Monday, February 18, 2013

'Picket Farm'

'Picket Farm', the Albert Ludlow Kramer estate designed by Peabody, Wilson & Brown c. 1918 in Old Westbury.  Kramer was vice-president of the Equitable Trust Company and president of the Electric Properties Company.  'Picket Farm' was demolished after a fire destroyed the residence in 1977.  Click HERE for more on 'Picket Farm'.






Photos from Architectural Forum, 1919.

7 comments:

The Down East Dilettante said...

One just imagines this client going to the architects: "I'd like a brick Colonial, Hudson valley in style, but much bigger, with a southern style portico, and I'd like a Federal style stair, a Georgian dining room, and hey, how about a Tudor drawing room, and...."

Architecturally, life was a banquet in those days. Perfectly nice house, but certainly not up to PW&B's best.

The Down East Dilettante said...

"...and in the drawing room, a baluster turned refectory table--none of those heavy melon-bulb legs for us--right Flo?"

Anonymous said...

So many of these homes were lost to fire. Was it faulty or out-dated electrical wiring, or something more sinister?

Zach L. said...

^ It runs the gamut.

The indoor tennis court at 'Crossroads' caught fire 15 years ago while it was under construction. An ember from some piece of equipment landed inside some wood and smoldered all day long until a fire finally broke out at night. Thankfully it was found and put out before the building was destroyed.

Some were sinister...be it some hooligans lighting a bonfire in an abandoned house which gets out of control all the way to outright arson.

Anonymous said...

"and in the drawing room, a baluster turned refectory table--none of those heavy melon-bulb legs for us"

Better known as a table from the Asp Can School. Snake swallowed a coffee can leg table. None of it for us, no.

-F

Anonymous said...

Picket Farm's fire was arson. Police investigated at the time but of course the condo developer who purchased the estate was completely innocent.

The Ancient said...

Dilettante --

"... and shamrocks on the shutters."