This beautiful mansion is now the home of Dowling College. It was built for William K Vanderbilt I and designed by Richard Howland Hunt between 1900-1904. This is the second mansion on this site. The first Mansion burnt down in 1899.
Idle Hour Front Entrance
Lighting Fixture
North Side of Idle Hour
The mansion is now known as Fortunoff Hall.
Please visit my other Website for more information and photos of
Idle Hour on the South Shore History Site.
I visited this National Trust for Historic Preservation site on May 28, 2009. The house and gardens were amazing. Kykuit is in the English Country House Style. It was designed by Delano and Aldrich originally between 1906-1908. The house under went a major renovation from 1908-1913 by William Welles Bosworth and Ogden Codman, Jr. This renovation gave the house the appearance it is known for today.
Kykuit Front Facade
Oceanus Fountain, opposite front facade
Detail of Pediment on Front Facade
Front Entrance with Porte Cochere
Tiffany Porte Cochere
Entrance Lantern, one of a pair
Garden Gate and Pergola Roof
West Garden Terrace
Tiffany Fence
Pergola in Rose Garden
Along a Garden Walk
Detail Rose Garden Colonnade
Kykuit Fence
Looking Back at Kykuit
I visited this beautiful Great River, NY estate on May 21, 2009. The house and grounds are now known as the Bayard Cutting Arboretum. The house was designed by the architect Charles C. Haight in 1887. It is Tudor in style. I have written and posted pictures about this estate extensively on my Long Island South Shore History Wiki Westbrook Page. I hope you will visit that page, in the mean time, perhaps I can tempt you with just a few pictures here.
Westbrook from the River
Front Entrance
Detail of Westbrook Roof
Westbrook Porch with Wisteria
To see more of my photos from Westbrook, visit my Flikr site.
Located on the grounds of Sagamore Hill is another home, Old Orchard House, built by Theodore Roosevelt Jr. in 1938. It is a Georgian Revival or Neo Georgian Style home, that now serves as a Museum to his father’s legacy. I visited this house on July 26, 2008.
Old Orchard House
I visited this estate on October 24, 2008. A professional meeting was being held there.
Side View - Villa Carola
Villa Carola is now known as the “Village Club of Sands Point.” (Private, not open to the public.) It was designed by the architect H. Van Buren Magonigle, the estate was built between 1916 – 1918 for Issac Guggenheim.
Detail - Window Brick and Trim
I was totally intrigued by the colors of the bricks and the Terra Cotta trim on this building. The architect’s use of color is truly impressive in person, I don’t believe these pictures do them justice.
Arch Detail
Detail Exterior Trim
Exterior Peacock Detail
I thought this was exquisite! Then I found out the motif was continued into the interior as well.
Interior Peacock Detail
Even though the mansion is Italian in style, it has several art deco accents in it. This is a view of some heating grates in the sun rooms.
Art Deco Grill 2
Art Deco Grill 1
One of the more charming features of the house is an elevator that has been converted into a hallway.
Elevator Converted to a Hallway
Another charming feature of this mansion is the ironwork interior entrance gates.
Interior entrance gate
Interior entrance gate - detail
Just beautiful!
The Jerusha Dewey Cottage is on the grounds of Clayton, in Roslyn NY. I visited it on October 8, 2008. The cottage is not open to tour. It was the guest house for William Cullen Bryant and it was built in 1862.
Dewey Cottage Plaque
Side View of Dewey Cottage
Dewey Cottage from Path to Cedermere
There are many paths to walk in the woods at Clayton. The Jerusha Dewey Cottage is located off one of them. Here is a view of the path near the cottage.
Path to Dewey Cottage
East Facade of Clayton
On October 8, 2007 I visited this estate.
Clayton was originally built in 1904 by the architect Ogden Codman, Jr for Lloyd Bryce on land that was once owned by William Cullen Bryant. In 1917 the estate was purchased by Henry Clay Frick for his son, Childs Frick and his new wife, Frances. In 1919 the facade of the mansion was redesigned by architect Charles Carrick Allom in the Neo Georgian or Georgian Revival Style. Clayton is now the home of the Nassau County Museum of Art. It is one of my favorite mansions to visit on Long Island.
West Facade of Clayton
North Facade of Clayton (with sculptures visible)
One of the reasons why I love to visit the grounds of this mansion is the roughly 45 contemporary sculptures that dot the landscape. Here is an example:
Contemporary Sculpture
Sorry, I do not know the name or artist of the above sculpture. Here is another example:
Wood Duck
Wood Duck Plaque
Another reason why I love the grounds at this mansion is the restored formal garden.
Garden Plaque
Boxwood Garden
The Boxwood Garden is one of the many rooms that comprise the formal garden.
In the garden is the most wonderful structure: the trellis.
Garden Trellis
Trellis Plaque
Trellis Detail 1
Trellis Detail 3
Capitols continuing the trellis into the garden
On the grounds of Clayton is another structure: The Jerusha Dewey Cottage.
On October 8, 2007 I visited this estate. It was hosting a Designer Show House. It is part of the Muttontown Preserve of the Nassau County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Museums. The house itself is an interesting blend of French and Chinese styles. It was built in 1924 by the firm of Delano & Aldrich for Mr & Mrs Benjamin Moore.
Chelsea - Front Entrance
Chelsea - Courtyard view
A Wing Of Chelsea
Notice the moat in the above picture. It is lined with cobble stones taken from the streets of NYC’s Chelsea section – which is how the mansion got its name. It is said that the Moore children regularly played in the moats.
Chelsea Moat
In the foreground of the above picture you can just make out the cobblestones.
Center Court Patio
The patio, shown above, is also said to be lined with stones taken from the streets of NYC’s Chelsea section. Apparently the Moores’ first home was located in Chelsea.
Moat and Garden Gate
The circular garden gate is asian in style. The service wing of the house is on the other side of it.
Service Wing
Garden Gate
The above photo is taken looking through the garden gate towards the court yard and moat.
Serpentine Garden Wall next to pond
Another architectural gem in the garden is this serpentine wall.
Abandoned Garden Fountain
There are some over grown formal gardens. While exploring them I literally stumbled into this large abandoned fountain. It must have been something special when it was functioning.
Fountain Detail
The fountain was lined every few feet with these carvings.
Driveway to stables / garage
It had been several years since my last visit. I forgot how long the entrance driveway was. This is just a small part of it.
I am back after an illness that literally had me off my feet. I’ve been catching up on comments and general site maintenance. I visited 3 mansions this past fall, and in the coming days I will be adding them to this site. I will visit more mansions in the spring (when it is warmer out). When I do, I will post them here.
On September 16, 2008 I visited this beautiful estate, that once belonged to Alfred I. DuPont.
Nemours Mansion
Formal Gardens
Maze Garden
Box Turtle Pond
Box Turtle Fountain
