Thursday, August 1, 2013

'The Orchard'

'The Orchard', the James L. Breese estate designed by McKim, Mead & White between 1898-1907 in Southampton.  Click HERE, HERE and HERE for more on 'The Orchard'.  Photo from the Ryerson & Burnham Archive at the Art Institute of Chicago.

5 comments:

The Down East Dilettante said...

One of MMW's most copied designs, but the original is still the best. They were certainly masters of their craft.

Also almost a model for mansion condo conversion.

The Devoted Classicist said...

The real-estate ads in the NY TIMES for the condos in the main house at the time of the original offering would show the floor plans for each of the units. As I remember, it appeared to be a very sensitive conversion with the original layout left as intact as possible.

The Ancient said...

Off-topic:

Sylvester Manor on Shelter Island.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/28/nyregion/slaveholders-estate-hiding-in-plain-sight.html?ref=books

http://www.amazon.com/The-Manor-Centuries-Plantation-Island/dp/0374266298

The Ancient said...

And this:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/11/garden/sylvester-manor-on-shelter-island-returns-to-its-roots.html

Anonymous said...

This conversion should be a model for the future Insifada development. I have been inside Insifada and think that a similar conversion would work quite well, with tastefully designed upscale housing surrounding the mansion (in a style that complimented the house, of course). In Newport, apartment and condo conversions of large mansions began in the fifties. Many great houses were saved as a result. If this had been implemented on the North Shore, just think of the dozens of mansions that could have been saved. I believe I read that they tried to convert the J. P. Morgan mansion in Glen Cove into condos but couldn't get the zoning variance - the house was demolished as a result. The Orchard conversion should be a model for conversion of "White Elephant" mansions throughout Long Island.

Titanic Bill