Monday, August 22, 2011

'Little Burlees'

'Little Burlees', the Edward T. Cockcroft estate designed by Albro & Lindeberg c. 1905 in East Hampton. Click HERE to see 'Little Burlees' on google earth and HERE on bing. More on 'Little Burlees' to follow.



Photos from American Architect & Architecture, 1907.

15 comments:

magnus said...

To my mind, perfect. If you don't build in shingle at the beach, stucco does just fine. I love the Elsie De Wolfe-esque dining room, too.

magnus said...

OK, OK, maybe the arched window over the front door isn't perfect, but give me that covered porch any day.

Doug Floor Plan said...

I also think this is a good looking house (the arched window over the front door threw me off too). It appears the current owners also like their house but still wanted to make some major alterations. When I first pulled the house up in Bing I noticed the front door has been moved to what was originally the rear of the house where a large rear addition has been built. As I rotated the house in Bing there is one rotation (north is to the left) where the house disappears – I hope I’m not the only one who gets this view. It appears the owners had their house taken apart & rebuilt much larger & reconfigured but with the most notable Albro & Lindeberg architectural features maintained (at least on the exterior). The purists may take issue with all this but I’m impressed.

The Down East Dilettante said...

Once again, what Magnus said, both times.

Doug, the renovated version was published in one of the shelter mags a couple of years back---can't remember which one. They liked to call it a 'restoration, but in fact, as you note, it was a total makeover, with the usual blathering quotes from the designers about how they respected the integrity, but changed everything, blah blah blah.

Anonymous said...

all,
on the google view you can see result of the same destructive impulse to fool with perfection, looks like the rebuilding a the house that seems darn close to perfect

Doug Floor Plan said...

DED, I agree with your observation that you cannot respect the integrity of something while totally changing it. I chose my words carefully because the owners can likely no longer honestly say they live in an Albro & Lindeberg designed home – they probably don’t, depends on how much things were moved around inside. But I am impressed that after pulling the house down the owners built a new house that someone comparing street photographs would think is the same house, complete with loggia on the swimming pool side & trellis-covered porch on the opposite side. I did note the dormer window over the loggia is a single wide window now verses the original smaller, separate dormers; & dare I say again – they abandoned the original front door, & built a new entrance which to me is no small adjustment when you claim to be maintaining integrity.

Frustrated Architect said...

The house burned down a few years back and I believe the photo showing the destruction is the only current view from Bing. Gone.

Frustrated Architect said...

Also, I believe this house was once owned by James T. Lee - the maternal grandfather of Mrs. Jacqueline Onassis.

The Devoted Classicist said...

Yikes! What I see on the Google Earth ariel view is a construction site. This is a beautiful part of East Hampton, although if I were wishing, the impractical side of me would have hoped for a deeper lot on the ocean side of the street.

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is selling its president's residence, a great Harrie T. Lindeberg designed house, now half the original asking price (and perhaps available for half that).

Kellsboro Jack said...

TDC - is that Knoxville property the former Hugh Sanford estate? If so that has sadly been just ruined in terms of its grounds. Blacktop parking lot a couple feet from the facade of the property. Just disgraceful.

The Lindeberg designed property in Charlotte, NC (for Gov. Morrison) is on the market, too. One of his best examples in terms of its condition today although I disagree with some of the heavy "feel" inside. Beautiful property @ $9.875M

http://morrocroftmanor.com/

To keep this on Old Long Island there is in Lindeberg's Domestic Architecture a client listed as "William N. Dykman, Glen Cove, LI". Are there any details or pictures of this house?

james said...

To Kellsboro Jack: E-Mail me, I'll send you pics of the Dykman house in Glen Cove...
jhogarty1@gmail.com

Kellsboro Jack said...

James - thanks I'll send you an email under separate cover.

The aforementioned Lindeberg designed house ("Hugh Sanford House") in Knoxville, TN

http://www.knoxheritage.org/sites/default/files/Kpike%20Lview%20Book.pdf

See page 10 of that link above.

A pity as the home designed with such skill deserves to be moved elsewhere for starters. I'm fine with adaptive reuse provided its done with some dignity.

The Devoted Classicist said...

K Jack, yes the former home of Hugh Sanford. Sorry to hear of the bad stewardship; universities aren't always the best property owners (with notable exceptions). Hopefully the next owner will be more sympathetic.

The Devoted Classicist said...

My apologies! I was seriously mistaken and quite rusty on Knoxville architecture history. The university President's residence for sale is another house altogether. But that church really spoiled the Sanford house so brilliantly suited to its formerly beautiful site that sloped down from the road (so that the house wasn't seen) to the river. An architectural development travesty to be sure.

HalfPuddingHalfSauce said...

Google Earth historical imagery has the Lindeberg property standing until March 30 2007, its gone on the next update October 11 2008.

William N. Dykman, Glen Cove -

http://wikimapia.org/#lat=40.8629819&lon=-73.615737&z=16&l=0&m=b&show=/2061480/White-Acre