Idle Hour: An Exhibit of Historic Photographs

An exhibit I am curating which will be on display March 14, 2013 to June 16, 2013 at the Islip Art Museum.

Longwood Estate, Middle Island NY

Longwood Estate

This property was once the most northern part of the Manor of St. George.  Today it is parkland preserved by the Town of Brookhaven.  The Estate consists of farm buildings, a one room school house, a caretaker’s cottage, etc.  The house itself has been added onto multiple times and is representative of vernacular architecture of its place and time.

Click here to see more of my photos of the Longwood Estate.

Normandy Manor, Centerport NY

I visited this house on September 30, 2011.  Normandy Manor is part of the William K. Vanderbilt II Estate known as Eagle’s Nest.  The Manor was Mr. Vanderbilts’ caretaker cottage and was designed by the Architectural firm of Warren & Wetmore.  For years it was privately owned, and then the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum bought the property a few years ago.  When I visited this house it was hosting a designer show house.

Front of Normandy Manor

Side View of Normandy Manor

Rear view of Normandy Manor

The other side of Normandy Manor

The View from the front porch, towards the circular driveway

The View from the circular drive towards the entrance gate of Eagle's Nest

For more photos of Normandy Manor and its wonderful gardens see my Normandy Manor and Eagle’s Nest Flickr page.

Brookwood Hall, East Islip NY

Brookwood Hall in East Islip, NY is a Neo-Georgian style mansion built in 1902 by the architects Delano and Aldrich.

Brookwood Hall Entrance

When I visited the mansion in late February 2011, the building was undergoing extensive and much needed renovations.

Back of Building

The mansion was built by the Knapp Family, and was also subsequently owned by the Thorne Family.

Brookwood Hall Marker

From 1942-1965 the mansion served as an Orphanage.

Orphan Registry Sign

Today it is the home of the Islip Art Museum and the Islip Arts Council and it sits in Knapp Lake Park.

Allee of Trees

Original Entrance Gate

Main Stairs

Breakfast Room Fireplace

The Breakfast Room serves as an exhibit space for local history organizations.

Original Flooring outside Dining Room

Many of the original architectural details of the mansion are hidden behind modifications made to the estate through the years.  It was nice to see some of the original flooring.

Detail of Solarium Fireplace

Mansion lore has this fireplace originally coming from the Idle Hour Estate.  The French style of the fireplace makes the story plausible.  It is not in keeping with the Georgian decorative style of the rest of the house.

Carriage House

The carriage house now serves as a contemporary art space.  I hope to visit Brookwood Hall again, when the renovations are complete.

For more photos of Brookwood Hall see my Flickr site.

Caumsett, Lloyd’s Neck NY

Caumsett is a New York State Historic Park located on the north shore of Suffolk County.

Caumsett Front Fascade

The entire estate has been preserved and consists of the Mansion…

East Fascade

the Winter Cottage…

Winter Cottage

Side View of Winter Cottage

the Dairy complex….

Dairy Complex

Dairy Farm Silo

the Polo Stables…

Polo Stables

Interior Polo Stables

Horse at Polo Stables

and the Walled Garden….

Fountain in Walled Garden

Dairy Complex from Walled Garden

The estate was built for Marshall Field III in the early 1920′s by the architect John Russell Pope.  I was there to visit the beautiful Designer’s Show House (October 2010) in the Winter Cottage (to benefit the Caumsett Foundation) and to enjoy the grounds.

View of LI Sound From Mansion

To view more pictures of Caumsett, and other historic houses I’ve visited, please visit my Flickr site.

Wereholme / Weeks Estate / Scully Estate / Seatuck Environmental Association, Islip NY

Wereholme / Scully Estate 3

Wereholme is located in Islip, NY.  It was one of the last large homes that the Architect, Grosvenor Atterbury, completed on Long Island in  1917.

Main Entrance Turret

The building is sometimes known as the Scully Estate or the Weeks Estate.  It is now home to the Suffolk County Environmental Center and the Seatuck Environmental Association.

Sign

The property has recently undergone extensive renovations, but maintains most of it’s charm.

Inside rear turret

Including 3 turrets.

Sleeping porch turret

Leaded Glass Windows.

Window detail main entrance turret

And, a sweeping staircase.

Staircase

Some garden restoration is being done as well.

Walled Garden from 2nd Floor Window

Take a visit, you won’t be disappointed!

For more photos of Wereholme, visit my Flickr site.

Southampton Windmill, Southampton NY

Ok, so it is not an historic house, per se, but it is said that this windmill hosted Tennessee Williams at one point, and he wrote one of this plays there.  Located near the Clafin Estate / Tucker Mill Inn is the historic Southampton Windmill.

Southampton Windmill 3

“The windmill, which originally sat on what is now Hill Street in Southampton Village, was moved to its current location in 1890 to become part of what was then known as the Claflin estate. During that time, it served as a playhouse for the Claflins’ daughter Beatrice, according to “The College Windmill: An Affectionate History,” a booklet authored by Edward Glanz, the founding provost of Southampton College.

The property remained in the Claflin family until it was sold following World War II and was then run as the Tucker Mill Inn, catering primarily to summer visitors. Tennessee Williams rented the windmill one summer in the 1950s and, according to rumor, wrote several of his famous plays while staying there.

Long Island University purchased the property in 1963 and opened it as Southampton College. During the college’s early years, the windmill served as a meeting place for students and its top floor offered overnight accommodations to the school’s more prominent guests. The 82-acre campus was acquired by Stony Brook University and reopened as Stony Brook Southampton in fall 2007.”

• See: Chinese, Vera. “Southampton News – Stony Brook Southampton Windmill Receives $250,000 Facelift – 27east.” 27east.com: The Hamptons On-line Guide to News, Sports, Real Estate, Classifieds, Travel, Restaurants Events and Obituaries in Southampton New York and East Hampton New York. – Your Online Connection to the East End. 18 June 2009. Web. 14 June 2010. <http://www.27east.com/story_detail.cfm?id=216553&town=Southampton&gt;.

Southampton Windmill 10

Click here for more photos of the Southampton Windmill.

Clafin Estate / Tucker Mill Inn / Southampton College, Southampton NY

This beautiful house was built in 1896 by the noted architect, Grosvenor Atterbury for Arthur B. Clafin.  The house also was known as the Tucker Mill Inn.

Tucker Mill Inn

For years it has served as the administration building for Southampton College, now SUNY Stony Brook at Southampton.  The large antenna in the background is for a radio station.

Tucker Mill Inn from the Side

This view of the chimney and windows shows some signature details that Grosvenor Atterbury was known for.

Detail Chimney

Oheka Castle, Cold Spring Harbor NY

Oheka Castle is the second largest private residence built in America.  It was designed by the architects Delano & Aldrich between 1914 -1919 for finacier Otto H. Kahn.  The castle is currently a hotel and catering venue.  I believe I got “Castle Fever” while I was there – I was enthralled by the architecture and the landscape.  I took many photos of the Castle and its interior spaces.  Here is a sample:

Oheka Side view

National Register Plaque

Courtyard view

Terrace Room View

Loggia

Because I took so many photos, I recommend viewing them on my Flickr site.

Meadow Croft, Sayville NY

Please visit my other Website  for more information and photos of
Meadow Croft on the South Shore History Site.  You can also visit my Flickr site.