Friday, January 20, 2012

'Welwyn'

'Welwyn', the Harold I. Pratt estate designed by Babb, Cook & Willard (pictured here before the Delano & Aldrich alterations) c. 1906 in Glen Cove. These photographs were taken shortly after Pratt had Lewis & Valentine plant numerous Elm trees across the front lawn, all of which have since died. Click HERE for more on 'Welwyn'.

Photos from Examples of Work by Lewis & Valentine, 1916.

11 comments:

The Down East Dilettante said...

Amazing to think of trees this size being moved at will back in a day of limited technology. An old timer up here in the fifties was on record about Mrs. Stotesbury having fully grown trees moved around like chess pieces until the desired effect was achieved.

Back when I was a child, and presidents were named Eisenhower & Kennedy, our village streets were lined with Elms like these--leafy green tunnels in summer. It was unimaginably beautiful.

HalfPuddingHalfSauce said...

Did anyone catch HGTV's Selling New York last night? CZ Guest home was featured along with a waterfront property I can't ID. Very Lindeberg in style with beautiful woodwork and ceilings down by Italian craftsman. $20 million. The Guest property looked dated and kind-of rundown in spots. Rotted wood on the cupola. For sale around $8 mil.

Zach L. said...

It was Panfield...which is apparently for sale.

http://www.oldlongisland.com/2011/12/panfield.html

HalfPuddingHalfSauce said...

http://www.newsday.com/classifieds/real-estate/real-li-1.812034/the-bachelor-prince-wants-to-buy-long-island-home-1.3464480

Link to the Realtor in above story.

HalfPuddingHalfSauce said...

http://issuu.com/peerlessdigitalarts/docs/web_version_w-url

Anonymous said...

Oh thanks...I couldn't wait until this morning for someone to ID that waterfront property.

I do hope Templeton II survives intact.

archibuff said...

The portion on Panfield was impressive. Showed very elegant interior details and light filled rooms, which contrasts with the old b&w photos on this blog of Panfield and some other homes. Templeton was a sad disappointment and they actually zoomed in on the rotting cupola as if that was a special item to showcase on TV. I think Templeton was notable for its owner and the allure has worn off considerably revealing a pretty ordinary property, if $8M can be considered ordinary. That show, while a completely free ride for the brokers to showcase high end prperties sitting on the market, is one of those guilty pleasures to watch and see what $5 to $25 million buys you in NYC these days.

The history of Hicks nursery on LI also is fascinating with their tales of moving mature trees and giving an instant lived in look to any new estate property. Old photos of towns across America with elms lining the streets were indeed incredible and majestic. The loss of so much of the landscaping featured here and not just at Welwyn, is sometimes equally as painful to see.

magnus said...

Lewis and Valentine were so right when they said that trees of this size "gives the house the proper setting" Denuded of the magnificent Elms, Welwyn, Manor House and The Braes all look overly bulky and awkward. While ham handed architecture is certainly to blame,those large trees went a long way to soften the effect.

For those of you close to Manhattan, take a stroll down Poet's Walk in Central Park. It is still lined with that rarest of landscaping effects, magnificent, full grown Elms.

Hybridizers have been hard at work on disease resistant Elms, and I am now told that some of these varieties can be planted with a fair assurance of ultimate success. I only hope that the Elm Street that every town seems to boast will once again become worthy of its name.

Anonymous said...

I have always thought that the elm trees were an integral part of the beauty of Welwyn, balancing the bland horizontal line of the house. Many James river houses (Westover, etc.) achieved the same effect, which adds immeasurably to the overall impression. The high pine tree grove on the way to the beach at Welwyn also is wonderful. I have often wondered if photos exist of the elaborate formal gardens, now completely overgrown, leading away from the house down to the beach. I was saddened to see the heavy handed restoration of the formal garden on the side of the house, an example of how insensitive a restoration can be. It was far more charming in its neglected state.

Kellsboro Jack said...

I took watched the Selling NY episode and "Panfield" looked lovely (Templeton II flashed too many threadbare like qualities on camera) in particular the waterside facade with the mature trees and all that frontage.

One has to wonder if a future buyer won't decide to cut down all those trees between the manor and water.

Obviously the show was shot this summer and as for it being still for sale formally (maybe its a pocket listing) that seems in doubt with it not listed on Shawn Elliot's site. $20M remains overly steep however in this soft market IMHO and only a small clutch of wealthy people attracted to truly old manor homes.

Kellsboro Jack said...

An fyi for those who missed the 'Selling NY' show with Panfield:

http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2012/01/20/selling_new_york_s5e1_of_princes_and_parties.php#more

There is a video clip of that portion of the show (about 1 1/2 minutes) on that link half way down.