200 Acres Of Intricate, Beautiful Gardens Where People Can Read The Paper, Go For A Walk And Pose For Breathtaking Photos
Often viewed as an oasis on Long Island, the Old Westbury Gardens are an escape from the hectic traffic, the crowds and the roads... It's a way to quiet down for a bit... Sitting on 200 open acres, the intricate, beautiful gardens are a place for people to read the paper, go for a relaxing walk, pose for engagement photos... For many, it's a way to pay respects to the last remaining country home estate on the gold coast from the Gatsby era that's still intact.
While most old historic mansions have been converted to other uses or haven't been kept how the original owners originally had them, the Old Westbury Gardens Estate is still maintained – both the home and gardens – how the family left it in 1958. Visitors get a sense of what the house was like back when it was in use, a trip back in time, an escape.
The impressive home has a ballroom, a drawing room and a very large dining room. A service wing was built around 1911. High ceilings and extravagant carvings give the large, three-story home a “certain majesty,” said Director Paul Hunchak. The mansion is also full of antiques and all of the original furnishings.
Built between 1905 and 1907, the designer had made the home a faithful reproduction of what large homes would have looked like in the late 1700s. Elegant, full of artwork and antiques, it's hard for many to believe that people lived in the home and used the items within it. It's caused many guests to say things like, “Wow, I wonder what it would be like to live back then...”
The couches, carpets, tea pots, utensils were all antiques, all over 100 years old at the time. And the family would walk on the carpets, use some of the pieces of silver, sit on the antique chairs...
“For them,” said Hunchak, “it was just furniture. The carpet in the drawing room is very rare and made in the mid-1700s... But they would just walk on it and use it.”
It's this awe the mansion and its belongings inspire that caused the state to open the building for tours. People would meander through the gardens, make their way to the house and peer into the windows... Curiosity was taking over.
The original intent of making the property a not-for-profit was to preserve the gardens, which are constantly renovated and preserved and meticulously maintained to the standards of the family. There's a wall garden, famous for its herbatious borders and intricate design. There's a lily pond. There's a lilac wall.
“This garden is something people would have seen in pictures... To experience it as the guests of the family would have done 100 years ago... That's interesting,” said Hunchak. “I just received a post card from 1910 of the family's wall garden! It's interesting that people sold post cards of the garden of a private estate! But it was just so well known and beautiful...”
So who was the family with the world famous garden?
John Phipps, the oldest son to Henry Phipps – one of the owners of Carnegie Steel in 1901 – went onto manage his family's finances once his father retired. He married Margarita in 1903 and decided to build a home for his new family on Long Island. The couple and their four children lived in the mansion until the couple died in 1958.
While the family was “not quite the Gatsby type,” noted Hunchak, “they did entertain and had some very prominent people over.” With two polo fields on the property, the family often opened up the house and the gardens for benefits and fundraisers. Next year in June the estate will be holding a party to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the family's war relief lawn party on the property.
Guests can take tours of the home and the garden. Or they can just stroll and relax. They also hold concerts. People come to see the home and hear about its history. Others come for wedding ceremonies or to read a book. Some people propose right on the grounds, recalled Hunchak, who has worked at the estate since 2001.
But it's not only residents and travelers who like to make the trip to the gardens. A British company recently used the estate as the location for a TV commercial in March. It speaks to the authenticity and the elegance of the mansion and its décor. The mansion, which is on the national register of historic places, is truly a look back in time at how the rich lived on Long Island.
Olivia Richman
A graduate of East Connecticut State University in Journalism, Olivia has written for Stonebridge Press & Antiques Marketplace among others. She enjoys writing, running and video games.
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