Monday, October 24, 2011

'Framewood'

'Framewood', the Sterling Postley estate designed by Hoppin & Koen c. 1918 in Upper Brookville. Postley, son of Commodore Clarence Postley, was a partner in Hutton & Co., investment bankers. Click HERE to see 'Framewood' on google earth and HERE on bing. Photos from Architecture, 1918.




28 comments:

The Ancient said...

Looks like the perfect house for an Agatha Christie locked-room murder mystery.

HalfPuddingHalfSauce said...

This place has been for sale forever. Whats wrong with it???

http://www.weichert.com/35001362/

HalfPuddingHalfSauce said...

Wikimapia tag has link to the LocationCompany site.

The Ancient said...

Whats wrong with it???

Apart from that body in the library, it's a dark, gloomy place. And the kitchen is very off-putting.

HalfPuddingHalfSauce said...

Body in the library? What do you know?

Beautiful woodwork.

Here's the official listing source -

http://www.danielgale.com/IDXDetail.aspx?mlsnum=2344843&city=Upper-Brookville&page=1&mlstableid=LIBORMLSDGALEOFFICERES&sp=y&segmentid=2682685&uid=65331&htmlfile=property_properties-for-sale_shell.html&origurl=http%3a%2f%2fwww.danielgale.com%2fproperty_properties-for-sale.html

Zach L. said...

Forget Agatha Christie... you'd find me waiting for Colonel Mustard and Professor Plum with Miss Scarlet in the billiard room (with the candle stick I might add).

The Down East Dilettante said...

Interesting---the Location Company listing says the house was sold as of August 2011 and is no longer available for shoots, yet it still appears in the real estate listings. Must be a development restriction on the land, thus the developers left it alone---and magnificent though it is (the woodwork is of exceptional quality), it is gloomy-ish on the first floor.

I wonder what the real room count is? Wikimapia says 45, the real estate listing says 21, and looking at the floor plans and doing logical guesses for the 3rd floor, I come out around 35. I've noticed that ever since the Depression and the end of cheap servants, that real estate listings have tended to understate the number of rooms---unlike people who promote their houses for commercial purposes. Urban legend grows around the biggest houses: Biltmore really has about 120 rooms, not 255, Oheka has around 75, not 110, and Whitemarsh Hall had 90, not 147--and only 4 elevators, not 14. Oh, and there's no Santa Claus either.

Ann said...

Gloomy? No, it is perfect! By the bye, I have been a long time lurker, I love this blog so much. Thank you for the wealth of information!

HalfPuddingHalfSauce said...

The room count at wikimapia comes from the Spinzia book. They list the property at 45 rooms, 19.6 acres. Asking price in 2001 $17 million. Today its $6,750 million.

Welcome Ann!

Anonymous said...

Funny how houses give off their own vibes, even in an old photo. Put me in the gloomy column for this one. I didn't like the outside - but then (temporarily) rebounded looking at the striped wicker furniture, and I liked that and the idea of sitting in that furniture on a carefree summer afternoon. But then reverted to gloomy looking at the interior. It looks like a house where you're not allowed to laugh.

The Ancient said...

For NYT subscribers:

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=FA0B15FC3F5517738DDDA10A94DB405B818DF1D3

(It's comforting to be reminded, from time to time, that the world has *always* been squalid.)

Anonymous said...

I disagree. I don't find it gloomy at all...look at all the light that comes through many of the rooms, and that woodwork is art. I agree about the kitchen, and that hooker-red rug has got to go.

Anonymous said...

That house is right down the block from my friend's house. He lives is relatively small ranch house on the same side of the street at around the 100 block. I have always loved this estate.

Anonymous said...

Gloomy? "What's wrong with it? Off putting kitchen? I don't understand the negative comments at all. This property is a treasure trove of incredible craftsmanship evident in every room that is encased in amazing millwork and unique architectural details. It is an elegant house that is updated and well maintained too and it still sits on a sizeable parcel of land. The outbuildings and setting are wonderful. The two former gatehouses on Mill River Road always made me wonder what was hidden up the curving driveway. After looking through a number of prior posts it seems that many properties get a similar share of negative comments, somehow not quite making the cut? Sorry, but I love the variety of the homes featured on this site. It has a wealth of incredible photos, highlighting scores of architectural standouts and unbelievably gorgeous formal gardens and I revel in the diversity of styles and designs and only wish I had the chance to view some of these places before they were gone forever. What an unfortunate end that many of these homes met. That this property is extant and seemingly well taken care of, is sadly the exception. Gloomy? If this is the kind of place where the inhabitants are not allowed to laugh, well sign me up. I want to live there. Love this estate and of course this blog.

Kellsboro Jack said...

I always find some degree of amusement when it comes to these homes and how often they're listed with one name and a different town than the reality.

Unless I'm completely taking in too much prosecco this property has been marketed (for seemingly eons - as I have some slick article ad for it in 2002) as "Fox Hall" in Upper Brookville

http://www.sothebysrealty.com/eng/sales/detail/180-l-944-4015057/fox-hall-upper-brookville-ny-11771

Yet it is actually Framewood in Oyster Bay, NY.

I'm glad its sold and hopefully the buyer won't slice off the carriage complex as a separate property to be architecturally molested.

I would say that from a marketing perspective they never did any favors by not using better lighting and some effort of staging. They're either never done it justice or its charm needs to be polished up by the new owner.

Zach L. said...

KJ...the ins and outs of Long Island geography are more complicated than they need be...but it is possible to be in both Upper Brookville and Oyster Bay at the same time. Though one would need to specify that they were in the Village of Upper Brookville and the Town of Oyster Bay.

Especially in real estate terms.. you could call anything in Matinecock, Mill Neck, Centre Island, Brookville etc Oyster Bay and not technically be incorrect.

Anonymous said...

So did it sell or not? It's still listed. I pray that there is a development restriction on the entire site...greenhouse and garage included.

Patricia said...

I am one of the ones who weighed in as "gloomy" for this particular house (clicked on "anonymous" by mistake when I posted), and looking at the photos again, I stand by the assessment. To me, the exterior looks unwelcoming -- if asked if I would I want to visit this place, the answer would be no. Scroll down a few days to Marney and that's a place that looks as if it's full of light and happiness. It's just the vibe. As they say, that's why restaurants have menus. Everyone doesn't have to like the same things.

And Zach is right about the weird geography of the area. Even having grown up there, I am not that sure what or where Matinecock is. I grew up in Mill Neck, yet went to public school in Locust Valley, not Oyster Bay which was closer. Add "Lattingtown" to the mix -- don't know if that, like "Buckram" is just a neighborhood name but it can all get quite confusing.

Kellsboro Jack said...

Anon, the house is cited on Zillow as "listing removed" 4-13-11

Zach, thanks for indulging my remark on the quirks of the Gold Coast's municipalities and addresses. I can only think that someone in Albany goes mad (or the Postal Service) when trying to cross reference tax ids to mailing addresses.

Off topic but its a shame that seemingly no Long Island mansion will be used for the remake of The Great Gatsby. (This time in lieu of Robert Redford is Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby.) The $120M budget movie is instead being shot in Australia. Go figure.

Anonymous said...

I like this house. It would be happy and full of laughter if my family and I lived there. I've owned a house of the same style, but smaller scale and it remains a place of great and happy memories. I love those funky spiral columns set against the stone in the Living Room/Salon and the craftsmanship of the woodwork is fantastic. I think the landscaping is probably spectacular from the ground and I am just glad the place is still extant and largely intact with it's well maintined out-buildings. It is not often that we get to enjoy a gilded age estate still so complete. I also like the proportions of the exterior and the layout of the interior. I would think it to be very adaptable to a modern lifestyle. Oh, and the secondary stair in the tower is just plain cool. Like the comment above I think the "gloomy" may be more a product of inadequate lighting by the real estate photographer than of reality.

HalfPuddingHalfSauce said...

The kitchen counters and matching walls are a mistake. A little thought in design can bring the needed modern features and keep the "look" the fits style of house.

House is listed on multiple sites. Mynas shows no sales.

Anonymous said...

Oh by the way, this house is in Upper Brookville as is my friend's. This is one of the very extremely large mansions left. I would have loved to have seen some of the castles that were torn down, such as Harbor Hill and others. I would keep this mansion as it is, but just restore it and modernize the systems and perhaps add central air. I love all the land around it as well. I would never sub-divide it.

Anonymous said...

Anon 3:22 states "former gatehouses"...have they been torn down or just turned into private residence's?

And if anyone know's, what was the origianl acreage?

Anonymous said...

When it shows on Zillow that a listing has been removed, it just means for some reason, either the contract for a certain realtor ran out or there was some type of adjustment made on the listing. If you look at the Daniel Gale website, you will see it is back being listed again. I wouldn't rely on the movie locators website too much for accurate information.

Anonymous said...

To your questions of "what's wrong with it?", I would simply add that it is listed as a short sale, which for those aware of today's real estate market, means there is a big spread between what is owed and what the bank is willing to take. These can drag on for literally years. In many cases the banks seem to prefer to foreclose rather than approve a short sale. This may explain the lengthy listing.

Anonymous said...

I wonder, one reason perhaps why this great estate hasn't been sold is because it is right next to an apartment community. That would turn me off. I love this mansion, but I think I would prefer a more secluded location. It is a shame.

Bjorn Button said...

This is my dream home. I want lots of space for kids to run around and a library that would put me out of breath to walk across. There are a lot of real estate websites on the east cost that list these types of homes if anyone is interested. http://newburyportvip.com

michael b davis said...

I grew up running all around that house. Me and my five brothers and sisters as well as my six cousins, the place was beautiful Mrs Bonney was a nice lady (Flora MacDonald) My Grandmother was the Head Maid and my Grandfather was Mrs Bonneys chauffer. My Grand parents lived in the house at the bottom of driveway at 53 mill river rd, was a sad day for all of us when mrs bonney died in 1967. my grandfather died the following year 1968, i was with him the last time he was in the house. my mom and her sister were born (1933) and grew up in the house on mill river rd, wonderful memories of this house.