Thursday, June 7, 2012
'Northcourt'
'Northcourt', the Lawrence Hobart Shearman estate designed by James O'Connor c. 1918 in North Hills. Click HERE for more and HERE to see the brochure from when 'Northcourt' was for sale. Photo from American Country Homes of Today, 1928.
Labels:
James O'Connor,
North Hills
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8 comments:
Merry Ole England on Long Island. Great exterior brickwork patterns on the walls and fantastic chimneys. The former setting within a series of formal gardens was quite beautiful. Unfortunately today it has almost been completely engulfed by later school additions, but it somehow survives, something of a miracle in the asphalt and subdivision loving village of North Hills.
Merrie Olde England indeed. Such difficult residential decisions a tycoon was faced with on Long Island 100 years ago---to house oneself, with a straight face, as the Duke of Urbino, the Duc de Guise, Louis XVI, or something solid and English, like the Earl of Essex or an 18th century squire. One imagines (and I think Osbert Lancaster trod this territory long before me) said Plutocrat arriving home in his stately V-16, and after passing through the door, heading upstairs, where he changes into waistcoat, tights and codpiece, that he might live out his 16th century fantasy, for he is the Duke of Earl)
All that said, I find this house a relief after the busy bombast of yesterday's Medieval French/English Tudor bastard child.
Here is 'Northcourt' / Buckley Country Day School on Bing: http://binged.it/LAKiSO
I looked briefly at the Buckley web-site for any interior photos & found none; just stuff about the school -- don't they know what's really important? (joke)
http://militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards/recipient.php?recipientid=18149
(Army Distinguished Service Medal)
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=FA0E13FA3A5D147A93C4A81789D85F4D8185F9
(1919: Buys land and builds on LI. See second column, seventh full paragraph.)
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=FB0A10F9385513738DDDAD0894D8415B828FF1D3
(Finally marries off his daughter Elise, 38.)
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=80658656
(Modesty.)
Long time lurker, first time poster. Nothing to add about this mansion, but saw an article about the restoration of Lorenzo Ghiberti's “Door of Paradise” being completed soon. This is the door that William Henry Vanderbilt had copied for the main entrance doors to his fifth avenue mansion, as seen on ½ pudding ½ sauce’s January blog entry. Google it for pictures, it’s beautiful. I’m not including a link as you shouldn’t trust links from new anonymous posters.
WillLDS1
Thanks WillLDS1 (so you have two middle names & are the Ist?)& welcome. You're considerate to warn about links ... notice that Ancient uses them with abandon (always liked that phrase); so far no harm has been done ... so far ... & some interesting info has been shared. As I said on Zach's blog anniversay -- you can't buy the kind of research that Commentors produce here almost daily.
As for links ...
The reason I post them *without* a hyperlink is that you can see, more or less, where you are going. No unpleasant surprises, etc.
It's not elegant, but it alleviates concerns such as those expressed above.
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/e5de4f84b59841fcb4bf991c3e6a01f5/EU-Italy-Door-of-Paradise
(See slide show.)
Anyone know what happened to Vanderbilt's version of the doors after his home was torn down?
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