'Winfield Hall', the Frank W. Woolworth estate designed by C.P.H. Gilbert c. 1916 in Glen Cove. Click HERE for more on 'Winfield Hall' (be sure to scroll past today's picture).
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'Winfield Hall', the Frank W. Woolworth estate designed by C.P.H. Gilbert c. 1916 in Glen Cove. Click HERE for more on 'Winfield Hall' (be sure to scroll past today's picture).
8 comments:
I couldn't resist the opportunity to post another Gilbert picture...sorry DED!
LOL DED, is Zach trying to torture you or did you ask him to post this C.P.H. Gilbert creation because you already knew what you wanted to say about it?
My opinion(s):
1) It's ironic & kind of sad that this house still survives while places like Laurelton Hall, Black Point, Spring Hill, Goodwin Place, the Ogden Mills estate, & even Beacon Towers (my favorites) had such short lives.
2) Save that marble entry hall.
Zach, great addition you & HPHS are making to OLI ... but between that & the other excellent blogs you already link to I'm beginning to think you're trying to ruin our lives by addicting us to your posts. I'm too weak to "Just say no."
Well, it's a nice photograph---even manages to make Winfield look half all right. But if one starts to look more closely... :-)
I'm with Doug on his list.
As for Zach's new site--well, let me put it this way: I'm supposed to give a lecture (sold out would you believe) at an art museum tomorrow, and instead of finishing my slides, I'm off for another look beyond the Gilded Age. Curse you Zach! Winfield and a new blog all in the same day!
A boatload of pictures here:
http://www.pbase.com/jimrob/winfieldhall
http://curbed.com/archives/2011/03/29/the-fading-glory-of-long-islands-gold-coast-caught-in-pictures.php
For NYT subscribers:
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F05E4D71E39E13ABC4D52DFB2668382609EDE
(Regarding the disposition of Woolworth's estate. Includes the classic sub-head: DEMENTED WIFE GETS ALL)
Good pics of Woolworth's in-town flop (also by Gilbert) here:
http://www.luxist.com/2007/01/22/woolworth-mansion-estate-of-the-day/
Interesting to ponder that Woolworth hired so many architects named Gilbert. One wonders why he didn't use Cass Gilbert, an architect far more in control of his design vocabulary, for his houses also.
Speaking of which, reading in one of The Ancient's clippings of the meeting in Woolworth's private office in the Woolworth Building reminds me that I once owned Cass Gilbert's personal album, beautifully bound, of the Woolworth building. It contained about 75 large photographs by John Wallace Gillies (whose photographs often make appearances in the old articles Zach displays here) of all aspects of construction and finished building, including Mr. Woolworth's aforementioned office, fit for Napoleon, one of Woolworth's heroes. The photos of the upper part of the building were sheer poetry. In that youthful way, I sold it for a fair amount of money, and and rather than investing, spent the proceeds on a little rental apartment in Palm Beach for a couple of winters. It resurfaced again at Sotheby's a few years ago, 26,000 this time around.
(I also owned Cass Gilbert's New York Customs House album, photos by Gillies and Mattie Edwards Hewitt. Went to Europe on the proceeds.) Now, that Cass Gilbert, he understood the Beaux Arts and grandeur---not like that clunky CPH. (Hard hat back on)
Interesting to compare this, and the heavy handed Helena Woolworth McCann town house in New York, with the McCann's summer home, the sublime 'Beauport' at Gloucester, MA,which they purchased the estate of the creator, Henry Davis Sleeper. It's a perfect example of new money learning very quickly how to be old money.
http://www.historicnewengland.org/historic-properties/homes/Beauport/beauport
I dont know, I just saw a few interior photos of 4 East 80th Street, the Helena Woolworth townhouse floating around on the NY real estate websites. The home apparently is or was for sale for $90M? It is flanked by her sisters former townhouses, all by CPH Gilbert and I have to admit, I wouldnt be a bit disappointed living out my days in any of them, but the Helena townhouse interiors are spectacular. To each his own!
It's a perfect example of new money learning very quickly how to be old money.
This is so wrong in so many ways.
Affectionately, etc.
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