped monolith in the yard. It's much too over-sized to be either a gate- or fencepost; what the hell is it?

I wonder if the diamond shaped cutout to the left of the front door was to allow Emilie to espy on the Fuller Brush Man's approach?

Stripped of its frippery (but not the whitewash), it would have made a lovely upper middle class tract home. Where in Manhasset did it stand; Kensington, perhaps?

Security word - pertles: undergarment pasties for heavier dress fabrics.

HalfPuddingHalfSauce said...

Property stood here -

http://www.historicaerials.com/aerials.php?scale=4E-06&lat=40.8982551927341&lon=-73.5884969936431&year=1966

Just northwest of the Old Courthouse Road bridge over Vanderbilt's Long Island Motor Parkway -

http://wikimapia.org/#lat=40.7657215&lon=-73.6877596&z=17&l=0&m=b&show=/4310801/Long-Island-Motor-Parkway-Bridge

Maneuver north across the NSPrkwy before "Groombridge"{demolished} you can see the remnants of the Janet Grace estate "Gilchrist"{demolished sometime after 2005}. Can still be seen using Google Earth Historical Imagery. Anyone have further info on this place? Whats in the garden???

HalfPuddingHalfSauce said...

Wrong HA link above.
http://www.historicaerials.com/aerials.php?scale=5.23608750850296E-06&lat=40.7644995107419&lon=-73.6872373990899&year=1966

Doug Floor Plan said...

HPHS, once again thank you for the great links; & once again I am jealous of your skill.

LGB, looking at the 1966 aerial photo you can see the circular forecourt to the east of the house with the main entrance to it on the north side. In the picture Zach posted today the "finial-topped monolith in the yard" is directly across from the house so is not part of the main entrance to the forecourt. Which makes me conclude it's purely decorative -- not so much to me but to someone ... OR ... maybe that's where you could get complimentary air & water for your car (joke).

& I agree -- white paint was the way to go with this exterior.

Anonymous said...

It's much too over-sized to be either a gate- or fencepost; what the hell is it?

A TARDIS, of course.

Anonymous said...

This was my grandfather’s home…built in depression …was supposed to be U shaped but ballroom side never built.