Tuesday, August 2, 2011

The Fountain at 'Burrwood'

The fountain at 'Burrwood', the Walter Jennings estate designed by Carrere & Hastings c. 1899 in Lloyd Harbor. Click HERE for more on the fountain and HERE for more on 'Burrwood'. Photo from Country Life, 1922.

16 comments:

The Devoted Classicist said...

I find the house, pictured in the link, to be interesting. I assume the exterior views to be the garden elevation despite the glass vestibule. I am hoping to see the entrance elevation and some interior views in future posts.

The Ancient said...

So much of the statuary at Burrwood simply "disappeared" over the years. Does anyone know anything about the fate of the fountain?

(BTW, there are still a few nearby outbuildings remaining -- including a house and a greenhouse to the west of Dock Hollow Road.)

Anonymous said...

Wow, amazing! I can't believe this stuff is still here. I would love to come see it. Walter Jennings was my great, great grandfather. I could get you some really amazing photos of the old house if you're interested. It was amazing.

stillman.meyer@gmail.com

Zach L. said...

Ancient, I believe the sarcophagus that was set into a wall to the side of the house in the large terraced garden is now somewhere in the MET. Before the house was demolished people from the museum came to remove it and a small piece chipped off. They later returned to search the hillside and somehow managed to find the small piece. You can see it in an old picture here:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OlaVeajrP30/Sj9x-EJcOyI/AAAAAAAADac/-o4eAV5IB_w/s1600-h/Burrwood.jpg

The Ancient said...

Anon 9:24 --

If you've got pictures of the eight murals in WJ's bedroom -- particularly the one he called "How I Made My Fortune" -- you'll be a rock star around here.

Zach L. said...

Doug's comment wasn't posting so I am doing it for him:

DougFloorPlan said...

Zach’s web-site is growing complex (no offense, Zach) – if you’ll go to the right-hand column & click on ‘Burrwood’ under ‘Estates Most Featured’ you’ll see many more pictures of ‘Burrwood’ (including the fountain) than what the link in today’s post takes you to, & some interesting comments.

The fountain is a sad loss – it is what the front door of ‘Burrwood’ faced across a fairly rigidly landscaped garden. The picture with the glass vestibule is the front of the house & was probably taken after ‘Burrwood’ became a home for the blind. There is also a picture of the rear of the house, where there wasn’t much garden because of proximity to the beach (Zach commented this house had amazing views). It helps to look at the Google Earth view where ‘Burrwood’ stood: http://wikimapia.org/#lat=40.8837666&lon=-73.4700823&z=17&l=0&m=b & here’s the Bing view: http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=qtdkv78w9rnc&lvl=18.46076329317522&dir=357.1484298634198&sty=b&where1=Cold%20Spring%20Harbor%2C%20NY&form=LMLTCC . I can’t get the Historical Aerial view to work.


There is a sizeable house sitting on the ‘Burrwood’ site now … I wonder what its fate will be?

Anonymous said...

I don't understand why they raized Burrwood, only to build a very similar home on it's site.

The Ancient said...

DFP --

All the houses on the old site are fairly new, and quite expensive. And as much as I hated seeing Burrwood disappear, I must admit that a couple of those houses are rather nice. (If it weren't for the proximity of the other houses, I'd quite like the one that's closest to the beach. It's a little too flashy, but the views are superb.)

The Google Maps satellite view obscures the drive that leads down to the beach. In the old days, that entire hillside was filled with statuary and winding paths. Gradually, the statues disappeared -- even forty years ago they were mostly all gone.

P.S. Yes, the glass vestibule is from the Burrwood's days as a home for the blind.

Anon 10:39 --

1) Burrwood was much larger, and in many ways technologically obsolete. 2) All those years as an institution were unkind to the interiors. 3) The break-up value was greater than the restoration value.

HalfPuddingHalfSauce said...

DFP - I added the HA link to the wikimapia tag.

Anon 9:24 - One of Tiffany's "Four Seasons"{now in private hands} were in the house. Do you have photos of them???

Here's a story of the "Lost and Found Sarcophagus" -

http://www.metmuseum.org/publications/journals/1/pdf/1512920.pdf.bannered.pdf


Colorized photos of the Sarcophagus -

http://siris-archives.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=M24I672T03415.64320&profile=all&source=~!siarchives&view=subscriptionsummary&uri=full=3100001~!183190~!4&ri=2&aspect=subtab157&menu=search&ipp=20&spp=20&staffonly=&term=burrwood&index=.GW&uindex=&aspect=subtab157&menu=search&ri=2

House and gardens -


http://siris-archives.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=S31V313692B94.134854&profile=all&uri=link=3100006~!99753~!3100001~!3100002&aspect=Browse&menu=search&ri=1&source=~!siarchives&term=Jennings%2C+Walter+P.%2C+M%2FM&index=NAMEP

Off subject but worth the read if you have the time -

http://www.nytimes.com/1998/08/30/nyregion/recapturing-tiffany-grandeur-and-style.html?src=pm

http://www.morsemuseum.org/special_exhibitions/laurelton_exp_new.html

Read the Object Guides!

Ancient I'm shocked, you sound so pragmatic! Somewhere out there, maybe even reading this post, someone has a 8mm film of the last meal at "Burrwood" before the wrecking ball did its work...

JohnM said...

In about 1984 or 85, I was a visitor to the Cold Springs Harbor Beach Club. I recall going for a short sail on Long Island Sound, after which two friends and I took a hike up a nearby road. We went up a hill through the overgrown woods, to a giant, brick house. It seemed deserted. Anyway, we just walked right up to it, and nobody else was around. (I probably should have looked in a window . . . ) I always wondered about that house. Many times I searched on Bing Bird’s eye, trying to figure out where it was, but no nearby estates seemed to be close enough, large enough, nor brick. Thanks for solving my mystery!

The Ancient said...

HPHS --

maybe even reading this post, someone has a 8mm film of the last meal

Very funny.

But I've already copped to having a similar bit of film -- somewhere -- of a children's birthday party at Jack Morgan's house. (Imagine Oysters Rockefeller being served to eight-year old girls, with staff in livery behind each and every child.)

Anonymous said...

I was at Burrwood's last meal. I videotaped it and the mansion, but since we were trespassing the tape will probably stay in the vault until 2040!

HalfPuddingHalfSauce said...

No liveried footman - just fast-footed as I recall the story. Flashlights and candles and a toast to Burrwoods demise before the night security arrived. Your film{films?} are good candidates for YouTube.

Anonymous said...

Right--no electricity; just around a dozen people, some in ersatz period costumes, making the best of a sad situation. The place was built like a fortress.

If I ever show video of the last days of Burrwood--sans farewell meal--I'll let everyone know.

kate mara said...

Worked at burrwood from 73 to 78 as a nusrse when it was the home for the blind. There were 2 elderly patients, a brother and a sister who were family friends of the jennings. I rhink their name was Sinclair. When they were in their 20's they had meningitis and lost their ability to see and hear. The older one, john shared with me many a fantastic story of parties at the mansion. I believe it was this family's relationship with the Jennings that prompted them to sell to IHB, an industry promoted by Helen Keller. (by the way, she used to visit burrwood often). I have a few photos of the house and grounds, there were many fountains on the property as well as other works of art. What a shame that the incorporated village couldn't preserve it.

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