THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY

March 11, 2015, 1:00 am

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WILLIAM ZEIGLER, JR. 1913

    William Ziegler, Jr.(1891-1958) was a prominent businessman, politician, sportsman, and president of several foundations for the blind, was the adopted nephew of the millionaire William Ziegler (1843-1905). At the time of his adopted father's death in 1905, the 13-year-old inherited some $16 million which grew to over $30 million under trustee guidance.

     He married Gladys Virginia Watson as soon as he reached majority(21) in 1912. They first occupied a succession of apartment houses and rented townhouses. 

    According to the will of the deceased Mr. Ziegler, his heir was to be paid in four installments—the first at twenty-five years, the second at thirty, the third at thirty and the fourth at forty. In the meantime the boy was to receive an allowance. In 1913 he petitioned three years ahead of time that he be given his first installment because he "needed the money."  In 1919 Mr. Ziegler engaged the architect Frederick Sterner to design a mansion on the site of three old brownstones on 63rd Street just off Fifth Avenue. However, the marriage didn't take, and after living in the house for one year, the couple split and he put the place on the market.   The marriage ended on September 9, 1926 when Gladys obtained a divorce in Paris. Six months later he married Miss Helen Martin Murphy, the granddaughter of Edward Murphy, Jr. a United States senator from New York, with whom he moved to 116-118 East 55th Street.

    Soon after the couple left there was a proposal to convert it to a hospital for actors and actresses. A few years later it was acquired by Norman Bailey Woolworth, third cousin of F.W. Woolworth who occupied until the late 40's after when Mr. Woolworth gave it to the New York Academy of Sciences. The Academy originally put the building on the market in 2001, and the Emir of Qatar was reportedly going to purchase the property for $27 million that fall, but the deal eventually fell through. In 2005 the house was purchased by investor Len Blavatnik for $31,250,000. For five weeks in November and December the house is reverted to its former grandeur in the splendid format of a Holiday House.

    

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects DEMOLITION AND EVACUATION OF SITE In 1919 the Zeigler's  tore down three brownstones and engaged Sterner & Wolfe to create an Italian Renaissance palazzo for the 75-foot-wide property, one of the last private palaces constructed in the city. The cost was reported to be $1,000,000.

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects SUB-BASEMENT FLOOR PLAN  The 75-foot-wide, four-story mansion is laid out in a 20,646-square-foot sprawl that includes a basement, a sub-basement and a penthouse.

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects SHOWING FOOTINGS FOR COURT Ziegler residence. #2-4-6 East 63rd St. N.Y.C.

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects THE EXTERIOR, EXECUTED IN GEORGIAN MARBLE, IS ITALIAN IN FEELING  The living-room, library, dining-room and stair hall surround a central court, in which there is a fountain. Reversing the usual plan of city houses, it is seventy-five feet wide.

 

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY  Sterner & Wolfe, Architects The building is five stories, in Italian Renaissance style. The interior rooms face a central garden court, in which a great fountain splashes the shrubbery and the flower beds. At night the fountain is illuminated. Throughout the house the doors are of spike-studded oak and bronze, and in the main hall and the foyer the floors are of black and gold marble from Spezia, Italy, and from the Convent of Montarenti, in Tuscany. The ceilings on the main floor are in plaster reliefs, and in the entrance hall stands a sixteenth century Florentine mantel  from Raspannatti House, in Florence..

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects ENTRANCE DOOR The stone facade has a round arched entrance and features large windows with scroll cornices cartouches and a tall iron fence running the entire width of the building.

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects ENTRANCE DOOR

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects ENTRANCE DOOR

  

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects FIRST FLOOR PLAN

  

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects FIRST FLOOR PLAN Along the front, the architect put an entry hall on the left and a kitchen and servants’ dining room on the right. Across the middle, there was a living room on the left — 25 feet by 40 feet — followed by 25 feet of open courtyard in the center and the dining room on the right. Across the back were two small garden areas flanking a library.

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects THE CHARM OF ITALY DOMINATES THE ENTRANCE HALL

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects ENTRANCE HALL

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects ENTRANCE HAL

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects HALL

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects HALL

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects STAIR HALL

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects STAIR HALL

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects HALL, VIEW INTO DRAWING ROOM

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects DRAWING ROOM The drawing room was transplanted from a Wood Court Park mansion in London, believed to have been built under the direction of Robert Adam about 1791.

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects DRAWING ROOM

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects CHARACTERIZED BY SIMPLICITY, THE GEORGIAN  DRAWING ROOM, WITH PANELED WALLS, HAS AN AIR OF ELEGANCE Besides giving a distinctive appearance to this room, the paneling is interesting in   that it was taken from  a  Port man Street house in London.

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects DRAWING ROOM

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects DRAWING ROOM

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects DRAWING ROOM

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects DRAWING ROOM

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects THE ITALIAN STYLE ALSO MARKS THE DINING ROOM  The antique furniture, upholstered in Sixteenth Century velvets, and the beautiful carved mantel are admirably set off by the floor of Tunis tile. Perhaps the most striking of all is the dining room, with its vaulted ceiling, its African tile floor and a mantel which was brought from the Piccolomini Palace in Siena, Italy.

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NYSterner & Wolfe, Architects DINING ROOM The Italian "style" was changed to an English theme with the later additions of a decorative plaster ceiling and oak paneling and floors.

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects DINING ROOM

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects LIBRARY The walls of the library, of carved English oak, were imported from a Warwickshire house built during the reign of Queen Elizabeth.

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects THE OUTSTANDING FEATURE OF THE ELIZABETHAN LIBRARY IS THE UNUSUALLY HANDSOME MANTELPIECE  Finished in oak, this room was taken from a house in Warwickshire and retains all its English charm.   The recessed bookcases, with the tasteful decorative scheme and furniture, create a delightful home like effect.

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects LIBRARY

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects LIBRARY

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NYSterner & Wolfe, ArchitectsLIBRARY

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects KITCHEN

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects KITCHEN

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects KITCHEN

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects KITCHEN

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THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects MAIN STAIRWAY

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects MAIN STAIRWAY

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects MAIN STAIRWAY

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects  MAIN STAIRWAY The walls, floor and stairs are carried out in travatine stone which, with the decorative ceiling and iron and bronze stair rail, strikes a fine note.

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects MAIN STAIRWAY

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects MAIN STAIRWAY

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects STAIRWAY HALL

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects COURT

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects VIEW INTO COURT

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects COURT

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects COURT

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects COURT

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects SECOND FLOOR PLAN The second floor was taken up almost entirely by the Zieglers’ separate bedrooms, each with its own dressing room.

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects SECOND FLOOR PLAN Mr. Ziegler's original bath and dressing room were lost in an alteration.

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects MAIN STAIRS

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects MAIN STAIRS

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects MAIN STAIRS, VIEW TO COURT

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects SECOND STORY HALL

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects SECOND STORY HALL

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects SECOND STORY LANDING

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects SECOND STORY HALL

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects MRS. ZIEGLER'S BEDROOM Gladys’ expansive suite comprised a foyer, boudoir, bedroom, and bath.

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects MRS. ZIEGLER'S BEDROOM

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects MRS. ZIEGLER'S BEDROOM

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects VAULTED FOYER

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects PASSAGEWAY

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects MRS. ZIEGLER'S BATHROOM

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects MRS. ZIEGLER'S BATHROOM

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects MRS. ZIEGLER'S BOUDOIR

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects MRS. ZIEGLER'S BOUDOIR

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects MR. ZIEGLER'S BEDROOM

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects MR. ZIEGLER'S BEDROOM

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects MR. ZIEGLER'S DRESSING ROOM

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects THIRD FLOOR PLAN Up another flight were the children's rooms, a day nursery, and guest rooms.

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NYSterner & Wolfe, Architects THIRD FLOOR PLAN Bedroom No. 2 lost its bathroom when a stairwell was cut into the structure to reach the fourth floor.

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects THIRD FLOOR STAIRWELL

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects THIRD FLOOR STAIRWELL AND HALL

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects THIRD FLOOR LANDING

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects GUEST BEDROOM NO. 2

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects CHILD'S ROOM NO. 2

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects FOURTH FLOOR PLAN

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects FOURTH FLOOR PLAN Maids rooms on the forth floor were lost during a 1932 renovation.

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects PLAYROOM, FORTH FLOOR After the Charles Lindbergh baby kidnapping, a large playroom was constructed on the fourth floor.

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects PLAYROOM, FORTH FLOOR

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects PLAYROOM, FORTH FLOOR

THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR., 2 EAST 63RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY Sterner & Wolfe, Architects PENTHOUSE LEVEL

   - Holiday House 2008 - Holiday House 2009 - Holiday House 2010 - Holiday House 2011 - Holiday House 2012 - Holiday House 2013 - Holiday House 2014 - locationdepartment.net -

A  $2,000,000 "THEATRICAL HOSPITAL" The William Ziegler Jr. house at 2 East Sixty-third Street, one of the show places of upper Fifth Avenue, is about to be converted into a hospital for the exclusive use of actors and actresses. Several guest rooms would become $100-a-day hospital suites for the use of wealthy stars. These suites will consist of a bedroom, a reception room for visitors, a private maids' room and nurses' room and also a flower room, in which can be kept floral gifts.

     Ziegler was well known for his sports activities, including yacht racing, show dogs, and breeding, showing, and racing horses. Besides the below pleasures of Mr Zeigler mention of a Canadian cabin "200 miles in the interior of Canada" adds to the list.

     Ziegler's interest in horse breeding and racing soon brought him to Virginia's hunt country, where he bought "Burrland Farm" at the end of 1926 and started one of the area's most successful thoroughbred breeding and training farms.

November 22, 1927

ZIEGLER WILL OCCUPY VIRGINIA ESTATE SOON 

Work of Transforming "Burrland Hall" Into Model Race-Horse Farm About Completed.

The estate comprises about 250 acres and is being developed by Mr. Ziegler into a fine race-horse breeding farm.

Since last March a small army of men has been at work, some of them on night shifts, getting the estate ready for Mr. Ziegler, and, as he desires to eat his Thanksgiving dinner in the remodeled mansion on Thursday, nearly 200 artisans were still engaged today putting the finishing touches to various parts of the estate.

"BURRLAND HALL" When William Ziegler, Jr. bought the property he hired New York architect William Lawrence Bottomley to design a large addition to the house. Bottomley's addition transformed the house into a brick, Georgian Revival mansion with a full-height, Tuscan-columned portico. During the same period, Bottomley designed a Georgian Revival town house for Ziegler in New York City. Bottomley also designed the stable complex on the farm in a similar, Georgian Revival style. The Burrland house was deliberately gutted and burned down in 1961 by then-owner, Eleonora R. Sears of Boston, in an attempt to reduce her property taxes.

     According to all accounts of the day, by 1930 he had built Burrland into one of the best equipped stud farms on the Atlantic Seaboard. BOUNDING HOME, who captured the 1944 Belmont Stakes, was bred here. Both Mr. and Mrs. Ziegler maintained racing stables at Burrland, with colts racing in Mr. Ziegler's name and fillies carrying the scarlet and green silks of Middleburg Stable, the nom de course of Mrs. Ziegler.

   Burrland Farm, Burnt Mill Farm, an adjacent property,  and several small farms were combined to become Hickory Tree Farm in 1966.

"SUNSHINE" Originally a winter estate, it was designed by Willis Irvin and built for William Zeigler in 1927. In 1956 a small group of Aiken friends decided to create a supper club by purchasing the Georgian-style residence. http://www.greenboundaryclub.com/

The dimensions of THE GEM are: Length over all, 163 feet; beam, eighteen feet; draft, seven feet. Contract speed is twenty-two knots, and the engines are two four-cylinder triple expansion steam engines, operated by two water tube boilers using oil fuel.

February 14, 1914

Well named indeed is the steam yacht which this year will carry her owner, Mr. William Zeigler, Jr., and his friends on many a cruise. The vessel is called the Gem. She is perfectly named, just as she was perfectly designed and perfectly constructed. Messrs. Cox & Stevens are the nautical architects.

In addition to using his boat as a pleasure craft, Mr. Ziegler will steam up and down on board his vessel when he proceeds to his affairs of business in Manhattan.

The yacht combines all the requisites of the conventional cruising steam yacht with the requisite speed for express service between New York and Mr. Zeigler's home near Stamford, Conn. She is not a light displacement boat by any means, but is substantially built, has good beam, and is an excellent seaboat. She has two large deckhouses, the forward one containing a very roomy dining saloon, aft of which is the galley, and the after one being a music room with doors opening directly aft to the quarter deck, which is of unusual length and practically clear of obstructions.

The accommodations for the owner and guests are below aft and are surprisingly liberal, the owner himself having a room eleven feet in length the full width of the ship, and communicating with two private bathrooms and a large dressing-room, the stateroom being finished in selected satinwood. At the after end of the vessel is a comfortable double stateroom and between this room and the owner's quarters are three very large single staterooms for guests, one smaller single stateroom which can be used as a maid’s room, and two bathrooms.

The finish in the guests’ quarters throughout is colonial in character, doors, furniture and trim being of mahogany, and bulkheads and side walls of white enamel. All decorations of the yacht are harmonious and have been executed with the greatest care and good taste. All the electric fixtures are of special design and the upholstery and furnishings are rich and handsome.

Setting sail on a 53-foot schooner such as BOUNDING HOME, owned by William Ziegler, Jr. can be a real feat of seamanship in a single-handed race. That's why only top skippers are invited to race in CB&S Creepstakes.

WILLIAM ZIEGLER, JR.,  NORTON, CONN.  His father purchased Great Island in 1902 for a summer estate. Ziegler employed more than two hundred men to improve the property. The workers created an enviable estate, complete with a yacht basin, beach, mansion, outbuildings and a polo field. William Ziegler Jr. look up residency during the summer months and continued to improve the property over the course of several years.

William Ziegler Jr. died at 116th East 55th Street March 3rd, 1952.

William Ziegler, Jr. (1891-1958)

WOODLAWN CEMETERY, BRONX, N. Y.

    

    William Ziegler, Sr., founder of the Royal Baking Powder Co., died on May 24, 1905, leaving his wife, Electa Matilda Ziegler, and an adopted nephew and niece, William and Florence Brandt, who were taken in after their parents messy divorce. William C. Brandt legally became William Ziegler, Jr., was 15 and still lived at home when William Sr. died and Florence Louisa Brandt was an adult living on her own. Years earlier Mrs. Ziegler had taken an intense dislike toward Florence and upon reaching adulthood Florence abrogated the adoption. Ziegler Sr.'s will gave Junior the bulk of the estate when he turned 21 on July 21, 1912, and was held in trust until then. It was provided that the payment of the principal of the entire estate should be made to the son in four installments as he reached the ages of 25, 30, 35, and 40 years. Legal questions arose regarding executor and trustee roles after one of the trustees died and petitions were filed by Electa and Florence, who sought to reverse her abrogation on the grounds that her biological mother, Anna Nutting Brandt Haney, never consented to the abrogation. In 1913, when her petition was denied, Florence was a 27-year-old kindergarten teacher in Davenport, Iowa, and William, Jr., inherited $16,500,000. The conflict created ground-breaking case law involving adoption and the abrogation of adoption. 

    In 1907, Ziegler's mother, who had another son who was blind, founded the Matilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind, which soon became the worlds most widely circulated periodical that is printed in braille and a publication that still thrives more than a century later. Upon leaving Harvard, William Jr. bought three apartment buildings on Manhattans Park Avenue through which he "played a major part in the development of that thoroughfare," according to the New York Times.  He subsequently became president of his fathers company, which later became American Maize-Products. 

    Upon Matildas death in 1932, however, William Jr. turned his attention to her pet project, succeeding her as the magazine s publisher and later becoming president of the American Foundation for the Blind. He remained the magazines publisher until his death in 1958. After his death, Helen Keller wrote a letter of tribute to the New York Times for his activities in support of the blind. 

    Frederick Sterner(1862-1931) was a native of England who came to this country in the 1870's. He settled in Denver, Colorado where he practiced architecture for nearly thirty
years. Among his important commissions were the Denver Athletic Club and the Greenbrier Hotel in White Sulphur Springs. In 1909 Sterner moved to New York where he received many commissions for the remodeling of town houses.

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"ALADDIN'S PALACE" THE WASHINGTON RESIDENCE OF MR. EDSON BRADLEY, CONNECTICUT AVENUE AND DUPONT CIRCLE, WASHINGTON D. C.

March 16, 2015, 1:00 am

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William Galt house at 1328 Connecticut Avenue. “not only one of the finest residences in the city, but one of the pleasantest homes.”

     In 1876, a wealthy local flour merchant by the name of William M. Galt built only the second house that was located directly on Dupont Circle. When Galt’s house at 1328 Connecticut Avenue was complete, the Washington Star described it as “not only one of the finest residences in the city, but one of the pleasantest homes.” When they had finally settled into their magnificent new residence, they began to entertain on a large scale. But Galt and his wife only stayed in the house until 1880, when he sold it to Alexander Graham Bell’s future father-in-law, Gardner Greene Hubbard. Hubbard then remodeled and expanded the house. 

     In 1907, Gardner Greene Hubbard’s widow sold the house at 1328 Connecticut Avenue to a Kentucky whiskey distiller, Edson Bradley, who again remodeled and significantly expanded the house. 

STONELEIGH COURT APARTMENTS Stoneleigh Court cost $1 million when built IN 1905 and its interior was the plushest in Washington. It was once one of the most fashionable hotel residences in the city. The halls were of marble, trimmed with oil-finished birch and oak. The floors were of oak and Alabama pine, and the lobby was finished in marble mosaic. The exterior sported elaborate cornices, and the heating system was considered the latest in comfort. This was the specific design of its owner, John Hay, Secretary of State under Presidents William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt.

March 4, 1907

"HUBBARD HOUSE SOLD --  Edson Bradley Dupont Circle Residence -- PRICE SAID TO BE $166,500 New Yorker Acquires Mansion in Heart of Fashionable Section -- Plans to Remodel and Build Valuable Addition to Present Structure -- On Same Block with the British Embassy. One of the largest sales of property that ever has been made in the Dupont Circle section has been closed by the sale of the Gardiner G. Hubbard property to Edson Bradley, of New York City and Tuxedo. The sale was made during the past few days, but no information was given as to the price received or the name of the purchaser until last night. It is understood that the price per square foot was $10, which makes the consideration $166,500. It is said to be Mr. Bradley's intention to remodel and make extensive improvements on the property, besides making a valuable addition on the southern part. The location is said to be one of the finest in the fashionable section of Washington. For several years, Mr. Bradley, who is prominent in financial and social circles in New York, has been making Washington his winter-home having occupied apartments at Stoneleigh Court. He is well know here, having taken an active part in the social life of the city in Millionaire Colony. The property faces Dupont Circle at the juncture of Connecticut Avenue and Nineteenth Street. It was formerly known as the Galt mansion, and consists of an aggregate area of about 16,650 square feet, which is improved by a large residence. It is on the same square with the British Embassy, and is located near other residences of financial and social people. Its situation and the value of the residence have attracted numerous prospective buyers during the last few years."    

    Even after Hubbard's expansion of the original Gait house, it was still not large enough for the Bradleys. Bradley contracted New York architect Howard Greenley to rebuild the house. Entire rooms were purchased and imported intact from France and installed. When the improvements were complete after four years of work, the house covered more than half a city block and featured a Gothic chapel with seating for 150, a large ballroom, an art gallery, a five-hundred-seat theater with an electric action pipe organ and a reception hall on the second floor re-creating a Roman atrium. It was known as "Aladdin's Palace" due to its sheer size and grandiose nature. During the season, famous divas and world-famous musicians gave fortnightly musicales in the theater.

    "The type of the New York millionaire, lavish in entertainment, is best exemplified by the Edson Bradley's. Their magnificent mansion on Connecticut Avenue portrays the fact that neither money nor artistic taste has been spared in either its interior or its exterior decorations."New York Times 1911
    

 THE WASHINGTON RESIDENCE OF MR. EDSON BRADLEY, CONNECTICUT AVENUE AND DUPONT CIRCLE, WASHINGTON D. C. Howard Greenley, Architect

    The house which forms the subject of this article is one of the oldest in the Dupont Circle section of Washington, having been built, approximately, thirty-five years ago. The block on which it stands was originally owned by the British Government, and  was subsequently disposed of to other property holders, the legation buildings themselves being situated at the southern extremity.

ORIGINAL HOUSE BEFORE ALTERATIONS Residence of Edson Bradley, Esq. , Washington D. C.

BASEMENT FLOOR PLAN Floor Plan of Old House Before Alterations

FIRST FLOOR PLAN Floor Plan of Old House Before Alterations

SECOND FLOOR PLAN Floor Plan of Old House Before Alterations

    It was required of the architect to perform an alteration to the existing house and make additions thereto of greater extent than the dimensions of the original. The photograph of the house, before alterations, conveys some idea of the problem which had to be solved to produce a result satisfactory in plan and elevation, without modification of the existing lines of the old building. The first question to be decided was the advisability of tearing down the existing house in view of the considerable alterations necessitated and a new building studied from the ground up. From the survey it was apparent that the old house encroached to a considerable extent upon the Nineteenth street building lines. These lines had been determined by the Commissioners of the District at a later period and any constructions prior to these determinations could continue to occupy the additional area. In making a preliminary plan it seemed advisable to consider this area. The additional space secured and the possibility of a more picturesque architectural result in the exterior had sufficient weight to offset the more economic project of demolition and reconstruction and the result appears to have proven the wisdom of this decision.

The lot is triangular in shape with the acute angle of the apex on Dupont Circle and the sides fronting respectively on Connecticut Avenue and Nineteenth Street.

    The lot is triangular in shape with the acute angle of the apex on Dupont Circle and the sides fronting respectively on Connecticut Avenue and Nineteenth Street. The disregard of the building lines on Nineteenth Street makes possible a room of ample dimensions on all floors, as will be seen in the plans. Therefore, any new building would necessarily set back many feet further from the apex until sufficient area was subtended by the side of the triangle to permit of the same width now existent; certainly a disadvantage.


    The materials generally used in the construction of the original house were red pressed brick with trimmings of sandstone, surmounted by a semi-Gothic cornice of galvanized iron. Chimneys of top-heavy design soared from the roof, and excrescences of wood and metal projected here and there as porches or conservatories. It was conceived in a style of architecture which flourished in the Victorian era, similar in all respects to the lamentable Eastlake style of furniture, but in this instance executed as the facade of a building. Notwithstanding the lack of taste in the architectural detail the old house bore itself with dignity. Its interesting silhouette of roof and its quiet and unobtrusive color in a setting of old trees, lawns and shrubbery was distinctly agreeable. It was a familiar corner to those who lived in the neighborhood and it seemed worth while to preserve the sentiment attached to the site and surroundings. So it is that while a change has been effected and a larger building occupies the site, there is no abrupt transition to disturb the passer-by as might easily have happened by the intrusion of a new house in all the glare and uncompromising whiteness of marble.

Basement Plan, Showing Alterations and Additions Residence of Edson Bradley, Esq. , Washington D. C.

First Floor Plan, Showing Alterations and Additions Residence of Edson Bradley, Esq. , Washington D. C.

Second Floor Plan, Showing Alterations and Additions Residence of Edson Bradley, Esq. , Washington D. C.

    After this important preliminary had been decided and the plans determined, the next step in the problem was the selection of a style for the treatment of the exterior which would best adapt itself to the plan, not only to the necessary substitutions in the remodeling of the old part, but also that the new and the old should harmonize to produce a definite ensemble. It was evident that any treatment of brick and stone could best be developed in the style of the French Renaissance. The roof of the old house was strongly suggestive of the style, and when connected with the lofty roof of the south pavilion by the long ridge showing on the Connecticut Avenue elevation, produced a most effective sky-line. The diversity of detail in this style, its adaptability to a wide variation in the silhouette of the plan, and the absence of any of the well defined rules of composition occurring in the purely classic, permitted the architect a much greater latitude than would otherwise have been obtainable. As a result, a picturesque and old-world charm has been secured, comparable to an intelligent restoration of some chateau of the period.

NORTH ELEVATION, SHOWING ALTERATIONS AND ADDITIONS Residence of Edson Bradley, Esq. , Washington D. C.

Edson Bradley's remodeled Gardiner Greene Hubbard's home on Dupont Circle in 1907. Samuel Carter's house is to the left, and beyond that is Phillips Row.

CONNECTICUT AVENUE ELEVATION Residence of Edson Bradley, Esq. , Washington D. C.

CONNECTICUT AVENUE ELEVATION, SHOWING ALTERATIONS AND ADDITIONS Residence of Edson Bradley, Esq. , Washington D. C.

DETAIL OF ENTRANCE, CONNECTICUT AVENUE, Residence of Edson Bradley, Esq. , Washington D. C.

CONNECTICUT AVENUE FACADE Residence of Edson Bradley, Esq. , Washington D. C.

DETAIL OF CONNECTICUT AVENUE FACADE Residence of Edson Bradley, Esq. , Washington D. C.

SOUTH ELEVATION, SHOWING ALTERATIONS AND ADDITIONS Residence of Edson Bradley, Esq. , Washington D. C.

REAR ELEVATION SOUTHWEST CORNER Residence of Edson Bradley, Esq. , Washington D. C.

19TH STREET ELEVATION, SHOWING ALTERATIONS AND ADDITIONS Residence of Edson Bradley, Esq. , Washington D. C.

    There were many problems to be solved during the course of the work of alteration and re-construction. Careful experiment was necessary to determine the scale of the detail, the proper elevations of the new stone cornices and courses, and finally the amount of stone to be used in contrast with the brick. The result of all this study and experiment was, first, to imitate the old brick work as closely as possible, and permit such discrepancies in color and texture to become gradually effaced by the effect of time and weather: secondly, to use stone sparingly, its use being restrained to constructive purposes for the most part only, as, for example, in the sills and lintels, parapets and balustrades, etc. The use of quoins was almost entirely eliminated except where necessary to tie into the brick work some projecting motive, such as balcony or oriel window. Indiana limestone was selected to replace throughout the original sandstone. The reveals of the windows were but four inches in depth, making the substitution of the new stone lintels and sills comparatively easy. The old brickwork was carefully removed and built in around the new stone work and any remaining amount preserved for distribution in the walls of the addition. The architect was fortunate in being able to avail himself generally throughout the first floor of a quantity of very unusual old stained glass, which by rare chance required no alteration to fit the windows except in the clear leaded field surrounding it. In the other windows the quaint and curious designs in the leading of the field of the stained glass were utilized. The effect of the glass, the slight reveal, and the delicate carving of the stone ornament makes of each window a very beautiful detail in the dull rose color of the brickwork. Canopied niches occur over the great arched entrances to shelter antique stone statuettes which the owner proposes to secure for the purpose. Sculptured grotesque and gargoyles appear unexpectedly and a frieze of dancing children attractively decorates one of the members of the oriel window corbel. The roof is of heavy dark blue slate of narrow width, and the crestings, gutters and leaders of bronze or heavy copper.

    The interior reconstruction presented perhaps the greater difficulties.   It was found necessary to remove everything except the floor beams. Old plumbing and gas piping was torn out and the whole house literally cleaned down to the brickwork.

    Many unforeseen conditions presented themselves. It was found that three additions had been made to the original house, and the contractors had neglected the ordinary precaution of honing the new brickwork into the old. After the old plaster had been removed, it was possible to look out of doors through these apertures in the walls.

    The plans of the basement and the first and second stories of the new and old house are illustrated. It will be seen that the entrance to the house is from the driveway passing under the first floor and running from Connecticut Avenue to Nineteenth Street, and finished in white enameled brick and terra cotta.

IRON ENTRANCE DOOR IN RESIDENCE OF EDSON BRADLEY ESQ., WASHINGTON, D. C. MADE BY  Wm. H. Jackson Company

ENTRANCE VESTIBULE  Residence of Edson Bradley, Esq. , Washington D. C.

DETAIL OF VESTIBULE CEILING Residence of Edson Bradley, Esq. , Washington D. C.

DETAIL OF VESTIBULE CEILING Residence of Edson Bradley, Esq., Newport, R. I.

Residence of Edson Bradley, Esq. , Washington D. C.

     The entrance vestibule, a part of which was originally the old laundry, is wainscoted in Italian walnut in color to match the elaborately carved choir stalls shown in the illustration. The floor is of Istrian and Numidian marble with an inset panel of Hispano Moresque and Rouen tile. On account of the limited height available the ceiling was designed in low relief and decorated in dull gold and polychrome, with a wood back-ground of soft old blue. It will be noted that there are small panels inserted in the wainscot below the cornice line. These, with many other rare and curious antique carvings of the renaissance period in carved gilt and polychrome wood had been collected by the owner in the course of many years’ travel and are actually built into the woodwork of the rooms, forming an essential part in their embellishment. In order that the magnitude of the work of using this collection may be appreciated, it was necessary for the architect to photograph and catalogue some three hundred objects; some three thousand tile of different varieties, and, additionally, the furniture, tapestries and stained glass as well as obtain the dimensions.

STAIR HALL AT ENTRANCE TO EAST GALLERY Residence of Edson Bradley, Esq. , Washington D. C.

    From the vestibule one passes up to the first floor by the great staircase at the end, arriving in the great hall designated as the East Gallery with a length of sixty feet and a width of eighteen feet.

    One feature especially noticeable is the beautiful reception hall on the second floor, a representation of a Roman atrium. Chairs of the muses, tapestries, tablinums, vases, real Pompelian ones at that, were all collected abroad at an enormous cost. There is no jarring note. The floors are made of Egyptian wood laid in tiles.

EAST GALLERY Residence of Edson Bradley, Esq. , Washington D. C.

    The ceiling of this room is particularly noteworthy, being an extraordinary example of Italian renaissance wood carving and decorating known to have been the work of some Lombard artist of the sixteenth century. This great gallery forms the principal circulation of the first floor of the house connecting with the main stair hall and the elevator of access to the upper stories: to the porcelain room at the north end, the dining room at the side, and the music room at its southern end. A glance at the plan of the old house and of the house as remodeled may be found of interest in observing the general arrangement of the rooms of this floor and the manner in which the present plan was developed. The owner’s requirements were, as will be seen, that the rooms should be of ample dimension. Fortunately, the ceilings throughout the old house were high, being something over fourteen feet in the first floor, thus creating an excellent proportion in the present rooms. It is the usual custom that nothing in the way of furniture or hangings be allowed to interfere with architectural lines in the design of house interiors. In the instance of this house, the architecture has been subordinated to the furnishings with perhaps one or two exceptions where the designation of the room seemed to require the reverse condition. The effect of this subordination and absence of wall treatment is not unpleasing, serving as it does to display to better advantage the owner’s extraordinary collection of tapestries, rich velvet and embroidered textiles and furniture. The architecture is to be found in the ceilings or the embellishment of doors and windows and is in itself composed of antique panels, mouldings, columns, friezes, entablatnres and the like, all of which in their delightful tonality of ancient gilt and polychrome furnish an admirable background for the textiles and other rare objects of early art.

    The main stairhall occupies the same position as in the old house, but the stair itself was entirely remodeled and five beautiful old gilt Corinthian columns used as newel posts with a rail of wrought iron, beautifully executed after an ancient rail discovered in Arezzo, Italy.

PORCELAIN ROOM Residence of Edson Bradley, Esq. , Washington D. C.

    The Porcelain Room is at the extreme north end of the house, looking over Dupont Circle. Here the walls are hung with a soft green silk material, an agreeable background for the great Italian renaissance mantel. The porcelains from which the room takes its name are displayed in cabinets and furnish an extraordinary color note, particularly in the Rose and Peachblow families and the black Hawthorns. The ceiling, although modern, has been so designed and decorated that it appears to be of real antiquity, the effect being obtained by the use of boards of different widths for the panels; a treatment with acids after the wood had been fired and the charred surface removed and finally the painted decoration laid in with water color.

DINING ROOM Residence of Edson Bradley, Esq. , Washington D. C.

DINING ROOM WITH VIEW PASSAGE TO WEST GALLERY Residence of Edson Bradley, Esq. , Washington D. C.

    The Dining Room was originally two apartments. By the removal of the partition between it was possible to secure a dimension of nineteen by thirty—six feet in the present arrangement. It is panelled from the floor to the ceiling in oak and hung entirely with tapestries. with the exception of the fireplace and window end of the room. An old portrait by Coello over the mantel, fragments of antique glass and the extraordinary color and variety in the old tapestries and hangings, give that indispensable air of dignity to the room. The ceiling is of plaster of geometric tracery pattern, in detail similar to the ceiling of the long gallery in Haddon Hall. The color of the oak in the panelling has been carefully studied and a soft bone gray tint has been secured without any of the disagreeable yellow tones usually observed.

MANTEL IN WEST GALLERY Residence of Edson Bradley, Esq. , Washington D. C.

DETAIL OF WEST GALLERY CEILING Residence of Edson Bradley, Esq. , Washington D. C.

Residence of Edson Bradley, Esq. , Washington D. C.

    From the Dining Room one passes at the left through a corridor into a large room, sixteen by thirty-two feet, known as the West Gallery. This is in the new portion of the house and is directly over the driveway. The mantel and the ceiling of this room are both composed of old wood carvings in the owner’s collection, adapted to their present purpose. The color scheme in general is furnished by antique green and early Genoese “Jardiniere” velvets in combination with the gold and polychrome of the ceiling and woodwork. Over the mantel hangs a medallion by Andrea della Robbia and at the side a figure of the Virgin and child by Verrochio, both very rare specimens.

DETAIL DOOR FROM MUSIC ROOM TO WEST GALLERY Residence of Edson Bradley, Esq. , Washington D. C.

MUSIC ROOMThe music room, back of the atrium, large as an ordinary drawing room, is a complete museum of musical instruments, including an electric pipe organ. Here fortnightly during the season famous divas and world-famous musicians give musicals that are notable for their artistic merit. Residence of Edson Bradley, Esq. , Washington D. C.

MANTEL IN MUSIC ROOM Residence of Edson Bradley, Esq. , Washington D. C.

Residence of Edson Bradley, Esq. , Washington D. C.

Residence of Edson Bradley, Esq. , Washington D. C.

    Both the East and West Galleries communicate with the Music Room, which is by far the most important apartment of the first floor. In dimension it is thirty by sixty feet, with an elliptical arched ceiling eighteen feet in height. In order that the acoustic properties might be properly satisfied in addition to the sentiment of the architect in the design of the decoration, the ceiling has been suspended from girders located in partitions just below the level of the third floor, and by this means avoiding the use of heavy beams spanning the ceiling. The scale of all of the detail, in the wood and in the plaster has been kept very fine and the prevailing color note is white throughout. The only color in the room is that furnished by the furniture and the tapestries with the metallic gold of the great bronze and crystal lustres and side brackets. The floor is of white mahogany of geometric pattern seen in the great apartments of the French chateaux and furnishes by its dull yellow tone a further note of color to the advantage of the room.

The house was expanded again in 1911, with the addition of a private, 500-seat theater for the Bradley’s to host live productions for their guests.  Social columns written in 1908 claimed that Mrs. Bradley denied the existence of the theater, not wanting to boast about their opulence, in what must be the first home theater of its kind in America. The theatre is now a part of the library of "Seaview Terrace".

     Metropolitan opera stars performed in the theatre/ballroom and jazz was performed for the first time in Washington, D.C. at the Bradley’s Connecticut Avenue residence. Special trains from New York came to Washington for parties and musicals at the Bradley house.

VIEW IN ORATORY LOOKING TOWARDS THE ENTRANCE Residence of Edson Bradley, Esq. , Washington D. C.

ORATORY VIEW OF ALTAR AND RETABLE Residence of Edson Bradley, Esq. , Washington D. C.

Ceiling in Oratory in Residence of Edson Bradley, Esq. , Washington D. C. Decorations executed by Mack,  Jenny and Tyler 15-17 West 38th Street New York City

    At one extremity is an alcove with the great mantel. On the right is the organ and on the left a doorway leading into a tower staircase communicating on the second floor with the owner’s private apartments and on the third floor with a den or library consecrated to his individual use. Perhaps the most extraordinary room of this floor is a chapel or oratory, entered through a door concealed great tapestry on the south wall of the music room. Its purpose is entirely for the exhibition of a most extraordinary collection of old ecclesiastical carvings in gilt and polychrome, in early Gothic and Renaissance, and of sixteenth century stained glass. The floor contains a most unusual panel of tile, forming a great carpet or rug of brilliant color iridescence, in which are to be found examples of Rhodian, Damascus, Tunisian and Hispano Moresque tile. Another unusual collection of tile is seen in the great arched door in which old blue and gold Rouen tile of the fifteenth century forms a border and softit panel. The great altar at the chancel end of the oratory is probably the most striking feature, but the wings of the great screen at either side, still lack a series of figures at the top to carry them to the ceiling line. Provision has been made by a system of speaking tubes over the organ and terminating high up in the side walls of the oratory so that the sound of the organ is conveyed with diminished intensity and produces a startling effect.

    The second floor of the house is devoted entirely to the living apartments of the owner and his guests. Here a certain architectural scheme of decoration has been carried out, the walls of the room being paneled and hung with silk textile of pale green or yellow tones. The woodwork has been painted white and the doors are finished to a dull surface in light brown mahogany. The mantels are of white or Istrian marble, with the exception of two early English mantels in wood of the period of Grinling Gibbons, and an extraordinary polychrome mantel of the Italian renaissance period.

    The third floor of the house is given over to the servants’ quarters with the exception of the owner’s den and a guest room at the north end of the building. The finish of the house throughout has been carried out with extreme care; the best of materials having been employed and no attempt made to carry the work on with the haste which usually results in subsequent repairs to the plaster and the painted work. In fact, there are no cracks whatsoever to be observed in the plaster of any of the rooms, after a period of a year from the date of the completion of the work.

    The bath rooms are tiled throughout with non-crazing tile with door trims and window sills of white marble.

    The kitchen, laundry and pantries are also wainscoted in tile with rubber tiling on the floors and the balance finished in white enamel, creating not only an appearance of cleanliness but perfect sanitation.

     The heating of the house is by hot water and is both direct and indirect. The air for the indirect supply is obtained from the driveway through a large bronze grille, by this means securing a constant atmospheric pressure. Where direct radiation is used, the radiators are concealed by panel backs under the windows, avoiding interference with the curtains and the generally unsightly appearance of exposed radiators.

    The hot water supply of the house has been made specially adequate: a boiler of some four or five hundred gallons capacity being heated by a special furnace and located in the same room with the heating plant, so that the care of the two systems is thus simplified. By this means a constant supply of hot water is insured throughout the house, not matter what the draught may be upon the system in the service departments.

    Whatever the success of the result obtained by the architect it is largely due to the interest displayed at all times by the owner and his intelligent and generous co-operation. Without this encouragement it seems probable that the work of alteration could not have advanced to its logical conclusion. It is believed that the house as it stands to-day presents a certain charm which is the direct result of the careful study expended thereon and conveys the appearance of having been built very many years, which makes it all the more livable and homelike in its first impression.

HEINIGKE AND BOWEN Maker of All New Leaded Glass and Setting for Antiques, Residence for Edson Bradley

   

    Almost instantly the Bradleys became a regular item on the society pages of Washington newspapers. Edson’s daughter, Julia, had a splashy and well publicized “coming out” party in 1894 that drew a crowd of the rich and powerful to the castle.

   In August 1922, the Bradleys' sixty-room summer home near Syracuse, New York, was destroyed by fire. The Bradleys were able to escape to safety aboard their yacht. Nothing but the stone walls of the house were left standing. Finding themselves now without a proper summer home, the Bradleys decided to move from Washington to Newport, Rhode Island—not just themselves, but their entire house as well.

In the 1920's, Bradley had much of the house dismantled and shipped to an oceanfront property in Newport, Rhode Island, where it was rebuilt, larger and grander than before and then named “Seaview Terrace”. The current building on the Dupont Circle site, originally built as an apartment building, dates from 1926.

    The Bradleys had their Dupont Circle house dismantled and shipped to the new location in Newport over the course of two years. A preexisting Elizabethan Revival mansion named "Seaview Terrace" was already on the new Newport site, and the Bradleys' Dupont Circle house was incorporated into its design. Work on the exterior continued for two years and required the use of many railroad cars and trucks and was one of the largest buildings ever to be moved in this manner. Rooms that had been imported intact from France and first installed in Washington, D.C., twenty years earlier were moved again and reassembled in Newport, and the new building was constructed around them. The project cost over $2 million, and when it was completed, it was the largest privately owned summer cottage of the Gilded Age.

    The abandoned shell of the old Bradley house stood until 1931 when the Dupont Circle Building was constructed.    

MRS. EDSON BRADLEY

      Mrs. Bradley became famous for what was dubbed the "American Beauty Ball" which has taken its place in the social history of Washington. She used so many 'American Beauty' roses to decorate the house for the dance that the market for the flowers was exhausted for days afterward.American  In the great ballroom, with its hangings of gobelin tapestry, were floral decorations reminding one of Italian cities. In the centre of the ballroom a huge fountain played, giving out a myriad of colors. Around this were placed huge growing rose trees ladened with blossoms, in each four corners of the room an arbor of American beauties was formed, and in each bower there played a fountain. Long lanes of American beauty rose trees were formed from each arbor, and rustic seats were placed along the sides. Here the dancers promenaded and sat out the dances. In the music room jardinieres as large as tubs were effectively placed and filled with American beauty roses.

    In 1890 Edson purchased property from the Tuxedo Park Association and built "Garnwill". He sold his estate to Thomas H. Brown in 1931. The Bradley property is now vacant land, demolished in the late 1930's. Stables from the estate survive.

154 EAST 70TH STREET "one of the city's show places", was the home of Stephen H. Brown (1864-1917) and his wife who were active in society and collectors of medieval art. The son of Vernon H. Brown, head of the Cunard Steamship Company, Brown was a member of Vernon C. Brown & Co. and for many years Governor of the New York Stock Exchange. Later in the life of Edson Bradley it became his city home. The house was converted to educational uses in 1932. Manhattan High School for Girls

In 1929 Edson Bradley purchased "Caprice" from Mrs. Henry P. Tailer in Roslyn, L. I., renaming estate "Silver Maples". He was leasing the property by 1931. E. Belcher Hyde, Inc. 1927

"SILVER MAPLES" "Silver Maples" is wedged between  "Claraben Court" at the top of this view and  "Lynrose" at the bottom. At the right is the former Willets estate, now the Engineers Country Club.  Stony Brook University Libraries 1938

BING VIEW Remnants of foundations and garden walls can still be seen.

August 15, 1930

"20-Room Suite in River House Purchased by Edson Bradley

A triplex maisonette of twenty-rooms in River House, with a private garden and separate driveway, has been purchased by Edson Bradley for occupancy by himself and his daughter, Mrs. Herbert L. Shipman, widow of the Suffragan Bishop. The house is being erected by James Stewart & Co. on the East River blockfront from Fifty-second to Fifty-third Street. The plans for the apartment were drawn by Bottomley, Wagner & White, architects, and provide for drawing room, dining room and foyer with fourteen-foot ceilings. The third floor of the maisonette will extend the entire depth of the building, terminating on the riverfront in a large library."

    "Arcadia" was built in 1915 on the north side of Wellesley Island. At nearly 300 feet long, it was the largest bungalow-style building ever erected.  The property is now part of Wellesley Island State Park. Besides the Thousand Island bungalow the Bradley's had a houseboat with the same name. The hundred-foot length and seventeen-foot beam of the houseboat provided seven staterooms and three baths, with hot and cold water in every room. "Wahtoke" was their yacht they sheltered in after the fire. Earlier yachts owned by the couple were the "Oswegatchie" and the "Klotawah".

    Edson Bradley died in London on June 20, 1935 traveling with his daughter.    

"SEAVIEW TERRACE", THE NEWPORT HOUSE of EDSON BRADLEY

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Edson Bradley's ''Seaview Terrace'' estate, Newport, RI

   

Edson Bradley's ''Seaview Terrace'' estate, Newport, RI

"Seaview Terrace", Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

ARTS & DECORATIONS MARCH, 1924  COVER DESIGN: "The Bird Merchant", by J. M. Sert One of eight canvas panels for the Spanish castle by Addison Mizner for J. M. Cosden, Palm Beach

The house of Edson Bradley, of Newport, R. I. This building is finished in chalk-white stucco, with limestone trim reminiscent of old Normandy.

The Newport House of Edson Bradley
Executed in the Style of an Old Manor House in Normandy By HOWARD GREENLY

Ruggles Avenue Entrance Gate, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

HIS house will be, when complete, a study in archaeology of an architect's own work. In many instances owners have leaned toward examples of English or Continental Architecture in the design of country seats which have inspired more or less exact copies, and in many instances these have fitted into alien surroundings with a certain felicity. Modern sentiment in design abroad rather scores our archaeological tendencies as reactionary and unproductive of progress in art, and in architecture. As a matter of fact there is no present progress in art, nor has there been relative progress for centuries. What is evident is a general progress in appreciation of beauty and things of the spirit, and inspiration derived from monuments of the past, excelling in design and in craftsmanship, have been responsible for this spiritual growth of artistic appreciation.

    In 1907 and covering a period of four or five years of various additions, the writer altered and remodeled the old Gardiner Hubbard house in Washington, on Dupont Circle, for Mr. Bradley. The existing house, dating from the early seventies, was of red face brick trimmed with sandstone in what has come to be known as the Mid-Victorian manner and American interpretation. The alteration adhered to the lines of the existing walls, making use of the red brick and introducing limestone as a trim in plain or ornamented courses, quoins, corbels, cornices, etc., with carved enrichment in the manner of the French Renaissance architecture, where the Gothic merged into the classic
detail of Italian derivation. The use of stained and other leaded glass in the windows contributed to the stylization effect of the ensemble. The house might have been considered as archaeological in point of its detail and in its composition and silhouette, but was in no sense a copy of an ancient structure either in plan or in elevation.

    All of this material has been for the last fifteen years undergoing a natural weathering process adding greatly to its interest. And when the owner determined to abandon his Washington home and develop his property in Newport, it was decided to remove from the Washington house the most interesting of the stone work, wrought iron, and stained glass, and build the new house around this collection of the architect's earlier contribution to archaeology.

    On the Newport site existed the old Kernochan residence, a structure of brick and half timber with enriched gables reminiscent of the Elizabethan manner. With various changes in the silhouette of roofs and gables and the re-employment of the half timber considered merely as weathered material, this house has been incorporated into the new structure. A new wing has been added to the southwest, and a service wing to the north, and the great tower, virtually removed in its entirety from Washington, makes an interesting turning point between the new southwest wing and the south facade of the old house. It was determined to finish the exterior walls in a chalk-white stucco with the limestone trim reminiscent of the smaller chateaux and manor houses of Normandy or of Touraine in place of the red brick walls in the Washington house. Half timber will be used sparingly in certain gables and overhangs to convey the impression of additions carried out at various periods. The roofs of the high-pitched type characteristic of the style will be covered with dark, variegated slate laid with certain graduations of thickness and exposure, but not emphasized in point of picturesque irregularity associated with roofs done in the English manner. Wide balustraded terraces to the south and east at levels varying with the change in levels of the old and new first stories will give a sense of structural repose between the house and the lawns and gardens. The property is fortunate in the quantity and quality of its trees—beech, tulip, maple, and elms existing in admirable locations and massing.

    The interiors of the house are designed with relation to the collections of the owner, which number tapestries, porcelains, furniture, and carpets of the first importance; besides which there are examples of ancient wood panelings and carved ornament to be incorporated into the general scheme of interior decoration.

The great entrance hall is shown with its windows of fourteenth century stained glass and its high gallery of carved and polychromed oak and Spanish chestnut. The beautiful space is lighted with hanging wrought iron Medieval Italian lantern's

    In such case is the great entrance hall reproduced herewith from the architect's drawing. The room will be done in rough plaster with limestone trim, a flagged floor with an inset of a Persian tile panel in iridescent glazes upon which will fall the light of a great window in the western wall filled with stained glass of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The ceiling will be of patterned plaster carried on great wood beams with polychrome decoration in the Italian manner, very low in tone. At the east end is the gallery in carved and polychromed oak and Spanish chestnut, giving access from the owner's apartments in the southwest wing to the stair hall and the east body of the house. The walls will be hung in tapestries and rare fabrics and the room will be lighted with big wrought-iron Medieval Italian lanterns suspended from the ceiling.  

North Front, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Northwest side, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Northwest side, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Porte-Cochère, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

South Front, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

South Front, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

East Front, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

East Front, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Southeast view, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Southeast view, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Southeast view,, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Southeast view, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

South Terrace, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Stained-glass window on tower, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

View showing tower, chapel and recessed porch of the breakfast room.

South side, East Terrace, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

South side, East Terrace, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Stained-glass window on tower, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Wrought-iron light fixture on tower, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Gable, South Front, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Gable, South Front, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Gable detail, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

East Terrace, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Niche on East Terrace, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Carving detail, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Approach to the East Terrace, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Carved balustrade,East Terrace, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Sitting Room Bay Window,  Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

West Front, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

The tower on the southwest corner has a spiral staircase that connects the master bedroom suite with the grounds below.

Southwest corner, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Door to Small Tower, South West Angle, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Southwest corner, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Southwest cornerr, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Connecting the west wing to the original structure is a Gothic-style staircase and a round reception room.

Porte-Cochère, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Vestibule, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Vestibule, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Newport Through Its Architecture  - "The cavernous halls and antiquarian rooms of Sea View Terrace lack the polish of the other palatial mansions on Ochre Point. They seem redolent of clanging chains, medieval jousts, and noisy banquets. Dutch sixteenth-century stained glass, ornamented with Renaissance armorial designs, adds a quasi-ecclesiastical air. Close inspection reveals that each window amalgamates fragments of glass from disparate contexts, assembling them somewhat illogically into the equivalent of stained-glass patchwork quilts—not uncommon among glass collections of the era. As known from period photographs, the now-lost original furnishings included bearskin rugs, hunting trophies, Renaissance cassone or chests, wrought-iron torcheres, Chippendale chairs, arms and armor, and exotic hanging lamps."

The Great Hall, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

The Great Hall, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

The Great Hall, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

The Great Hall is 38-foot-high and has a floor with Hispano-Morcsque floor tiles.

The stained glass in this window has been assembled to create a “gothic” effect regardless of provenance.

THE FLAGELLATION The panel originally belonged to the cycle of the Passion of Christ a section of the New Testament window still extant in situ in the Milan Cathedral.

Stained glass window from the Camelite Church at Boppard-on-the-Rhine

Outside view of  the Great Hall.

The Great Hall, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

The Great Hall, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

The Great Hall, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

The Great Hall and passageway into the Drawing Room.

Passageway looking from the Great Hall through the Chapel into the Breakfast Room.

Passageway looking from the Great Hall through the Chapel into the Breakfast Room.

Passageway leading from Chapel into the Great Hall.

The Great Stairway, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

The Great Stairway, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

The Great Stairway, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

The Great Stairway, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

The Drawing Room, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

The Drawing Room, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

English Renaissance-style decorative plaster ceiling and a fifteenth-century French stone fireplace surmounted by a carved Byzantine over-mantel from the twelfth century.

The Stair Hall was originally part of the Kernochan structure. The eastern end was extended to create the largest space in the new house, the Solarium

 

The sculpted wooden and gesso ceiling was moved from the Bradley's Washington D. C. home, "Aladdin’s Palace".

Stair Hall, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Stair Hall, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Stair Hall, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Stair Hall, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Window detail, Stair Hall, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Breakfast Room, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Breakfast Room, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Chapel doorway into Breakfast Room, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Chapel, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Outside view of chapel window and recessed porch of the breakfast room.

Entrance to Dining Room, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

The Dining Room, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

    The paneled main dining room has a Tudor strapwork ceiling, sixteenth-century Flemish tapestries, and English Chippendale style furniture.

Outside view of dining room and the "Great" stairway windows.

Inside view of the Great Stairway window.

The solarium has a terra-cotta-tiled floor and a wall fountain backed by decorative tiles. Used as a dining hall during the Salve years.

Wall Fountain, Solarium, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Solarium with windows facing the sea.

Fireplace Alcove, Solarium, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

The Music Room, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

The Music Room, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

The Music Room had a mixture of Louis XVI and Robert Adam detailing.

Service Wing, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

The upper levels of the service wing contained twenty-three staff bedrooms that shared four bathrooms.

   

Servants' Porch, windows of the Music Room in the background.

Kitchen, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

    The second floor contained a master suite of two bedrooms, a sitting room, two bathrooms, a dressing room, and a room for Mrs. Bradley's personal maid. An additional five bedrooms were on this level, embellished with carved woodwork and antique marble fireplaces. Located on the third floor were five guest rooms, storage rooms and a trunk room. 

https://www2.bc.edu/~kuchar/collinwood.htm

"The upper floors seem to have been totally made over to the point that very little of the original architecture remains...., just imagine a typical college dorm hallway: dented walls, pealing institutional off-white paint, dark worn carpeting, stapled posters on doors and walls."

    On the surrounding property were greenhouses, a garage for six cars (with rooms for the chauffeur), a separate seven-room staff cottage, and the original stable that was converted into a garage for an additional ten automobiles.

The gate located on Marine Avenue was originally the main entrance. These gates opened to a long, winding drive that created the illusion of a much larger estate.

http://www.seaviewterrace.org/index.html

"Along the Cliff Walk in Newport, Rhode Island, 'Seaview Terrace', also known as the Carey Mansion, stands as the largest privately owned Summer Cottage of the Gilded Age.  At approximately 40,000 square feet, it is the fifth largest of the Newport mansions, only after the 'Breakers', 'Ochre Court', 'Belcourt Castle' and 'Rough Point'. 

Ripley’s Believe it or Not

     The majority of the house was originally built in DuPont Circle in Washington, DC by liquor baron Edson Bradley in 1907, taking 4 years to complete. The house occupied an entire city block and was  known as 'Aladdin’s Palace', due to its sheer size and grandiose nature.  The Bradleys then decided to move to a Newport, Rhode Island in February of 1923. They had the house dismantled and shipped to the new location over the next two years, accomplishing what is believed to be one of the largest homes to be relocated by road and rail. This remarkable feat was featured on Ripley’s Believe it or Not.

     Howard Greenly, the architect of 'Seaview Terrace', won several awards for his work on the French Gothic chateau in 1928, including the Second Mention for General Work by the Architectural League of New York and the President’s medal from the American League of Architects.  Greenly incorporated the pre-existing Elizabethan-Revival mansion into the house, which had been owned by James Kernochan and known as 'Sea View'.  The earlier 'Sea View' is still visible, encased in the East Wing of the house and was renamed 'Seaview Terrace'. The roofline of the turrets and conical domes were derived from 'Chambord', a famous French Renaissance chateau in the Loire Valley, and impart a picturesque unity to the whole. 

     A housewarming was held in the summer of 1925, as Greenly continued to move rooms fully intact from France, as well as contents of the DuPont Circle house for installation at the seaside locale. At the end of that year, the 63 room manor was completed at a cost of two million dollars. It featured a chapel, whispering gallery, an Esty  organ and Dutch sixteenth century stained glass, ornamented with Renaissance armoral design. Included in the stained glass collection is the ‘Flagellation’ circa 1545, which is documented in the national archives. Original furnishings included bearskin rugs, hunting trophies, Renaissance cassones, wrought iron torcheres, Chippendale chairs, arms and armor and exotic hanging lamps.

     In January of 1930, the Bradley’s daughter, Julie Fay Bradley Shipman, was deeded the property by her father, the same year her husband, Rt. Rev. Herbert Shipman, the protestant Episcopal bishop of New York and a World War I army chaplain passed away.  

    ***On August 17th, 1941 a  "Ball for Britain", the last major social event held at the house was attended by eight hundred patrons.***
    

October 26, 1941

"NEWPORT MANSION TO GO AT AUCTION French Chateau of the Late Edson Bradley Will Be Offered Nov. 29 ANTIQUE PIECES INCLUDED Fifty - Room  Residence Was Erected by the Noted Art Collector in 1925."

How Newport Became America's Richest Resort

"The customary assortment of expensive tapestries and paintings found plenty of buyers. But the highest offer on the house was only $25,000, and that came from a Providence man who was rumored to be a gambler, so Shipman turned him down." 


    
     On July 24,1942 the City of Newport took title due to back taxes and during World War II, the house served as army officer’s quarters.

    In 1949 Edward J. Dunn bought the property for $8000, transferring title to Mrs. George Waldo Emerson Sr., who in turn leased it to Lloyd H. Hatch, making it headquarters for The Hatch School during the fall and spring semesters from 1951-1961. During the summers, Mrs. Emerson Sr. operated Burnham-by-the-Sea, a private all-girls boarding school which ran in association with the Mary Burnham School for Girls in Northampton, MA. After the Hatch school vacated the property  it was then rented to The Newport School for Girls  who enjoyed their summers there until the early 1970's. 

     During 1966-1971 the  turreted profile became the icon for the cult classic TV show 'Dark Shadows', which continues to draw thousands of loyal fans annually."  

THE ARCHITECT MAY 1928

                                                - Josettes Music Box From Dark Shadows -

     "In 1945 cities from around the world were invited to promote themselves as the ideal site for the new location of the United Nations Headquarters. 'Ochre Court', 'Seaview Terrace' and 'The Breakers' would serve as offices and embassies, and a plethora of underutilized and abandoned mansions throughout Newport would be available for purchase. The international search committee rejected all proposals and chose free Rockefeller land in New York City for the headquarters." By Newport Historical Society


    "In 1974 the estate was bought by Martin Carey, brother of former New York governor Hugh Carey, who dreamed of finding oil off George's Bank and reportedly bought this for his oil company headquarters. Not finding oil he leased the property to Salve Regina University for use as a dormitory." Rogues and Heroes of Newport's Gilded Age By Edward Morris 

"Seaview_Terrace"

 "The mansion's Drawing Room, used by the university for performances and practice, was renamed Cecilia Hall, for the patron saint of music (Saint Cecilia). During the 1980's 'Seaview Terrace' housed the American syndicate of The Americas Cup.

On August 31, 2009, Salve Regina University terminated the lease with the Carey family. 

The Syfy network featured the mansion in the first season, second episode of its paranormal reality show Stranded on March 6, 2013.

'Seaview Terrace' is privately owned and is not open for tours or tourist visits." 

    The Rhode Show interview with the author of IN THE SHADOW OF A NEWPORT MANSION.

    Stranded (TV Series) "Seaview Terrace" (2013) Plot Summary.

   wikimapia.org LOCATION. BING.   

    Flickr - Carey Mansion, Pinterest - Burnham by the Sea, Pinterest - Collinwood, Pinterest - Dark Shadows, http://seaviewcares.org/.

MRS. EDWARD B. McLEAN

March 26, 2015, 1:00 am

≫ Next: "LA COLLINA", ESTATE of BENJAMIN R. MEYER, ESQ., BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA

≪ Previous: "SEAVIEW TERRACE", THE NEWPORT HOUSE of EDSON BRADLEY

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Mrs. McLean, who was, before her marriage, Miss Evelyn L. Walsh, is one of Washington's most distinguished hostesses. The far-famed Hope diamond now occupies an important place in Mrs. McLean's notable collection of jewels.

THE  FIRST  GOWN

 Erte's description of this month's cover translated from the French.

   THE eternal story of the first temptation always interested me, and I used to try to decide on which chords of the feminine soul the Prince of Darkness had to play, when disguised as a serpent, in order to make woman fail into the abyss of disobedience to the Creator's laws.

   Once I dreamed of our ancestor, Eve, and this is what I saw: The serpent which became the embodiment of wisdom, thanks to the Evil One, had commanded the birds, who were in his power, to bedeck Eve with flowers. Although almost entirely concealing her form, her neck and arms were left revealed in quite a modern decolletage and when, finally, the birds encircled her head, suggesting an unusual coiffure, Eve began to believe herself a superior being.

   Urged by the Tempter, she wandered to a mirror-like pool where, like Narcissus, she admired herself, and with primitive coquetry, contemplated her beauty, and the words traced over her pliant body by the serpent—"La Premiere Robe".

   So now I see a charming young person—perhaps one of the readers of these very words—gazing in a mirror, an actual mirror. What she sees, I also see: there are flowers covering her gown, but they are artificial, being merely embroidered. Then, there is an artificial bird in her coiffure—quite different from those which the Tempter summoned to the Garden for Eve. But this modern gown has almost exactly the same decolletage as the first gown Eve wore, and always . . . always, there is the same serpent, invisible to most people, with that diabolic glint lurking in its eyes.

"LA COLLINA", ESTATE of BENJAMIN R. MEYER, ESQ., BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA

March 30, 2015, 1:00 am

≫ Next: "HILL GROVE" RESIDENCE OF MR. GEORGE LEWIS, BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA

≪ Previous: MRS. EDWARD B. McLEAN

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Legendary Estates of Beverly Hills

"IN SOME FORTUITOUS INSTANCES, an estate becomes legendary not only for its fine architecture and handsome grounds but also because it reflects a major turning point in a community's history, in larger architectural or landscape trends, or in the owners' goals for these showplace properties.

'La Collina' is one of those skillfully designed estates that represented those turning points. The national architectural press and Los Angeles media applauded 'La Collina' upon its 1924 completion. Flattering articles praised its owner, banker Benjamin R. Meyer, young architect Gordon B. Kaufmann, and landscape architect Paul G. Thiene for their vision." 

Houses of Los Angeles Volume 2

"La Collina", was Kaufmann's  first major residential project with the architectural firm of Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate.  Planning for the house began in 1920 and it was built from 1923 to 1924. The garden was one of the earliest  hillside gardens in the Mediterranean style of the 1920's.

   

Los Angeles Times - May 27, 1923 "A year will be required to finish the house which Ben R. Meyer, president of the Union Bank and Trust Company, is building in Beverly Hills - To insure a magnificent setting for his new home, Mr. Meyer purchased several acres of ground before he started work on the house." 

    They lived at their estate well cared for by a butler, two cooks, two maids, a masseur, three groomsmen, and three gardeners. Through his wife, Rachel Cohn Meyer (1872-1970), Meyer became a member of Los Angeles Jewish community and was responsible for many of the city's successful early philanthropies. He and his wife had no children. Rachel Meyers father, Kaspare Cohn (1839-1916) founded the Kaspare Cohn Commercial & Savings Bank, which became Union Bank & Trust Company after Meyer, as president assumed control shortly before Cohn's death. Similarly, Kaspare Cohn founded and financed the Kaspare Cohn Hospital, of which Meyer was an officer of the board. It became the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

PLOT PLAN Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects Paul G. Thiene, Landscape Architect

     WHILE "La Collina", the Beverly Hills Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Esq., consists of slightly over seven and three-quarters acres, the frontage of this property is only 260 feet, while the total depth is about 1319 feet. As the property is so very narrow and long, the problem to be solved is interesting. In addition the grounds rise very rapidly, the Northerly line being 215 feet above the entrance at the South line of the property.

Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills  Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects Paul G. Thiene, Landscape Architect

     The main approach is dignified with high walls along the street turning in with a graceful curve to deeply recessed, wrought iron gates guarded to the right by a two story gate lodge. At the beginning the main entrance drive with its long, sweeping curves is bordered on either side by an orchard and approaching the house winds its way through a strong mass planting.

Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills  Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects Paul G. Thiene, Landscape Architect

    An existing row of olive trees gave the keynote for the location of the house, appearing as if built on a natural, untouched California hillside. In order to give the house the proper support a wall was built following the olive trees and encircling them. At the foot of this wall is a bleached walk. All walks are paved with flagstone and softened with grass joints and clusters of Portulaca, Sweet Allysum, Sedum, etc.

    The leveling of the building site left a bank on the uphill side of approximately 30 feet. Three terraces with steps, walks, pergolas and planting made a very effective background for a site for the house and changed the unsightly hillside into a spot of beauty. 

GATEHOUSE Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills  Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects Paul G. Thiene, Landscape Architect

    The main entrance had its own Italian-style gatehouse. The driveway wound up the hillside, through several hundred feet of olive groves. Where the driveway neared the house more formal gardens were planted including heavily foliaged trees and blooming shrubs and flowers.

APPROACH Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills  Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects Paul G. Thiene, Landscape Architect

APPROACH Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills  Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects Paul G. Thiene, Landscape Architect

Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills  Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects Paul G. Thiene, Landscape Architect

FORE COURT Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills  Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects Paul G. Thiene, Landscape Architect

    The driveway ended in a paved motor court with a central fountain in front of the L-shaped mansion.

Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills  Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects Paul G. Thiene, Landscape Architect

Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills  Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects Paul G. Thiene, Landscape Architect

FIRST FLOOR PLAN Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills  Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

    Kaufmann designed an entrance court in front of an L-shaped stucco villa so that the gardens stepped downhill directly from the living-room terrace to a pool pavilion and rose garden. An enclosed service stairway in the courtyard and an octagonal breakfast room on the garden facade created transitions between the formal central block housing the owners living spaces and the more rustic service wing with an open second-story patio. Known for his enthusiasm and ability to persuade clients to spend lavish sums. Kaufmann selected and designed the furnishings, supplied by the Los Angeles decorating studio Marshall Laird, and he purchased tapestries and Oriental rugs from the city's leading carpet dealer, John Keshishyan. All at substantial expense to Mr. Meyer.

HALL Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills  Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

STAIR HALL Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills  Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

HALL STAIRWAY Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills  Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

LIVING ROOM ENTRANCE Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills  Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

    The living room, library, and dining room opened onto terraces and formal gardens overlooking Beverly Hills to the south, and the distant Pacific Ocean. Kaufmann placed steps at the entrance to the living room and library to accommodate changes in ceiling height.

    Unlike William Randolph Hearst, who had looted Europe for Spanish and Italian bell towers, ironwork, and doorways, Ben Meyer insisted that "only materials manufactured in California or native to the Southland be used." Los Angeles Times - May 27, 1923

LIVING ROOM Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills  Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

BREAKFAST ROOM Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills  Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

    The breakfast room was set back from the main block to preserve the symmetry of the house facade when it was viewed from the garden below. Kaufrnann commissioned the acclaimed Italian decorative painter Giovanni B. Smeraldi (1868-1947) to paint the Pompeian details of the breakfast room walls and ceiling. Smeraldi’s work can be seen in many historic public buildings in the United States, mainly on the ceilings, and he considered the Los Angeles Biltmore Hotel to be his finest work in this country.

DINING ROOM Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills  Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

LIBRARY Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills  Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

CORNER of LIBRARY Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills  Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

"ROAD OVER HILL" Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills Dedrick Brandes Stuber (1878-1954)

    Upstairs, the mansion included four bedrooms, a sitting room, and servants' quarters, with a servants' sitting room and covered porch. 

SECOND FLOOR PLAN Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills  Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

    "La Collina" was one of the first and most regarded Beverly Hills estates to have a professional landscape architect, who maximized the opportunities presented by the site, and who worked in tandem with the architect to make the property enhance the mansion, and vice versa. Paul G. Thiene and his assistant Lloyd Wright, son of Frank Lloyd Wright designed and planted the property before the house was complete. 

Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills  Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects Paul G. Thiene, Landscape Architect

   In designing the pool the idea of giving the appearance of a reflecting pool of water rather than a swimming pool was carried out. Therefore, a border of Iris and other flowers was planted around the pool, softening the coping and gracefully hanging over the edge of the water. A vine covered pergola at the other end of the gardens complements the pavilion and affords facilities for garden parties. For convenience in such parties a kitchenette was built into the pavilion.

Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills  Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects Paul G. Thiene, Landscape Architect

Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills  Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects Paul G. Thiene, Landscape Architect

    An old pepper tree on the hillside was supported by a wall and so a very interesting outlook was created which opens to the swimming pool garden, entrance to which is gained through an intermediate grass terrace thence to the pool garden. Directly ahead of the pool is a pavilion. Back of this are ten dressing rooms.

GARDEN POOL AND HOUSE Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills  Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects Paul G. Thiene, Landscape Architect

GARDEN POOL AND HOUSE Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills  Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects Paul G. Thiene, Landscape Architect

Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills  Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects Paul G. Thiene, Landscape Architect

CASINO Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills  Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects Paul G. Thiene, Landscape Architect

    A tunnel connecting with the pergola on the second terrace leads into the casino, a large room nestling into the hillside with a comfortable terrace in the foreground affording a view of the entire valley. Provisions have been made to connect the second floor of the house with this tunnel.

POOL Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills  Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects Paul G. Thiene, Landscape Architect

    

ROSE GARDEN Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills  Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects Paul G. Thiene, Landscape Architect

    Directly below the pergola is the rose garden. From here one enters through wrought iron gates into the theatre court. The theatre, itself is built directly underneath the pergola and is equipped with a complete projection room. It has a maximum capacity of 65 people. However, it is so arranged that large, comfortable chairs may be placed on the various platforms for smaller parties. Underneath the projection room the heating and ventilating are located as well as a pump to lift the water from the swimming pool to an irrigating reservoir.

ROSE GARDEN Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills  Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects Paul G. Thiene, Landscape Architect

      A very complex lighting system has been arranged throughout the entire grounds. Provisions  ave been made in various places for percolator connections. All lamp standards are so arranged so as to be able to plug in streamers. An intercommunicating telephone system is installed in various parts of the grounds.

STABLES Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills  Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

    A stable group nestled into the canyon above the house will be a picturesque group of buildings. Meyer was an amateur horseman who raced heavy harness ponies.

    The garages are conveniently located behind the hill near the house. The garage court walls will be slightly concealed by planting from the main drive and this cope will afford an interesting spot of architecture.

RIDING RING Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills  Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

    For the domestic water supply a reservoir has been established in the highest part of the property, in the Northeast corner, and camouflaged by a pergola. From this site a view of the surrounding country is obtained.

Winston Churchill, Ben R. Meyer, Captain Monte Foster and a Marlin swordfish caught by Winston Churchill, taken at Catalina Island, 1929 SOURCE

    "La Collina" became a landmark of good taste in architecture and landscape architecture and provided a model for many future estates in 1920's. Awarded Certificate of Honor, American Institute of Architects. When Edward Laurence ("Ned") Doheny Jr. and his wife, Lucy, decided to build their Greystone mansion at the Doheny Ranch, they quickly selected Kaufmann as their architect. Why? "Because he did the Ben Meyer house, and I liked it," said Lucy Doheny years later.

    In 1941 they sold the estate to a investment group. In subsequent decades, the estate was subdivided into building lots for smaller homes. The long driveway became a new street. Although much altered, "La Collinas" main house, featured in the TV series Entourage, and gatehouse remain today as independent private residences. Last sold: June 2004 for $9,690,096.

   wikimapia LOCATION. Bing Maps VIEW.    

"HILL GROVE" RESIDENCE OF MR. GEORGE LEWIS, BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA

April 6, 2015, 1:00 am

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"HILL GROVE" RESIDENCE OF MR. GEORGE LEWIS, BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA  ALBERT FARR, ARCHITECT.   J. FRANCIS WARD, ASSOCIATE

     George and Gertrude Lewis were from a wealthy San Francisco society family.  Their wealth and unusual marriage enabled the Lewises to create "Hill Grove", one of the most beautiful and most storied estates in the history of Beverly Hills.  The Lewises had what was known as a modern marriage. They didn't live together most of the time, and they didn't interfere with each others personal... activities.

    When the Lewises built "Hill Grove", Benedict Canyon was still mostly rural and largely empty of residences. Ranch land and a few citrus groves were located on the lower, flat terrain, and patches of chaparral and clusters of live oaks dotted the steep, arid hillsides. Benedict Canyon Drive was a dirt road. 

    Upon its completion, ten-acre "Hill Grove" was a startling sight. Its grand wrought-iron gates, which stood on dusty, unpaved Angelo Drive, opened into a long, paved driveway that wound up the hill to the mansion, passing the swimming pool near the bottom of the property and the expansive, grassy lawns, which required a team of gardeners for constant watering and care. 

   

    For an estate of its architectural distinction, extensive grounds, and prominent location. Hill Grove nonetheless received almost no public notice upon its completion in 1925. Why? George and Gertrude Lewis-in true, blue-blood fashion-did not actively seek publicity for the estate. They didn't need to get press coverage by showing off their home, or to send out publicity stills to newspapers and magazines to increase the adulation of their fans. They weren't a part of the Hollywood hierarchy.

    But they were starstruck. Or at least Gertrude Lewis was.

  "Ever since Hollywood’s golden age of silent movies in the 1920s, cinema fans have flocked to Beverly Hills to see the 'homes of the stars'. One Beverly Hills resident, Gertrude Lewis, did not have to leave her 10-acre 'Hill Grove' to see the most famous actors and actresses.

    They came to her estate, and, no, she was not a powerful producer or director, or the financial backer of films.

    From the early 1920s to the early 1950s, Gertrude Lewis’ sprawling 10-acre 'Hill Grove' estate—and her very grand Tudor mansion—was a favorite shooting location for films, and later some early TV shows. Why did Gertrude Lewis rent out Hill Grove as a movie location so frequently? She  wasn't hard up for cash.

    Gertrude rented the estate for locations, then donated the fee to several charities helping the poor.

    The real reason was that she got to meet each decade’s leading stars and watch the filming of major motion pictures. Gertrude Lewis had plenty of time for this 'hobby'. Her husband, George, who owned Shreve & Co., the famed San Francisco jeweler, lived in the family’s San Francisco house.

    He enjoyed the life of a bon vivant. Herb Caen, the noted San Francisco Chronicle columnist, told some of the stories.

    George Lewis, wrote Caen, 'who owned the most beautiful women in town, was a good man to know: If he took a liking to you, gold baubles floated your way.' Another time, Caen wrote: 'Millionaire George Lewis, silver Champagne bucket at left elbow, ravishing ‘keptive’ at right, presiding over his sycophantic circle at the old Templebar.

    They knew how to keep women in those days: Nob Hill penthouses and open charge accounts, cinq-a-sept and off to Amelio’s for Bill’s peerless martinis.' Gertrude Lewis obviously knew about her husband, and obviously, she did not care.

    She had her Beverly Hills estate, traveled to Europe for a year at a time, and enjoyed meeting all the stars at her estate.

    Was Gertrude also entertaining men-friends at her home away from her husband’s prying eye?

    Like several great Benedict Canyon estates, 'Hill Grove' was demolished and its grounds subdivided in the 1960s.

    Today, 'Hill Grove', which had been such a prominent Beverly Hills landmark for so many years, and which appeared in so many films, has vanished entirely, except for a street named Hill Grove, which was one of the estate’s driveways." Haute Living — Los Angeles

"HILL GROVE" RESIDENCE OF MR. GEORGE LEWIS, BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA  ALBERT FARR, ARCHITECT.   J. FRANCIS WARD, ASSOCIATE

  Pictured at the front gate of the estate are Laurel and Hardy and Jacquie Lynn (the child) in a scene from Pack up Your Troubles. 

"Manhunt of Mystery Island" RESIDENCE OF MR. GEORGE LEWIS, BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA  ALBERT FARR, ARCHITECT.   J. FRANCIS WARD, ASSOCIATE

    Once the driveway reached the top of the hill, it traversed more flat lawn, passed through brick gateposts, and ended at the motor court with a circular lawn and lily pond in front of the mansion's main entrance.

Wayne Manor - "Batman & Robin" RESIDENCE OF MR. GEORGE LEWIS, BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA  ALBERT FARR, ARCHITECT.   J. FRANCIS WARD, ASSOCIATE

"HILL GROVE" RESIDENCE OF MR. GEORGE LEWIS, BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA  ALBERT FARR, ARCHITECT.   J. FRANCIS WARD, ASSOCIATE

Wayne Manor - "Batman & Robin" RESIDENCE OF MR. GEORGE LEWIS, BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA  ALBERT FARR, ARCHITECT.   J. FRANCIS WARD, ASSOCIATE

ENTRANCE COURT RESIDENCE OF MR. GEORGE LEWIS, BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA  ALBERT FARR, ARCHITECT.   J. FRANCIS WARD, ASSOCIATE

"HILL GROVE" RESIDENCE OF MR. GEORGE LEWIS, BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA  ALBERT FARR, ARCHITECT.   J. FRANCIS WARD, ASSOCIATE

"HILL GROVE" RESIDENCE OF MR. GEORGE LEWIS, BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA  ALBERT FARR, ARCHITECT.   J. FRANCIS WARD, ASSOCIATE

Larrabee Mansion - "Sabrina" (1954 film) RESIDENCE OF MR. GEORGE LEWIS, BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA  ALBERT FARR, ARCHITECT.   J. FRANCIS WARD, ASSOCIATE

"HILL GROVE" RESIDENCE OF MR. GEORGE LEWIS, BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA  ALBERT FARR, ARCHITECT.   J. FRANCIS WARD, ASSOCIATE

Larrabee Mansion - Sabrina (1954 film) RESIDENCE OF MR. GEORGE LEWIS, BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA  ALBERT FARR, ARCHITECT.   J. FRANCIS WARD, ASSOCIATE

Larrabee Mansion - Sabrina (1954 film) RESIDENCE OF MR. GEORGE LEWIS, BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA  ALBERT FARR, ARCHITECT.   J. FRANCIS WARD, ASSOCIATE

"HILL GROVE" RESIDENCE OF MR. GEORGE LEWIS, BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA  ALBERT FARR, ARCHITECT.   J. FRANCIS WARD, ASSOCIATE

    The Lewis mansion was an extravagant and skilled-essay in the Gothic Revival: stone-trimmed archways; large, leaded glass windows; slate roofs; castle-like crenellations at some rooflines; and picturesquely clustered red brick chimneys. Extensive stone and brick terraces around the house provided spaces for walking, or for gazing over Benedict Canyon.

TERRACE RESIDENCE OF MR. GEORGE LEWIS, BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA  ALBERT FARR, ARCHITECT.   J. FRANCIS WARD, ASSOCIATE

"HILL GROVE" RESIDENCE OF MR. GEORGE LEWIS, BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA  ALBERT FARR, ARCHITECT.   J. FRANCIS WARD, ASSOCIATE

"HILL GROVE" RESIDENCE OF MR. GEORGE LEWIS, BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA  ALBERT FARR, ARCHITECT.   J. FRANCIS WARD, ASSOCIATE

LIVING ROOM RESIDENCE OF MR. GEORGE LEWIS, BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA  ALBERT FARR, ARCHITECT.   J. FRANCIS WARD, ASSOCIATE

"HILL GROVE" RESIDENCE OF MR. GEORGE LEWIS, BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA  ALBERT FARR, ARCHITECT.   J. FRANCIS WARD, ASSOCIATE

"HILL GROVE" RESIDENCE OF MR. GEORGE LEWIS, BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA  ALBERT FARR, ARCHITECT.   J. FRANCIS WARD, ASSOCIATE

"HILL GROVE" RESIDENCE OF MR. GEORGE LEWIS, BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA  ALBERT FARR, ARCHITECT.   J. FRANCIS WARD, ASSOCIATE

DINING ROOM RESIDENCE OF MR. GEORGE LEWIS, BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA  ALBERT FARR, ARCHITECT.   J. FRANCIS WARD, ASSOCIATE

VIEW INTO LIBRARY RESIDENCE OF MR. GEORGE LEWIS, BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA  ALBERT FARR, ARCHITECT.   J. FRANCIS WARD, ASSOCIATE

LIBRARY RESIDENCE OF MR. GEORGE LEWIS, BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA  ALBERT FARR, ARCHITECT.   J. FRANCIS WARD, ASSOCIATE

"HILL GROVE" RESIDENCE OF MR. GEORGE LEWIS, BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA  ALBERT FARR, ARCHITECT.   J. FRANCIS WARD, ASSOCIATE

BEDROOM RESIDENCE OF MR. GEORGE LEWIS, BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA  ALBERT FARR, ARCHITECT.   J. FRANCIS WARD, ASSOCIATE

        Soon after "Hill Grove" was completed, it played a leading role in Clara Bow's Kid Boots for Paramount in 1926. 

Kids Boots (1926)

Betty Co-Ed (1946)

    "Hill Grove" also appeared in Republic's King of the Newsboys (1938), starring Lew Ayres and Helen Mack; The Crooked Road (1940); You Belong to Me (1941), starring Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda; and Night and Day (1946), a completely fabricated Warner Bros, bio-pic of composer Cole Porter starring Cary Grant as the apparently heterosexual composer and Alexis Smith. The estate appeared in Monogram's 1932 film Police Court. 

    George Lewis sold Shreve & Co. in 1948. According to Herb Caen, "George Lewis had to retire from running Shreve's jewelry store, because he doled out so much of the stock to pretty ladies. Square-cut, pear-shaped, they all looked alike to George"

Watch online full movie: Sabrina (1954) for free.

"Laurento", the Estate of Craig Biddle, Esq., Wayne, Pennsylvania

April 14, 2015, 1:00 am

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"Laurento", the Estate of Craig Biddle, Esq., Wayne, Pennsylvania

"Laurento", the Estate of Craig Biddle, Esq., Wayne, Pennsylvania

http://issuu.com/acanthus_press/docs/main_line_counry_houses

 "The Italian-Renaissance styled 'Lauranto' stood atop a bluff overlooking Little Darby Creek from 1901 until the early 1980's. Designed by Peabody & Stearns, 'Lauranto' was the home of Drexel grandchild, sportsman Craig Biddle, and his wife, the former Laura Whelan.

    Following the death of their mother in 1883, four-year old Craig Biddle and his brother Livingston were raised as wards of George W. Childs Drexel. Under the terms of Anthony J. Drexel's will, each of the Biddle brothers would receive a million dollars upon reaching age 21. The lavishly decorated 'Lauranto', with 113 acres landscaped by the Olmsted Brothers, was a wedding gift to Craig Biddle from his Drexel guardians, a similar gift being made to Livingston Biddle upon his marriage.

    Lauranto's interiors were furnished largely with European purchases, including antique marble mantelpieces, classic statuary, and Aubusson tapestries from dealers in Rome and Florence. The vaulted, two-story hall, with Palladian arched windows overlooking the valley, occupied the center of the house with reception, dining, library and sitting rooms arrayed on either side.

Craig Biddle - 1918

     A champion polo and tennis player, with a penchant for lavish entertaining and investing in  Broadway musicals. Craig Biddle quickly ran through his inheritance and was compelled to sell 'Lauranto' in 1911 to banker-broker Archibald Barklie. Renamed 'Inver House', the property was sold again in 1936 to Simon Neuman, President of Publicker Industries.

    By the 1970s 'Inver House' was owned by the Roach Brothers real estate firm, which announced plans to adapt the property for use as a retirement community. This scheme came to naught, however, and 10 years later, house and stable had been replaced by a large complex of luxury town houses."

"Laurento", the Estate of Craig Biddle, Esq., Wayne, Pennsylvania

HE mansion of "Laurento" looms majestically on its hilltop, rising high and stately above the surrounding trees and shrubbery, quite dominating the landscape for many miles around. And a most agreeable landmark, it is, designed in a quiet Italian style by Messrs. Peabody & Sterns, architects, of Boston. It is a large house with spacious fronts, whose length is emphasized by the strong string-course between the first and second stories, and by the low, sloping broad roof with which it is surmounted. It is built of light-brown brick, with terra cotta trimming of a nearly white tone.

"Laurento", the Estate of Craig Biddle, Esq., Wayne, Pennsylvania1902

Nothing remains of it now except for the gate and driveway leading nowhere.

On the top of each pillar under the lions, one can see very clearly the inscription "Inver House".

    The situation is superb, standing on the summit of a hill that rises sharply above the road by which it is usually approached, but with an ample plateau on the inner side, toward which the entrance front is faced. On the roadside the base of the hill is enclosed within a low stone wall, that presently will be thickly covered with vines. 

Roadside Watering Trough. Designed by Peabody & Stearns - wall to extreme right constructed under the Supervision of Mr. Brown with suggestions from the Olmsted Brothers. 1901

"Laurento", the Estate of Craig Biddle, Esq., Wayne, Pennsylvania

    At one point, within a recess, is a water trough for horses; farther on is the entrance, high sandstone piers capped with standing lions and supporting a wrought-iron arch carrying a central lantern: a stately, handsome entrance, as effective as it is simple.

East front from turn in approach drive at which point the house is seen for the first time on approaching. 1901

Looking North West toward approach front of house - all plants on terraces were planted spring 1902 - except privet hedge which was planted  Fall 1901.

"Laurento", the Estate of Craig Biddle, Esq., Wayne, Pennsylvania1902

    The road within approaches the house by broad curves, for the elevation is considerable, and a somewhat lengthy detour has been necessary to accomplish an easy ascent. On the left the hillside is thickly overgrown with wild shrubbery; on the right are open fields, with the farmhouse and barn— a massive, rough cast structure—quite down in the hollow. The roadbed is fine, with young trees growing on the outer edge, and at frequent intervals are rustic posts carrying wrought-iron lanterns, square in form, and as ornamental by day as they are useful by night. Farther on, but at some distance below, the road overlooks the vegetable garden. 

The Entrance Front Is a Dignified Composition in the Italian Style

    Then the shrubbery on the left gives way to open land, and the house, which hitherto has been completely hidden, comes into view. A broad field contains a flock of sheep and the planting becomes more formal; great clumps of shrubbery are massed in beautifully kept lawns. The house has no great trees near it, those in its immediate vicinity being young. The kitchen entrance is hidden behind a fine planting of evergreens.

"Laurento", the Estate of Craig Biddle, Esq., Wayne, Pennsylvania

The Porte Cochere Is Built of Terra Cotta and Is Directly Before the Main Entrance

    A stately porte cochere, built wholly of terra cotta, is erected before the main doorway. It has four great piers, with round arches on the side, and two columns to support the entablature on the front, whence a ravishing view can be had of the magnificent lawn that stretches away from the house, and of the hilltops in the far distance.

"Laurento", the Estate of Craig Biddle, Esq., Wayne, Pennsylvania1901

"Laurento", the Estate of Craig Biddle, Esq., Wayne, Pennsylvania

    In design this house is thoroughly distinguished. The plan may be roughly described as cruciform; that is to say, a great central body to which are applied wings, right and left. of pilasters, support the simply molded archway. The reason for the thickening of the wall is now apparent, for it gives greater depth to the arch, and transforms what might have been a purely ornamental feature into a monumental one. In the spandrils are two carved disks, which, with the monumental stairway at the base of the arch, complete the structural features of this fine centerpiece. Within, the archway has a double treatment of door and window, the doorway being in the exact center, below a broad horizontal cornice, while the window rises in majestic proportions above it, wholly filling the enclosed space.

"Laurento", the Terrace Front and Its Arch of Triumph

    The steps at the base of the arch descend upon a spacious terrace, which is built out upon the hillside, with a broader flight of central steps to the slope below. On each side of the Mobility is given to the center by slight projections: at the ends on the entrance front, in the center on the terrace front. The detailing is extraordinarily fine, very well conceived, and applied with admirable judiciousness. The large windows are sufficiently spaced, those of the first story having more elaborate frames than those of the second. The cornice at the top is high and flat, with pierced openings over the windows, and then the projecting eaves to the low roof, whose simple outline is broken only by the chimneys and the three dormers on the entrance front.

Terrace Front of "Laurento", the Estate of Craig Biddle, Esq., at Wayne, Pennsylvania

    There is more pronounced enrichment and more variety in the terrace front. On that side the center is projected far forward beyond the wings. In the center is a triumphal arch, rising high to the crowning cornice which its keystone just touches. Roman Ionic columns, with an accompanying pair center of the house are loggias which connect with the wings, each with its own steps, descending at right angles to the central flight to the great lower terrace. 

Flower garden during construction. 1901

Flower Garden and North Pergola.1902

    The loggias are built of terra cotta, with piers and columns, and, furnished with rugs, tables, and chairs, are most delightful lounging places. The outlooks over the countryside from any of these parts are of rare beauty; immediately below is the deep valley and the road, which the house seems almost to overhang; beyond are fields of rich grass, trees and woods, hills and valleys, a lovely country outlook, perhaps nowhere so enjoyable, or so beautiful, as from the doorway beneath Mr. Biddle's arch of triumph.

"The Main Corridor Looking Toward the Billiard-room

    The entrance door leads to a small vestibule, wholly paneled in wood painted white. Its glazed doors admit to a space of similar dimensions and treated in an identical manner. This is without inner doors, but open on to the broad corridor that runs across the house from right and left. Curtains of red damask on three sides convert the center of the corridor into a sort of antechamber beyond which is the great central hall. Quite from the outer door the spacious splendor of this apartment has been visible, for the whole of the center of the house is brilliantly illuminated by the flood of light admitted by the vast window under the arch of the terrace front.

The Main Hall Is Flanked with Aisles, in One of Which Is the Fireplace with a Mantel of Carved Stone

    The hall is of regal proportions, rising to the full height of the second story. Ionic columns, on either side, divide it into three bays. It is thus basilical in plan, with aisles on each outer edge, while the central space is supported by the columns and pilastered piers in the corners. 

The Main Hall Looking Toward the Vestibule. It Is a Splendid White Apartment, Two Stories High

    Above the entablature are arches enclosing balustrades, and which surround a corridor carried around three sides of the hall at the upper story. Oriental rugs are laid on the marble floor. At the great window arch are curtains of green damask lined with white silk; at the entrance is a green curtain, and at the four doors on the sides, which lead to the other apartments, are the door and window curtains. The woodwork is mahogany, the mantel, with a facing of green marble, being of the same wood and very richly carved. The hardwood floor has a large Oriental rug, and the furniture is covered with red velvet. The white ceiling and cornice are elaborately molded and detailed. The bookcases which surround most of the lower part of the walls are of mahogany, carved and molded; they are enclosed within leaded glass doors of beautiful design. The room is lighted by side brackets. Immediately adjoining is Mr. Biddle's den, a small room in green, with green walls and green curtains over lace curtains at the single window.

    The billiard-room is at the end of the corridor, and completely fills this farthest end of the house. It is treated throughout in warm brown. The floor is formed of large dull-red bricks, on which are many small Oriental rugs. It is paneled in wood to the frieze, which is of carved leather depicting hunting scenes. The ceiling has wooden beams, corresponding with the rest of the woodwork, the panels being filled with leather, of the same beautiful warm-brown hue which characterizes the whole room. The curtains, both for tapestry curtains of blue and yellow tones. On the left, within the aisle, is a handsomely carved fireplace and mantel of white stone; on the opposite wall, in the aisle, is a superb piece of tapestry. In the center is a green marble table with white marble feet: it supports a richly carved vase. In the corners by the entrance are marble statues.

    The rooms on either side may be reached from the central hall, but it will perhaps be more convenient to visit them from the main corridor. Like the hall and vestibules this is floored with white marble, spread with rich Oriental rugs. On the right it leads to the billiard-room, situated at the extreme end of the house; and on the left it connects with the servants' quarters. It is so broad, and high, and spacious—as are all the apartments on this floor—that it has a true monumental character. Its chief decoration is a series of busts of Roman emperors, of which six are in the right hall, while two stand in the farther corners of the left extension. These sculptures are nobly placed, and add immensely to the monumental effect of the corridor.

The Library Is Finished in Mahogany with Walls of Red Brocade

    The first room on the right is the library; it is also directly entered from the great hall. The walls are covered with red striped damask, the same rich material being used also for the doors and the windows, are of brown leather with green and gold bands. The spacious mantel is of wood and is a part of the wainscot. The facings are of red brick similar to the floor; immediately above, in the center, is a large deer's head. The windows have white lace curtains within the leather curtains. At either end is a low platform with a builtin seat. The furniture is covered with light-brown leather. The great height of the ceiling adds immensely to the effect of this beautiful room.

The Reception-room, with Paneled Wails of French Gray, Is Louis XVI in Style

    The reception-room is opposite the library and faces the entrance front of the house. It is designed and furnished in the Louis XVI style and is a delightfully cool and charming apartment. The paneled walls are in French gray. There is a built-in mirror over the fireplace, which has facings of mottled-red marble. The curtains are of pink damask over white. The chairs are of French gray covered with tapestry, and the other furniture includes many fine old pieces of great beauty.

    On the left hand side of the entrance doorway are two rooms, both entered from the main corridor. That on the front of the house is the breakfast-room, treated wholly in yellow, with warm-yellow walls, and curtains of the same brilliant color. 

An Immense Slab of Green Marble Encloses the Fireplace of the Dining-room

The Dining-room Is Paneled in Dark Oak, Above Which Is a Frieze of Old Tapestry

DINING-ROOM "Laurento", the Estate of Craig Biddle, Esq., Wayne, Pennsylvania

    The dining-room is opposite, and is one of the most sumptuous apartments in the house. The walls are paneled in dark oak to the broad tapestry frieze, a fine old piece of unusual beauty. The ceiling is cream color with decorated beams forming small square panels. The woodwork of the doors is enriched with carving, and there are elaborately carved tympanums in the arched doorways on the side. The fireplace is encased within a huge slab of mottled-green marble, to which a shelf of the same rich material is applied. The sideboard, on the opposite side of the room, is built in, and is designed in harmony with the decorative woodwork of the doors and mantel. The hardwood floor is covered with a green rug, and the curtains are of green velvet with gold braid bands. The oak furniture is very elaborately carved. The room is lighted by gilt sidelights applied to the panels of the walls.

The Massing of Foliage Plants and Trees Is Admirable

    One end of the house, the nearest end as it is approached by the entrance driveway, is wholly given up to the service. The planting here, as has been stated, consists of evergreens, arranged in picturesque masses. 

Looking down on flower (Italian) garden from a second story window of house. 1901

View of Long Terrace and Flower Garden.1902

The Formal Garden of "Laurento" with Its Central Fountain and Encircling Flower Beds

    At the farther end is a small formal garden, the chief ornament of which is a marble fountain, placed exactly in the center, and formed of a charming group of children playing in a small marble basin. Concentric beds of circular segments are planted around the fountain, until the corners are filled out in squares. The planting is chiefly annuals, arranged in brilliant masses of color. The whole is enclosed within a hedge. At the farther extremity beyond the fountain the land dips suddenly, but the ravine is partly screened by the garden hedge. Beyond are hills, with trees and woods, a beautiful outlook over the many beautiful spots within and without the estate grounds.

Looking South East from Italian garden towards the Stable. All plants seen in photo except the trees in background were planted either Fall 1901 or Spring 1902.

Path south of the esplanade and looking east toward stable. All planting put in Spring 1902.

The Stable and Clock Tower - East front.

The Stable and Clock Tower - East front.

Welcome to Inveraray

INVER HOUSE GREEN PLAID

    Follow THIS LINK to see an aerial view from 1948 showing the estate standing.

September 19, 1908

Mr. Oelrichs said I never saw anything or anybody that came from Philadelphia that was any good and I can back up my words if you will step outside. Biddle was reported to have had his face smacked by Harry Oelrichs.


    "Harry Oelrichs was one of the most intimate friends of James Gordon Bennett," writes Edward Vizetelly in a London weekly. "Between them they introduced polo into America, and were familiar figures, side by side, in Broadway years ago, particularly after dark."SOURCE

"PARK HILL" C. F. DEWITT HOUSE, HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA

April 19, 2015, 5:30 am

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    The DeWitt mansion by Architect Charles H. Kyson. The principal rooms included a formal dining room, breakfast room, den, music room and billiards room. Upstairs were four master bedrooms, each with their own tiled baths, three of which featured polished crystal “fixtures” and 14-carat gold-plated hardware.

    C.F. DeWitt owned the mansion until 1936 when he sold the home in the wake of his wife’s suicide the previous November. DeWitt remarried and lived to 76, dying in February of 1946. In recent years, his former home has been renamed "Park Hill" and, although there have been some inevitable changes in kitchen and bathrooms, the home remains remarkably as built.


"YOUR MAMAS NOTES: Your Mama has been hearing for months already that Miz Perry(Katy Perry) wants to unload her never-lived in L.A. compound, 'Park Hill', and—so the scuttlebutt went—she unsuccessfully had it shopped around off-market for a few months in the high seven millions before finally hoisting the grand estate on the open market today with an official (and notably lower) asking price of $6,925,000.

    In June 2011, almost a year after nine time Grammy-nominated international pop music super star Katy Perry wed her now ex-husband—that would be raunchy and unkempt looking British comedian Russell Brand—in a lavish ceremony in India they dropped six and a half million clams on "Park Hill", an historic, double-gated celebrity-style compound of nearly three acres nestled onto a private promontory just above the frequently traffic clogged mouth of Laurel Canyon in West Hollywood (CA).

    According to the good people at Paradise Leased and The Movieland Directory, 'Park Hill' was built in the mid-1920's for successful real estate developer C. F. DeWitt who lived in the house until shortly after his wife committed suicide in the house in the mid-1930's. Eventually the house was bought by Dan Laiken, the ex-CEO of National Lampoon who was put in the pokey in 2010 on a securities fraud conviction. It was Mister Laiken’s people who sold the house to Miz Perry and Mister Brand.

    Alas, the erstwhile couple broke up in a blaze of tabloid publicity and speculation just a few months after purchasing 'Park Hill'. Mister Brand chivalrously granted complete ownership of 'Park Hill' to Miz Perry who—so we've been told by someone in the position to know—never actually occupied the property. (She moved, instead, to a modest if hardly inexpensive rental in a storied West Hollywood apartment house and he snatched up a contemporary crib at the tippy-top of the Bird Streets neighborhood above the Sunset Strip where all the streets are named after—you got it—birds.)

    Current listing details reveal Miz Perry’s unwanted real estate albatross looms over a parking lot-sized motor court, stands three stories high at the back, measures in at a roomy but hardly humongous 8,835 square feet and contains a total of seven bedrooms, seven full and four half bathrooms. There are also two fireplaces—living room and library—and loads of original architectural detailing and vintage fixtures such as the silhouette chandelier that hangs in the stone-walled and marble floored front foyer and stair hall.

    The mansion’s public rooms are nothing if not baronial and include a capacious, 45-foot long double-height living room with dark-stained wood floors, a heavy beamed wood ceiling, massive carved stone fireplace that originally warmed an Italian castle and a towering Palladian window that opens to a small terrace with big city view. The room’s quirky pièce de résistance is an old timey minstrel’s gallery from where musician once serenaded residents and party attending guests. The partially panelled dining room isn't exactly the size of a royal banquet hall but is absolutely impressive with its hand-stenciled honeycomb pattern wood ceiling.

    Some of the other living and entertaining spaces include a library with fireplace, media lounge, and spacious, center island country kitchen with snack counter, built-in banquette seating, high grade appliances and fixtures and an adjoining breakfast room with a hand-painted groin vaulted ceiling. All in all it looks like the kitchen in a suburban macmansion but anyone who pay seven million for this place can surely afford to replace the existing kitchen with something more stylish and/or suitable for a house of this magnitude.

    The bulk of the property’s landscaped grounds are at the front of the house where’s there’s a giant circular drive but there are balconies and terraces all around, some with city views, and tucked back into the steep, planted hillside there’s a lagoon-style swimming pool with waterfall.

    In addition to the main manse, the impressively scaled compound includes a two story detached structure with a three car garage upstairs and a caretakers apartment plus art/music studio below. A second detached guest house sits high on the hillside above the swimming on a legally separate lot and includes a bedroom, kitchen and bathroom according to listing details."

    Last sold: Dec 2013 for $5,565,000. 

ENTRANCE GATE, C. F. DEWITT HOUSE, HOLLYWOOD CHARLES H. KYSON, ARCHITECT

ENTRANCE GATE, C. F. DEWITT HOUSE, HOLLYWOOD CHARLES H. KYSON, ARCHITECT C. F. DEWITT HOUSE, HOLLYWOOD CHARLES H. KYSON, ARCHITECT

Acres of meandering paths led among deep green tree shrubs.  Settings were available for contemplative thought, reading or tending the gardens.

The grounds of "Park Hill" estate were once known for harboring the largest reserve of flowering camellia shrubs in the US.  The estate’s camellia garden is world-class and is a living legacy of a later owner, Ralph S. Peer, who was president of the American Camellia Society. In 1959, one of the world’s largest camellia bushes, an enormous 30-foot high specimen, was transplanted into the garden from its original site in Pico Rivera where it had been planted in 1887.

ENTRANCE, C. F. DEWITT HOUSE, HOLLYWOOD CHARLES H. KYSON, ARCHITECT

"PARK HILL", C. F. DEWITT HOUSE, HOLLYWOOD CHARLES H. KYSON, ARCHITECT

ENTRANCE HALL,C. F. DEWITT HOUSE, HOLLYWOOD CHARLES H. KYSON, ARCHITECT

One of the most impressive features of the DeWitt mansion is its dramatic oval entry hall sheathed from floor to ceiling in cut stone and featuring a marble floor imported from Florence, Italy. A sweeping staircase leads up to a musician’s balcony overlooking the enormous living room. Anchoring the room is an elegant 19th Century fireplace, which once warmed an Italian castle and a beautiful fountain composed of mosaic tiles commissioned specifically for the house and handmade in Italy.

ENTRANCE HALL, C. F. DEWITT HOUSE, HOLLYWOOD CHARLES H. KYSON, ARCHITECT

ENTRANCE HALL, C. F. DEWITT HOUSE, HOLLYWOOD CHARLES H. KYSON, ARCHITECT

LIVING ROOM, C. F. DEWITT HOUSE, HOLLYWOOD CHARLES H. KYSON, ARCHITECT

The hand-carved patterns in the diamond-shaped panel have been touched with burnished gold.

LIVING ROOM, C. F. DEWITT HOUSE, HOLLYWOOD CHARLES H. KYSON, ARCHITECT

LIVING ROOM, C. F. DEWITT HOUSE, HOLLYWOOD CHARLES H. KYSON, ARCHITECT

"HONOS - ALIT - ARTES" Designed by Frederick Wilson

LIVING ROOM, C. F. DEWITT HOUSE, HOLLYWOOD CHARLES H. KYSON, ARCHITECT

CORNER IN LIVING ROOM, C. F. DEWITT HOUSE, HOLLYWOOD CHARLES H. KYSON, ARCHITECT

SOUTHEAST END OF LIVING ROOM, C. F. DEWITT HOUSE, HOLLYWOOD CHARLES H. KYSON, ARCHITECT

VIEW - "the frequently traffic clogged mouth of Laurel Canyon in West Hollywood."

MINSTREL GALLERY, C. F. DEWITT HOUSE, HOLLYWOOD CHARLES H. KYSON, ARCHITECT

VIEW OF STAINED GLASS WINDOW FROM MINSTREL GALLERY, C. F. DEWITT HOUSE, HOLLYWOOD CHARLES H. KYSON, ARCHITECT

LIBRARY, C. F. DEWITT HOUSE, HOLLYWOOD CHARLES H. KYSON, ARCHITECT

DOOR IN LIBRARY, C. F. DEWITT HOUSE, HOLLYWOOD CHARLES H. KYSON, ARCHITECT

DINING ROOM, C. F. DEWITT HOUSE, HOLLYWOOD CHARLES H. KYSON, ARCHITECT

An exquisitely turned mahogany door such as this provides its own note of decoration. The delicately wrought panels will catch the eye of the beauty lover and hold it with their delicate finish.

BREAKFAST ROOM, C. F. DEWITT HOUSE, HOLLYWOOD CHARLES H. KYSON, ARCHITECT

Showing Gray and Black Everlastic Tile Floor installed in Kitchen, Pantry and Service Quarters of the C. F. DeWitt Home. Corner of the Kitchen shown here.

BEDROOM, C. F. DEWITT HOUSE, HOLLYWOOD CHARLES H. KYSON, ARCHITECT

BEDROOM, C. F. DEWITT HOUSE, HOLLYWOOD CHARLES H. KYSON, ARCHITECT

      wikimapia LOCATION. BING.

THE INDIVIDUALITY AND BEAUTY, CHARACTERISTIC OF THE EARLY GLASS WORKER, ARE REPRODUCED IN THE GLASS MOSAIC AND STAINED GLASS WINDOWS MADE IN OUR STUDIOS FOR THE C. F. DeWITT RESIDENCE, HOLLYWOOD

THE CALIFORNIA DOOR CO. 237-241 CENTRAL AVENUE LOS ANGELES

The doors above offer examples of beautiful workmanship in sufficient variety to sustain interest. 

Achievements in Door Designs - Charm, variety, skill, the soundest of materials—these qualities reflect the good taste of the home builder and the aim of The California Door Company. For exterior and interior use, doors such as these offer the very acme of design, workmanship and finish—every panel an interesting picture in its individual frame. Ask your dealer for "California" Doors

---

SUMMER RESIDENCE OF MR. WILLIAM A. FISHER GROSSE ILE, MICHIGAN

August 17, 2015, 1:00 am

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SUMMER RESIDENCE OF MR. WILLIAM A. FISHER RICHARD H. MARR - ARCHITECT

THE WEST ENTRANCE FRONT OF THE HOUSE FROM THE DRIVEWAY

LOOKING EAST ACROSS THE FLOWER GARDEN PAST THE SOUTHERN END OF THE HOUSE

THE HOUSE FROM THE BOAT LANDING

    The mansion's dock is able to accommodate a 250-foot yacht, making it the largest dock in the entire state of Michigan. 

THE HALL

THE DINING ROOM

THE SWIMMING POOL BUILDING. AT THE FAR END OF IT IS THE GARAGE AND THE SERVICE COTTAGE GROUP

Additions to pool building were done in 1960.

THE SWIMMING POOL IS IN A SEPARATE BUILDING WITH DRESSING ROOMS AT THE NEAR END

Opening has been cut through the original closed wall and into the then Staff Quarters.

Pewabic tile ornamentation, newer mural.

Original Dressing Room portal, now used as a Dining Room.

Original Art Deco Dressing Room with atmospheric vaulted ceiling.

Now a dining room.

Pool House Dining Room with vaulted ceiling and light fixture.

Vaulted Lounge.

Pewabic tiled fireplace.

    I don't know the circumstances to the final history of the house. Another Fisher mansion fire? The new house is attributed  to Architect Don Paul Young, built in 1960. I'll assume he did the additions to the Pool House.  Heinz Prechter, a German immigrant, owned the property for a number of years. Prechter was a major contributor to charities and Republican Party causes. He made his fortune by turning a few hundred dollars worth of tools and parts and an idea into American Sunroof Co. The company, later known as ASC Inc., made affordable sunroofs for U.S. cars. Eventually, Prechter owned manufacturing, real estate, investment and newspaper companies with interests in the United States, Canada, Germany and South Korea. 

    The Prechter estate was listed for $11.2 million in 2004.  Tom Gores, owner of the Detroit Pistons, purchased property for $5.4 million around 2011. Forbes has him ranked as the 190th wealthiest person in the country, worth around $3.2 billion.

1964 aerial

    Although I can't confirm its plausible brother Charles had his Grosse Ile home next door. That house still stands. From wikipedia - Grosse Ile Township, Michigan - "Charles and William Fisher, co-founders of the Fisher Body Company that later became a division of General Motors, built large summer homes at the north end of Parke Lane (one remains today)."

Charles Thomas Fisher residence??? 18603 Parke Ln, Grosse Ile, MI

    Several of Detroit's automotive pioneers had summer homes on Grosse Ile in the early 20th century. 

“Elbamar” Grosse Ile’s largest house

    R. E. Olds (Oldsmobile) built a magnificent summer estate on Elba Island in 1916. In the late 1940s and early ’50s, the mansion was converted into five apartments. Gen. William S. Knudsen (General Motors) spent summers at an old remodeled farm home near the county bridge. It later became the clubhouse for Water's Edge Country Club, owned and operated by the township. In the 1920s, Henry Ford and his wife bought a substantial piece of land between West River Road and the Thoroughfare Canal. Although they never built a home, they did sell pieces of their property to Ford employees.

HARRY BENNETT'S PAGODA HOUSE

    One unique structure on the water, known as the Pagoda House, was built in 1939 by Ford's personnel director Harry Bennett.

1960's LOGO

William A. Fisher 1791 Wellesley Drive Detroit, Michigan

August 17, 2015, 2:10 am

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September 21, 1886 – December 1969

     William Andrew Fisher was born in 1886 in Norwalk, Ohio. William was the last of the Fisher brothers to join Fisher Body, arriving in 1915. A year later, he built a house at 111 Edison Avenue in Detroit where he lived until the mid 1920's. Architect Richard H. Marr designed his new home at 1791 Wellesley Drive, in the Palmer Woods area of Detroit in 1925. Bryant Fleming was the landscape architect. 

111 Edison Avenue, Detroit, Michigan

CAPTION: The well known society florists, Dale Morgan and Norm Silk are selling their famous house and buying another well known home in Palmer Woods, the A. William Fisher house at 1791 Wellesley in Detroit. The neglected William Fisher mansion in Palmer Woods will draw a purchase offer from florists Norm Silk and Dale Morgan, who lived nearby. 1993 Press Photo

    At the time it was built, it was the largest and most expensive home in Detroit. No expense was spared. It had 2 pipe organs including one that was a player. The detail was unbelievable. All kitchen sinks that appeared to be stainless were actually pewter.

    The exterior was red brick and slate with marble inlaid carvings around the windows. The house used many of the same artisans who worked on the Fisher Building. In its heyday, the house boasted Baccart crystal chandeliers and fireplaces with floor-to-ceiling marble, inset with original oil paintings. Even the basement, used as a ballroom, had a marble floor. The grand foyer looked much like the foyer of the Fisher Building, with all kinds of marble and onyx.

    Every window was loaded with leaded glass, and every bit of material used in construction was the finest available. Many of the features had been constructed by artisans brought from Europe, or imported intact from Europe. The mansion encompassed 35,000 square feet. The mansion was known as the Clipper House because of its sailing motif.
    

Historical Title Residences; William A. Fisher WSU Virtual Motor City Collection  Record ID 3265

    

The Fisher Family Estate Photo Album  Lot # : 72

The William Fisher Manor located in the Palmer Woods area of Detroit on 1791 Wellesley.

   

LOGGIA The William Fisher Manor located in the Palmer Woods area of Detroit on 1791 Wellesley.

LAURA FISHER The William Fisher Manor located in the Palmer Woods area of Detroit on 1791 Wellesley.

FATHER & SON The William Fisher Manor located in the Palmer Woods area of Detroit on 1791 Wellesley.

LIVING ROOM The William Fisher Manor located in the Palmer Woods area of Detroit on 1791 Wellesley.

DINING ROOM The William Fisher Manor located in the Palmer Woods area of Detroit on 1791 Wellesley.

LIBRARY/STUDY  The William Fisher Manor located in the Palmer Woods area of Detroit on 1791 Wellesley.

SOLARIUM  The William Fisher Manor located in the Palmer Woods area of Detroit on 1791 Wellesley.

    

1973 aerial showing William's house at the left and his brother Alfred's house center-right.

    The house’s architectural fraternal twin and former neighbor, the Alfred Fisher mansion, also by Marr, is back on the market for $1.57 million after plans to convert it into a dormitory for addiction treatment patients met pushback and zoning challenges. 

    The Alfred and William Fisher residential block  was bordered by Gloucester, Lucerne, Wellesley, Balmoral, and Lincolnshire. They had a nine-hole golf course in the rear along Lucerne where modern homes currently stand. 

FIRE RAVAGES WILLIAM FISHER MANSION Firefighters battle the blaze at the historic William Fisher in Palmer Woods. The roof collapsed; the interior was a complete loss. January 4, 1994

     From 1971 to 1989 it belonged to Louis H. "King" Narcisse. A fire significantly damaged a portion of the 48-room mansion's roof and upper floors during restoration in 1994.

NEOCLASSICAL STYLE CARVED MARBLE COLUMNS, EARLY 20TH CENTURY, SET OF FOUR, H 94":Caramel to white in color, leafy capitals on fluted columns with pedestal bases. Provenance, William Fisher mansion, Palmer Woods, Detroit. Lot 32064

   The homeowner's association declared that vandals were gutting the fire-damaged home and wanted the owner to repair or demolish it. The association charged that marble and other fixtures were being stolen. Soon after the house was demolished. The lot remains vacant today.

Architectural rendering for Grayhaven, a proposed residential boating community on the Detroit River. Printed on drawing: "Grayhaven, Edward Gray, owner; foot of Continental Ave., Detroit; tel Hickory 4585; drawing by M.R. Williams." Resource ID: EB02g007

    Henry Ford had purchased swampland on the east side and planned on building another massive complex. Ford had the canals dredged for his new complex but it never came about.

    Edward Gray was Chief Engineer at Ford Motor Company and bought the land from Henry and developed it. Grayhaven was one of the most exclusive residential developments in the country at that time. Restrictions provide that every home have a drydock in which the owner can keep his yacht safe and clean winter and summer. The Depression ended full deployment.

William A. Fisher's Starboard Lagoon Boathouse under construction at Grayhaven Record ID 9937

    Somehow the Fishers got involved and bought the whole strip of land along Starboard Lagoon. Charles & William built on the far east, both of which are gone, and Lawrence on the west. 

The famous Garfield Wood mansion in the foreground, William's finished home and brother Charles are across the canal.

  Follow THIS LINK to view a post on the Grosse Ile summer home of William Andrew Fisher.

Bishop's Residence  1880 Wellesley Drive

    The Fisher Brothers, in 1925, built the largest home in Detroit and gave it to Bishop Gallagher to serve as a residence of whoever governed diocese. The Boston church architects, Maginnis and Walsh, designed this Tudor Revival mansion at 1880 Wellesley, tactfully incorporating many religious symbols and much Pewabic Tile. This is a 40,000 square foot mansion, no longer owned by the Catholic diocese.

Few photos exist of all seven of the Fisher brothers together.  This one was taken on August 22, 1927 during a rainy groundbreaking ceremony for the Fisher Building in Detroit. From left are: Alfred, Lawrence, Charles, Fred, William, Howard and Edward Fisher.

  

If Jay Gatsby Knew Marshall Field III

November 9, 2015, 1:00 am

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    Jay Gatsby lived on the North Shore of Long Island, and if he had existed he would have met Marshall Field III at one party or another; they might have discussed English education, or the war, or, eventually, the Middle West. Gatsby's diary would have been fascinating:

Marshall Field III

    
    "Marshall Field. Very handsome. Well-dressed. Always the proper tie, accessories, etc. Always considerate, if anything over polite. Shy, quiet voice, noticeable but not offensive British accent, natural result of life abroad. Drinks; partial to martinis and Scotch; never drunk. Sign of responsibility. Tipsy once; sat down and stopped drinking. Talked to the crew of his boat: they have never seen him drunk or really angry. (Possibly just being loyal; they like him; but I incline to believe them.) Generous; prefers to be host, but will accept invitations. Brings small gifts, always the best. Women very fond of him. Daisy says it's not his money but his calm, plus a remarkably attractive and hearty laugh. Some gossip about him now and then, but I suppose that's natural; they gossip about me, too. Newspapers call him a playboy, but I'm not sure he's happy. Moody now and then, in the middle of a party at that. Friends call him a good banker. Average polo player; has a practice field on his place, Caumsett; his children learning the game. Pheasant shoots almost imperial; he breeds them, and Charley told me that ten men, with twenty-five beaters, shot 1,500 in one day last fall. Awful, but then he raised them. What do they do with the meat? Refrigerate, maybe; or hospitals. Also raises Labradors. Likes to talk about his grandfather; terrific respect for the old man. Plays tennis (indoor and outdoor courts at Caumsett, with floodlights indoors) and golf; concentrated hard, and got down to the low 80's in his first year. Said he enjoyed chess. (I must learn. Buy necessary books.) Liked Surtees (first name?), now reads mostly nonfiction, voraciously, all subjects, but mostly history, biography, current events. Catholic, but not conscientious. (Religion doesn't seem to matter a lot here. All kinds of people. Must remember that. Occasional nasty remarks made privately; never by Field.) He lost $70 to M--- at golf the other day; sickening to hear M--- flatter him: 'Great drive on tenth; bad luck in that bunker on twelfth; classic swing,' etc. Field paid up with a laugh. Has a string of horses: Kentucky, and Newmarket in England. Brings Kentucky horses to Belmont for training. No big winners, but one of them took the Futurity at Pimlico last year. Paid 7-2. Look up name and jockey; drop it into conversation. Asked him about market; he said he didn't like to offer tips, but everything was on the rise. Reads Times and Herald Tribune, occasional afternoon papers. Very loyal — even adamant — about staff and old friends." Marshall Field III; a Biography by Stephen Becker

    Follow THIS LINK for all past posts related to "Caumsett".

FIFTH AVENUE, LOOKING NORTH FROM FIFTY-FIRST STREET, CIRCA 1880'S

November 23, 2015, 1:00 am

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FIFTH AVENUE, LOOKING NORTH FROM FIFTY-FIRST STREET, CIRCA 1880'S

    At the corner is William H. Vanderbilt's 640 Fifth Avenue home. William K. Vanderbilt's home can be seen along with St. Thomas church and the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church further down the avenue. Follow THIS LINK for more. 

Christmas Card of Mildred and Robert Woods Bliss from Dumbarton Oaks

December 1, 2015, 1:00 am

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Christmas Card of Mildred and Robert Woods Bliss, 1934. Dumbarton Oaks

Follow THIS LINK for past holiday cards and stories.

DESIGN FOR A CHRISTMAS CARD

December 17, 2015, 1:00 am

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Greville Rickard, 1925

      Pulitzer Fountain, with Cornelius Vanderbilt's mansion and Heckscher Building in the background.

 Architect Greville Rickard climbed to considerable fame, receiving the Architectural Gold Medal Award of the Fifth Avenue Association and a similar award from the Greenwich Real Estate Board for the finest residence.

   The Fifth Avenue Association awarded annual medals for the best new and altered buildings in the Fifth Avenue District. 

The Tiffany House - The House of a Hundred Flues.

December 19, 2015, 9:00 am

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    The mansion of Mr. Tiffany at Madison avenue and Seventy-second street is virtually completed as to its exterior. It must be almost, if not quite, the largest private dwelling in New York, measuring 100x100 on the ground, and thus filling four lots. The northernmost 20 feet on the avenue side are given up, apparently, to another house, which, however, counts architecturally as part of the main building. There is a basement of a story and a half, three full stories below the cornice and one full story above, lighted on one side from the main gable, and on the other from openings in smaller gables and by dormer windows. The main ridge runs east and west, and the pitch of the main roof is steep. The foot of the gable is 80 feet wide, and being above the fifth story its crest cannot be very much less than 100 feet from the ground.

NW corner of Madison Ave. and 72nd St. Date of Viewc.1885

    
    These dimensions would suffice to make the house very conspicuous. It is further made conspicuous by its unusual material, the basement being of rock-faced blue stone, the walls above of a yellowish brown clay curiously speckled with black, which is used both in brick and terra cotta, and the roof is of glazed and corrugated black tile. It is only the novelty of this material that makes it conspicuous. It is quiet in color and its mottled surface offers a very effective coutrast to the blue stone of the basement. It has the great advantage of making a brand new building look as if it might be old, without invoking any trickery to that purpose. Upon the selection and arrangement of material in their work at least the architects, Messrs. McKim, Mead & White, are to be heartily congratulated.

    The composition of the Madison avenue front is broad and simple, perhaps too simple for its dimensions and tending to monotony, but this, as our buildings go, is a fault on the right side. At the street corner there is above the basement an attached turret, carried on a heavily but simply moulded corbel of blue stone. The openings in the basement are square-headed, treated with entire simplicity to as to give additional value to the masaiveness of the masonry, and surmounted by a moulded string course, repeated a foot or two above in the brickwork, which might properly have been moulded more emphatically. Nevertheless, there is no niggling in the handling anywhere, and the rocky field of wall has its full value and becomes not only an impressive but a very agreeable object.

    It is in the brickwork that the simplicity of the general composition tends to monotony, while there is here a niggling in the treatment of detail that contradicts to some extent the absolute magnitude and the broad treatment of the masses. There is no "rhythm", as the Germans say, in the arrangement of the openings, and one source of effect is thus foregone. Fortunately the lateral piers are kept ample, and the expanse of wall is so great that many more holes might be punched in it without seeming to weaken it. The openings themselves, except in the gable, are covered with flat arches in narrow bricks, carrying each a series of mouldings, and these same mouldings are repeated down the jambs, while the sills also are in brickwork. It is this minute treatment, repeated everywhere, that gives the effect of niggling.

    The features of this front are a balcony, with a brick "breasting" apparently corbelled out in brickwork, that is projected from the northern half of the wall and stops against the angle turret, and a large mullioned window of five openings, with a semi-ciicular arch turned over the central three, in the central field of the gable, the mullions and transoms apparently in terra cotta.

    The feature of the basement on the street front is an arch of unusual span, and with very deep voussoirs nearly in the centre, which contains a driveway, and also a small stoop of rubbed blue stone within the recess. There is a corbelled window also in blue stone west of this arch. Above, the brick wall is deeply withdrawn at the centre of the front, and the masses flanking this recess are crowned with gables. Over the centre of the recessed wall is a large dormer with three tiers of openings. An open balcony in an upper story at the west end of this front is another of its features. The treatment of the openings in this front is in general similar to that already described, and has the same effect of contradicting rather than enlivening the breadth of the general treatment. The basement is excellent. The only quarrel one can pick with it is that it is scarcely appropriate to the domestic character except of a fortified dwelling; but it is so good in itself that we are glad to let that pass. The recessed balcony at the west end is also very good in itself, but the boldness and massiveness of its treatment are out of keeping with the framing of the other openings, and it is so placed that its own outer abutment seems insufficient, while for the first time in the whole design the terminal pier is apparently weakened.

     The disposition already described of a recessed centre and projecting wings is effective in relieving the monotony of the great roof, which is further diversified by the emergence at the angle of the turret-hood. This makes the unbroken gable on the avenue front seem all the balder, and the architects must now regret that they did not arrive at some device for subdividing it without interfering with its repose, as has been discreetly and successfully done with the south front.

    The composition in perspective is very spirited and picturesque, in spite of the blankness of the great gable. The fault one finds at last with the building is that it is scarcely a building, as a work of architecture must primarily be. That is to say, it seems like an attempt not so much to make a picture out of a building as to make a building out of a picture. For example, besides the features which break it, the roof is animated by a number of chimney stacks, which have the air of having been employed without reference to the interior economies, solely to punctuate a perspective. They come in very well, but so very frequently that one is forced to believe most of them dummies. They appear to contain something over a hundred flues, and, large as the house is, a hundred and odd flues really stagger credulity. The same disregard for structural propriety appears elsewhere, and notably in the two chief features of the avenue front, the brick balcony and the great mullioned window of the gable. It seems mechanically impossible that a balcony of this projection should be really built in brick, and the spectator is driven to assume an iron girder upon which the bricks that pretend to carry the balcony are merely plastered. Again, the great window has an arch turned over it, the constructional function of which would be to relieve the mullions of the window from the weight of wall above. For this purpose the arch should either span the whole opening, or the vertical supports under it should be thickeoed, and a flat arch or a heavy lintel, or some constructive appliance visibly sufficient to its work, should protect the lateral openings not relieved by the arch. Here, however, the relieving arch is actually turned between two intermediate mullions no heavier than the rest, and the wall on each side bears directly upon the window frame which the presence of the arch asserts is incompetent to sustain it. Such structural solecisms as this go far to give an unreal and fistitious character to a building which in general composition, in choice and arrangement of material and in many points even of detail is thoroughly admirable.

TIFFANY BRICK Made under Stanford White's own direction.

Follow THIS LINK  for all past posts relating to the Tiffany house at Madison Avenue and 72nd Street.

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"WHITEMARSH HALL" EDWARD T. STOTESBURY WYNDMOOR, PENNSYLVANIA Upper Terrace and Garden Facade

January 10, 2016, 5:00 am

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"WHITEMARSH HALL" EDWARD T. STOTESBURY WYNDMOOR, PENNSYLVANIA  Upper Terrace and Garden Facade ARCHITECT, HORACE TRUMBAUER - LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT, JACQUES AUGUSTE HENRI GREBER

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THE EASTMAN KODAK SHOP 356 MADISON AVENUE NEW YORK CITY

January 31, 2016, 12:00 pm

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EASTMAN KODAK SHOP NEW YORK CITY, N. Y. WALTER D. TEAGUE. Designer; R. B. SHERBOURNE, Associate

COLOR: The entire design was conceived as providing a neutral setting for the display of the photographic enlargements and the various colorful objects of Eastman Kodak manufacture. It was executed, therefore, in varying tones of silver, gray, and black. The finish of the various materials was chosen with the same object in view. The display space draws the eye because it is of a light, dull finish in contrast to the dark, polished enframement.

MATERIALS: The facia and window bases are of emerald-pearl granite, but appear almost black in comparison with the other materials. The lettering, the muntins in the window soffits, and the pattern over the entrance are of polished chrome plate. The window frames and settings, the doors, and the grilles in the window bases are of benedict nickel. The walls of the show windows are of wood, flush panelled and inlaid with vertical strips of polished chrome plate. They were lacquered white and then sprayed with a silver mist, giving a light, neutral gray background to the objects on display. The lighting is entirely from above, the soffits being units of frosted glass.

DESIGN: The display counters have been kept low, better to attract attention, and the objects are displayed on plain standards of a finish similar to that of the walls. The grilles in the window bases serve as air intakes for a system of conditioned ventilation, which furnishes cleaned, heated and humidified air to all parts of the store. Clips are used at the window corners as an aid to complete visibility instead of the usual frame, and ornament is confined to the entrance where it does not attract attention from the windows.

EASTMAN KODAK SHOP NEW YORK CITY, N. Y. WALTER D. TEAGUE. Designer; R. B. SHERBOURNE, Associate

A DISPLAY WINDOW

SECTION THROUGH ENTRANCE

The walls of the store have been furred out far beyond the faces of the building columns to permit a symmetrical design as well as to provide space for ventilating ducts and the show cases. The wall cases are integral parts of the design, are flush with the wall and are lighted from behind.

EASTMAN KODAK SHOP NEW YORK CITY, N. Y. WALTER D. TEAGUE. Designer; R. B. SHERBOURNE, Associate

EASTMAN KODAK SHOP NEW YORK CITY, N. Y. WALTER D. TEAGUE. Designer; R. B. SHERBOURNE, Associate

Looking from the entrance toward the rear of the store. A neutral setting for the display of merchandise has been developed here as well as on the exterior, the general color scheme being silver, silver gray, and black. The floor is composed of three tone gray and black terrazzo, laid in blocks to form an irregular pattern which is outlined by wide strips of benedict nickel. The walls are panelled in English hardwood of a light, silver gray tone. The wood is laid in flush panels to take advantage of the variation in the grain. Black formica is used as a baseboard and as an outline of the wall cases. The pilaster caps, the cornice, and the moldings are of unpolished chrome plate.

Looking from the Cine-Kodak Room toward the entrance. The rug is rose—the only note of color in the shop—and the furniture is silver. The steps are black marble and the railing is chrome plate. The lighting throughout the store is indirect; the fixtures are executed in polished chrome, those in the ceiling being simple rectangular boxes with sides and bottoms of opal glass, and those on the walls being prisms of the same materials. At the rear of the shop, under the mezzanine, are two small projection rooms where amateur photographers can view their own moving pictures in privacy. Both rooms are treated in rose and silver, with silver furniture and lighting fixtures of chrome plate.

CINE-KODAK ROOM

DETAIL OF WALL CASE

 Walter Dorwin Teague (1883 - 1960) is considered one of the founding fathers of industrial design as well as one of the most prolific American industrial designers in history.  He established his design office in the late 1920s, which continues today as one of the important design institutions in the world.  His most notable design work includes Kodak cameras from 1927 to 1957, Texaco’s art deco gas stations in the 1940s, the Boeing Stratocruiser, and the 707 aircraft.

The Eastman Kodak Shop at Madison Avenue and Forty-fifth street is no longer in operation.

HOUSE OF C.T. SOUTHWICK, ESQ., GREAT NECK, N.Y.

February 10, 2016, 1:00 am

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    Nassau County Property Card states - "Rolling wooded land, fine shore view - good roads, well landscaped. Old English type constustion - interior and exterior. Property purchased in a 1932 foreclosure for $48,000 (A very good buy)."

ENTRANCE FRONT, HOUSE OF C.T. SOUTHWICK, ESQ., GREAT NECK, N.Y.  ARTHUR W. COOTE, ARCHITECT

DETAIL OF ENTRANCE FRONT, HOUSE OF C.T. SOUTHWICK, ESQ., GREAT NECK, N.Y.  ARTHUR W. COOTE, ARCHITECT

GARAGE WING, HOUSE OF C.T. SOUTHWICK, ESQ., GREAT NECK, N.Y.  ARTHUR W. COOTE, ARCHITECT

FIRST FLOOR, HOUSE OF C.T. SOUTHWICK, ESQ., GREAT NECK, N.Y.  ARTHUR W. COOTE, ARCHITECT

SECOND FLOOR, HOUSE OF C.T. SOUTHWICK, ESQ., GREAT NECK, N.Y.  ARTHUR W. COOTE, ARCHITECT

HALL AND STAIRWAY, HOUSE OF C.T. SOUTHWICK, ESQ., GREAT NECK, N.Y.  ARTHUR W. COOTE, ARCHITECT

ONE SIDE OF LIVING ROOM, HOUSE OF C.T. SOUTHWICK, ESQ., GREAT NECK, N.Y.  ARTHUR W. COOTE, ARCHITECT

    Built in 1927. I've yet to find information on who C. T. Southwick was. Arthuw W. Coote was an architect with the firm Tooker & Marsh. According to Paul Mateyunas home was later purchased by Carroll Earle. Earle was a well-known Nassau and New Jersey contractor, who built the State causeway to Jones Beach State Park and the Northern blvd. from the city line at Little Neck to Roslyn. He died in 1929.  The house still stands. Follow THIS LINK to see.

Southwick property shown at the end of Hicks Lane with frontage on Manhasset Bay. E. Belcher Hyde, Inc., 1927

COMING IN JUNE • THE "NORMANDIE"

April 1, 2016, 1:00 am

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Largest... most luxurious and beautiful of modern ships... the "Normandie" will set new standards of comfort and safety in ocean travel for many years to come.

On June 3 there will arrive in New York not merely another big liner, but a different kind of liner ... a superliner.

Neither size nor speed was the first consideration of the engineers who plotted her dynamic lines. Those qualities came later, as the result of a fresh approach to the basic problem of assuring our passengers maximum safety and convenience.

For the decoration of this super-liner . . . fifty years ahead of her time . . . the foremost artists of France were called into consultation. The Normandie decor . . . executed with the inimitable finish of French craftsmanship ... is beyond anything you have ever seen in brilliance. 

Imagine a ship 1029 feet long . . . 79,800 tons ... a dining-salon 400 feet in length, walled with molded glass, and entirely airconditioned ... a sun deck, clear of all obstructions, as long as two city blocks . . . an eighty-foot swimming pool . . . virtually every cabin in First Class with bath or shower, many with private decks ... a completely equipped theater . . . radio-telephones constantly in touch with both shores ... a staff of 1200 to assure your comfort.

Need we say that the chef and his corps of assistants are even now engaged in an amiable conspiracy to raise your appreciation of French Line food to new and quite entrancing heights?

You must see this ship! . . . The arrival of the Normandie in New York harbor with a distinguished passenger list will be an event in maritime history. Your Travel Agent can tell you more about her . . . and (if you are quick) arrange for early reservations. .. . French Line, 610 Fifth Avenue (Rockefeller Center), New York City.

FIRST ARRIVAL IN NEW YORK,   JUNE 3.   FIRST   SAILING  FROM   NEW   YORK,   JUNE 7.

ADDITIONAL   SAILINGS:     JUNE 22,   JULY 10,    AND   AUGUST 21,    SEPTEMBER 4

Other Sailings to England and France: ILE DE FRANCE, April 13, May 18, June 29 • PARIS, April 20, May 11 • LAFAYETTE, April 27, June 1 and 20   •    CHAMPLAIN, April 6, May 4

La Maison Franchise, 610 Fifth Avenue (Rockefeller Center), New York City

La Maison Franchise, the French building in Rockefeller Center, was dedicated to the commerce, industry and art of a great European nation. Its tenancy was restricted to French individuals and companies, or to the American representatives of French companies handling products of the French Republic and colonial possessions.

La Maison Franchise, 610 Fifth Avenue (Rockefeller Center), New York City

The Fifth Avenue entrance to the building bears a sculptured panel, symbolic of the friendship and mutual understanding between the cities of Paris and New York. It was designed by Alfred Janniot. The panel is 11 feet wide and 18 feet high. Cast in bronze and then gold-leafed, the sculpture weighs approximately ten tons. It depicts Paris and New York joining hands above the figures of Poetry, Beauty and Elegance.

A splendid reception for the Normandie on 3 June 1935

June 3, 2016, 6:30 am

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A splendid reception for the Normandie on 3 June 1935, entering New York as the latest winner of the Blue Riband.