Wednesday, June 22, 2011

The Rothwell M. Sheriff Estate

The Rothwell M. Sheriff estate designed by Fuller & Dick c. 1928 in Lattingtown. Sheriff was the eldest son of Andrew Rothwell Sheriff, a prominent Chicago lawyer. Click HERE to see the Sheriff estate on google earth and HERE on bing.

19 comments:

The Down East Dilettante said...

I've always loved these chic 'little' Regency houses...very stylish

Doug Floor Plan said...

I think the Rothwell M. Sheriff estate is good looking (at least on the exterior) & hope the house in the woods to the north is still part of this estate & not a separate property that had rights to a common driveway. Other comments:
• I’m surprised there are two entrance driveways to this property but they do not connect.
• I like landscaping like this that gives a house privacy & an intimate feel rather than like you’re on display – I’m guessing from Feeks Lane only part of the rounded end of this house (I’m sure there’s a proper name for what that is) is visible.
• That terrace on the back must be great in nice weather.
• I’m guessing that’s a rectangular swimming pool inside the hedge & am impressed the owners have resisted any temptation to put a big ol’ flagstone border around it with a X-thousand square foot pool house.
And the neighbors seem nice. We should give this estate a name – I’m sure the owners would appreciate it (joke).

The Down East Dilettante said...

I just got around to enlarging the interior photo. Very interesting detailing---the way the paneling is used to echo the idea of one of John Soane's famous corner vaults...

Turner Pack Rats said...

zach must have photoshopped the bing pic - two big beautiful extant houses side by side with appropriate scale lots and existing landscaping. its either computer magic or i've been smoking too much wacky weed again (how much is too much?) i really echo DED on this one -nice and so is the one next door - what is that one.
on the the interior pic, i love the way the chimney piece protrudes into the room with the deepset windows - makes for great window seats but the more amazing details are that subtle arch at the top of the room and that incredible carpet. what's the year on this one. thanx zach.

security word def - "jarfor" -hipster question meaning "what are you drinking?"

guess i typed the first word wrong but the second security word was even better - "utingle" - the feeling i get looking at all these old houses or other things for that matter

Anonymous said...

Hi Doug Floor Plan
One driveway is the main entrance and the other is the service entrance and most likely they wouldn't connect.

As as "life long confirmed bachelor" AKA gay, this place has a rather distinctive flair. Was there a Mrs. Sheriff?

Turner Pack Rats, you are soo right about that carpet!!

Zach L. said...

TPR -

Click on the Wikimapia (google earth) link and then click on the house next door, it will provide you with all the info you are looking for (and 'Munnysunk' can be found on here). And no photoshopping, Lattingtown has survived the onslaught of development very well. I have yet to find the build year for the house.

Anonymous...there was indeed a Mrs. Sheriff...and a son, Rothwell Jr.

Anonymous said...

Is this "Serendipity"? If so, the whitewash was removed, but still a great house, and love the fact they kept the gardens. I'm also curious about the house next door...any info?

Lodi said...

This is a beautiful house and the one next door is extraordinary. I would gladly take either one! By the way, I found this site while searching for information on the "Gatsby House" and mostly I just lurk but ya'll are always cracking me up! Ya'll seem like old friends and I love your insights. Thanks for all of your hard work on this Zach!

lil' gay boy said...

OK, children; word up:

This area of Lattingtown remain (virtually) unmolested (apart from the fact that Misters Aldred & Guthrie purchased the original town and demolished its 60+ structures for their side-by-side estates, Ormston and Meudon.), It remains one great drive east to Mill Neck, where the Arthur Vining Davis estate sits prominently on a hill for all to see.

Feeks Lane is probably best known for Northway a little further east; it was the house featured in the Tom Hanks/Shelly Long movie, The Money Pit. Fortunately it has remained in much better condition that the movie depicts...

;-)

Security word - pheect: Astrikan word for that college prank known as "giving a whirly".

Anonymous said...

Wait....I don't think this house is the same as "Serendipity", am I looking in the wrong place, or just not getting the right angle on BING...?

Zach L. said...

It is the same as Serendipity...but you'll have to ask HPHS where that name comes from cause I don't know. But it's the same place, all that I have pictured is the front door and walkway though and it is hard to get that angle on Bing.

HalfPuddingHalfSauce said...

http://wikimapia.org/#lat=40.8858512&lon=-73.5811687&z=17&l=0&m=b&show=/3779543/Serendipity

I added view tax assessor sees, plus.

Name comes from anonymous and confirmed by Magnus -

http://www.oldlongisland.com/2010/11/wereholme.html

Zach L. said...

HPHS...that's the current name...have you ever come across anything that confirms the name comes from Sheriff's time? He's not in the SPLIA or Spinzia books...which seems odd to me.

Doug Floor Plan said...

Magnus, since you have knowledge of Serendipity I'll ask: is the house in the woods to the north of the 'main house' still part of this estate? Serendipity loses a lot of its privacy if it's a separate property with rights to a common driveway.

HalfPuddingHalfSauce said...

DFP per mynas the property includes the smaller structure to the north.

I went to the books first to refresh my memory. Ended up doing a Goggle search and found the post from last year. SPLIA does have a write up on Fuller & Dick but makes no mention of this house. Which is odd since the house is substantial and the names of the past owners seem to merit a mention???

Magnus?

Old (Former) Long Islander said...

Serendipity was owned by Eleanor Searle Whitney untillate 60s/early 70s. Then purchased by mortgage banker who probably doubled the size of house including round portion on front. Later built house on north end property for his mother to live in. As of mid nineties smaller house was rented by son of Texas Oil Man and used as a weekend retreat. Now??? Probably still part of estate. To the West, Munnysunk/Baily Arboretum, to the East Scottage, then, Floralyn (Ed Lynch), now??? Serious renovation of an already beautiful estate.

Anonymous said...

I recently purchased the monograph "New Traditional Architecture: Ferguson & Shamamian Architects, City and Country Residences" -- the firm that designed the architectural renovation of 'Scottage' (with interiors by Bunny Williams). The book includes beautiful exterior/interior photographs, a partial site/first floor plan and description of their work at 'Scottage.'

In my opinion, they did an excellent job "perform[ing] a gut renovation that [would] keep the house the same." A really fine example of sensitive renovation. One can only hope other clients and designers will learn from their example!

CDR from San Marino (formerly of NYC)

Security Word: oveat - a quicker way of saying "I can't believe I ate the whole thing!"

Historic Los Angeles said...

Rothwell was living with James Ingraham at 135 East 74th St in 1930, according to the US census... It appears that the two traveled together at times. Later there was a Mrs. Sheriff--Mary, born in Pennsylvania ca. 1900. The couple had a son, Rothwell Jr., born ca. 1938 in Louisiana, where Mr. Sheriff was then in the tung-oil business. Mrs. Sheriff was mysteriously lost at sea while on a boat with her husband and child, sailing from Africa to NY in 1948. There appears to have been a second Mrs. Sheriff after that.

Back to 1929 for a minute... According to the NY Evening Post of 12-13-29, it appears that Sheriff bought the property from O. Frank Woodward and that it adjoined the property of Edward R. Stetinnius Jr.; Stetinnius was the chairman of the Liberia Corp., of which Sheriff was a director at the time of his first wife's disappearance.

Mitch Owens said...

The house was decorated by Grace Hyman Hutchins, who formerly worked for Ruby Ross Wood.