"Warburton Hall"/"Hillwood" - Brookville, New York (Pt. 1)

The "Hillwood" estate in Brookville, New York first had its start as a country house named "Warburton Hall" which was designed c. 1911 in the Spanish Revival style by Addison Mizner on 177 acres of land for William Albert Prime, Sr. in what was known as Wheatley Hills. Prime was an industrialist who served as founder of the National Dredging Co. and director of Great Lakes Transit Co., Illinois Ship & Dredge Co., Charles E. & W. F. Peck Insurance, Cuban Oil Co., and Paso Robles Oil. He was also affiliated with the Marsh & McLennan insurance brokerage. Having appeared in the Social Register guide, it is obvious that they were in the high echelons of Long Island society. Prime was an avid horse-racer and yachter, with a 150' long vessel. Prime was also an early member and commodore of the Manhasset Bay Yacht Club. The estate was to be used as a summer home to complement their winter home in Palm Beach, Florida.

Four parcels of land were purchased by the Primes to create their large estate which would have been composed of former farmland. Towards the 1900's, the wealthy sought to distance themselves from the city and create country homes that often emulated an ideal life of their ancestors or were inspired by their travels around the world. They called upon Addison Mizner to build a Spanish Revival estate home. The 1873 Beers, Comstock & Cline atlas indicates that the land was largely owned by Daniel Lawrence. Other names like S. Wansor, I. Mott, and T. Bailey had property in the vicinity and likely also sold their parcels. By 1914, the land had been consolidated and it was recognized in that year's E. Belcher-Hyde "Atlas of Nassau County, Long Island, N.Y" as being owned by W.A. Prime in the Wheatly area. The name would later be known as Wheatley Hills towards the 1920's, and would subsequently be incorporated as the Village of Brookville in 1931.

Courtesy of Lionel Pincus & Princess Firyal Map Division, The New York Public Library (1914)

"Warburton Hall"'s architect, Addison Mizner, had a very unusual path to fame. After being rejected by the University of California to study arts, he opted instead to attend the University of Salamanca in Spain but soon abandoned that altogether to travel to China in 1893. Somehow, that resulted in an apprenticeship as a draftsman with San Francisco architect Willis Polk where he was given his first formal training in architecture. He became devoted to the Spanish and Mediterranean revival styles, translating the architectural elements of the 15th and 16th centuries to a modern way of living in the 20th century. Mizner was largely uninvolved in the technical aspects of design (so much so that he was said to have often forgotten to include staircases or bathrooms in his floorplans) and instead spend most of his time planning the façade or directing the craftsmen in the field. By the early 1900's, Mizner had managed to establish himself as an architect for New York's high society through the help of Stanford White who handed out works that were deemed too unimportant for his firm. It was during this period that Mizner went on to design "Warburton Hall" and possibly its landscaping. Other commissions on Long Island included "Delbarton" down the street in Old Wesbury, "Driftwoods" in Sands Point, "Elm Point" in Kings Point, and "Solana" in Matinecock.  However, he is particularly remembered for Floridian residential works, especially in the Palm Beach area. Having come up from an unusual path, Mizner was not seen as intellectually pompous as many other architects, but had an extraordinary sense of imagination for envisioning grand designs that transcended the bounds of formal architecture.

Not terribly much is known about the design of "Warburton Hall", but it was comparatively modest to the estate it would later become. By the 1910's, Mizner was proficient enough to take on his first major Long Island commission. To take advantage of the topography, the main house was situated on a hill which offered the rooms a westward vista. The planned landscapes and lawns consumed roughly 20 acres of land. The focal point of the house was the reception hall which spanned 40' long and 27' wide with a raftered ceiling. Guests would enter from a broad terrace, accessed by flanking steps to a 7' wide fireplace with windows on both sides and a stair that wrapped around the entry onto the south wall. Connected with an open plan to the reception hall was also the dining room which was the only point of circulation to the north wing which housed the kitchen and servant areas. The south wing consisted of small bedrooms. The second floor likely held more bedrooms (the blueprints for that level sadly do not survive). While the floorplan overall was asymmetrical in design, it was relatively contained. Elsewhere on the site were said to be formal gardens and a swimming pool. Mizner commonly dealt in antiques so it is possible that he had a hand in the furnishing as well. '"Warburton Hall" would have been seemingly very rustic but lacked in functionality as an estate without the necessary forethought to accommodate domestic functions. 

Courtesy of Addison Mizner Collection, Historical Society of Palm Beach County (n.d.)

In 1921, Mr. and Mrs. E.F. Hutton purchased the former Prime estate for $400,000 and named it "Hillwood" after the hilly, wooded terrain. Mrs. Hutton, or Marjorie Merriweather Post, was the daughter of Charles W. Post, founder of the Postum Cereal Company which later became known as the General Foods Corporation. After Mr. Post died in 1914, Marjorie inherited the company as sole owner at just 28 years old. One estimate at the time placed her fortune at $270,000,000. On July 7, 1921, Marjorie married Edward Francis "E.F." Hutton, a stockbroker and founder of the E.F. Hutton & Company brokerage firm. Hutton also served as director of the Chrysler Corporation and Coca-Cola Co. He was a member of the Sands Point Golf Club, Islip Polo Club, Westbrook Golf Club, Everglades Club, and the Metropolitan Club of New York. He was also vice president of the Nassau Trotting Association. It was in the early 1920's after Post's marriage to Hutton that the family began to spread their wings to take advantage of their new wealth with the purchase of their own country home. It was said that Hutton had many of the intellectual qualities combined with the business acumen that Marjorie so admired in her late father.

The choice of moving to Long Island was fitting for them as E.F. had a hunting lodge in Bay Shore prior and they did not feel that moving back to Greenwich would be fitting after "The Boulders" estate caught fire/exploded. Encouraged by Hutton, Marjorie was able to live the grand lifestyle she had observed in Europe during visits as a young child. Beyond moving into a developing cradle of upper society, the estate was perfect for the simpler things in life like engaging in sport and admiring the beauty of nature. Like the owner, William Prime, before them, Mr. Hutton was also an avid sportsman. Furthermore, their "Hutridge" estate (later known as "Topridge") on St. Regis Lake exemplified the ability to have a luxurious life that harmonized with the surroundings of wilderness. It was, nonetheless, a carefully groomed, lavish version of the great outdoors. Emulating that kind of life as a country house with the short distance to Manhattan was a common goal of Long Island socialites. It was convenient to both business interests in New York and close to the center of the eastern elites. In an interesting turn of events, Addison Mizner would later go on to design a commercial brokerage for E.F. Hutton & Co. in 1930 on Country Road in Palm Beach, Florida.

The Huttons called on the firm of Hart & Shape of New York City to design a new main house and outbuildings for their country estate. It is likely that they received the commission as a result of a prior design for a farm group of Hutton's Bay Shore estate in 1918 (they also designed a South Carolina home for Franklyn L. Hutton, a relative of E.F.). The partners of Hart & Shape, Charles Mansfield Hart and Robert Louis Shape, were both talented architects who shared a practice at 247 Park Avenue during the brief period from the end of WWI to the start of the Great Depression. Shape was a graduate of the College of Architecture at Cornell University in 1895 and was a captain of America's first rowing team to compete at England's Henley Regatta. Hart was a graduate of the Pratt Institute School of Architecture in 1905. It is likely that they both met while working as associates on the construction of the New York Stock Exchange in 1903 under George B. Post. For a brief period of time in 1912, Hart was in partnership with Mott B. Schmidt as the firm of Hart & Schmidt. Hart was also a member of the Freeport Club. Shape was a member of the firm of Willhauer, Shape & Bready before partnering with Charles Hart.

Some of their other notable works of the Hart & Shape firm included the Colgate Inn in Hamilton, New York, Nittany Lion Inn in State College Pennsylvania, Prospect Hill School in Pelham, New York, South Nassau Communities Hospital in Rockville Centre, New York, Boulder Brook Club in Scarsdale, New York, "The Chimneys" estate in Mill Neck, New York for C. Porter Wilson, and alterations to Julian Davies' "Timber Point" estate to become to the clubhouse for the Timber Point Golf Course in Great River, New York. They designed numerous smaller residences throughout New York and Connecticut for primarily financiers and lawyers. The firm also designed the Midtown Manhattan office interiors of the General Foods Corporation, headed by none other than the Post family. As an independent architect, Charles M. Hart designed many buildings on Long Island in Freeport like the Columbus Avenue Elementary School and the Freeport Memorial Library. He also designed the Boulder Brook Club in Scarsdale. Hart later served as a senior partner of the firms of Hart, Jerman & Associates and Hart, Benvega & Associates.

Despite neither architect having trained at the École des Beaux-Arts, they would have been given at least a fair amount of instruction in the principles of fine classicist architecture but had enough leeway to break them. Like Mizner before them, Hart and Shape were known for their ability as architects to transcend convention in order to create new adaptations of blended architectural styles. They were attuned to the components of harmony, balance, and proportion which would be critical in designing an estate of this scale. Their care for details on both the interior and exterior was especially profound. It was a common theme of the firm to use detailed Adamesque motifs in great expanses like dining rooms and bedrooms as an unexpected contrast to the overall theme of Tudor elements. There is also a wonderful dichotomy between the inside and outside. Interestingly, the outbuilding group was wholly its own in its evocation of an indigenous vernacular similar to the old Long Island houses built in the 1800's. This version of an English farm group largely resembles their earlier work for E.F. Hutton's Bay Shore estate, but would not be out of place with the farm groups popularized by architect Alfred Hopkins. Being more function than form, it was popular that the architecture should emulate the practical needs of the farm without detracting attention from it.

"Hillwood" was intended to be used for the spring and fall season as the Post family migrated from one estate to another depending on the time of year. It was typically used from four to six months of the year, not having been their primary home (though it was still kept in pristine condition during the times that they were away). The family's home base was their duplex at 2 East 92nd Street in Manhattan that had its own separate entrance with a special doorman and a private elevator which went directly to the 14th floor. At the same time, the Posts had an estate named "Mar-a-Lago" in Palm Beach, Florida which was primarily their winter estate. The gardens at the "Hillwood" were planned to be in bloom in the spring to fall when the family was there to enjoy it the most. Based on the garden planning records, flowers were chosen to bloom in April, May, and then in the middle of the fall season.  The blooming timetables give a hint of the times of year the family was usually in residence in Brookville.

The family decided to have the house of the Prime's rebuilt by prominent contractor, E.W. Howell & Co. of Babylon, into a Tudor Revival home, retaining the frame of the former living room, dining room, and kitchen. They also had the ceiling of the Great Hall raised an additional 5 feet higher than it was originally built. Their architects drew freely upon historic examples and synthesized them to create a new American version of a stockbroker Tudor that aimed earnestly to evoke the past. Both the architecture and way of life were in line with the traditional European experience. It was especially fitting with Post's fascination with royalty and the British Empire after traveling extensively to England with her father as a child. She kept a detailed scrapbook of those trips and some of those ideas would later find their way as part of her estates. 

 

Despite the multitude of choices available to design in, the Tudor style probably seemed to them as most in line with their values and aspirations. The majestic quality of the land with a rolling lawn was particularly suited for the kind of elegantly-rustic English manorial life that they hoped to cultivate. Seeing the resemblance to the administration building for the Postum Cereal Co. in Battle Creek, it is possible that was an implicit choice to channel that look. As a sportsman, Mr. Hutton was also especially familiar to the design of hunting lodges which were often constructed in this manner. The choice to retain part of the original house from the Primes earlier tenure is a testament to their admiration of Mizner's skill in envisioning grand scale. The architects' choice of emulating local vernacular for the outbuilding is evident of the ideal that the best architecture reflects the place in which it exists. 

Photo courtesy of Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan (n.d.)

Photo courtesy of the Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library (n.d.)

The overarching plan by Hart & Shape for the Hutton's estate sought to give the impression of permanence that a manor had been standing proud for centuries amidst the ravages of time, expressing the power of the family to all that visited. It exuded a sense of baronialism rather than ostentatiousness. They sought to emulate the domain of the English aristocracy by living that same romanticized agrarian life in the countryside. There could have also been the intention to suggest the idea that what started off as a small home received many additions over time to create sort of a beautiful mess: A large estate home that assembled over time when the future and accompanying needs could not be foretold, but with the modernity of a coherent sequential plan. It was quite easy at that time for architects to look to architectural folios for inspiration as a supplement to firsthand travel abroad. The many parts of interior design and landscape architecture related to the whole design effort, which in turn, related to its surroundings.

Courtesy of "The Architect" (Jan. 1924)

The architects retained the basic plan with an addition of bedroom and servant functions that were separated from the bulk of the main house. Replacing Mizner's servant quarters was an entire servant's wing with its own service court. Hart & Shape turned the former dining room into the entry foyer and used the reception room as a framework for their new design. The very unique staircase that Mizner had conceptualized was retained as well as the wooden ceiling which echoed the hammerbeam ceilings of a church. It is possible that the fireplace's andirons, fireplace mantles, and a table--which could have been sold through Mizner--remained after the Primes left. Some of the bedrooms were instead designed with a lighter look to appease Marjorie with an Adamesque treatment. Circulation was provided in the staff wing for collecting deliveries as well as connecting the kitchen to the dining rooms. On the exterior and interior, the architects wove in antique, salvaged materials from historic buildings to further enhance the sense of age and permanence.

Courtesy of Donald and Lisa Sclare (n.d.)

In 1928, Hart & Shape was commissioned to design further alterations to the main house which included the removal of their earlier 1921 bedroom wing that had been erected for the Post family. The contractor for the second expansion was Watt & Sinclair of New York City. These alterations created the solarium, a second entranceway, a new library, and guest bedrooms for the first floor, and two sleeping porches, children's bedrooms, and new master bedroom suites on the second floor. A servant wing was built to vertically-integrate the staff function as a group with some of their living quarters. The second vestibule in what was known as the living room court was built to unify access to the bedrooms off of the new children's wing. What was originally the summer porch was replaced with the American Bedroom and solarium. Additional changes were made in 1925 and 1929. The final design became a 59-room main house set against a backdrop of stately forest and rolling meadows. 

From the outside, the form is free-flowing asymmetry almost to the point of disorderly formation over time. While that would seem to be undesirable, this asymmetry actually produced an atmosphere of separate neighborhoods that were akin to an old village. The cozy corners, verandas, porte-cochères, and courtyards of the intersecting wings gave a bit of drama and balance. The low-lying massing seems to ramble across the landscape. The architects were masters at massing to give juxtapositions between deep recesses and soaring roof pitches. An unpredictable placement of projecting wings give the sense that the house had somehow organically come to life or was strung together out of old cottages. It delighted the imagination. Numerous wings delineated the primary rooms from residential and staff quarters. The principal spaces were meant to receive frequent guests as the heart and soul of the mansion but also be scaled appropriately for just the family's use. 

Photo courtesy of Yaxing Huang (n.d.)

Courtesy of Ken Mensing (n.d.)

The main house was approached by a majestic sweeping lawn that was reminiscent of a British manor. This became the centerpiece for a grand country estate, resting upon a rolling hill. The gardens were laid out on axis so the English walled garden, for instance, could be entered directly from the solarium. Trees were even imported fully-grown to give the impression of maturity of having had an aged estate that passed through the generations. To complement the main house, "Hillwood" was also a country estate in the sense that it was able to support the activities of country life. It contained pastures, livestock, greenhouses, and potting sheds for growing plants. For the family, it enabled an active life which was seen as very desirable during that era. It had stables for horses and kennels for dogs which were raised on the estate.

The exterior of the main home is constructed in a traditional Tudor Revival style, staying true to the elements of the past in terms of both the design and construction. It was a mode that allowed Americans to connect with tradition in profound ways while also embracing modernization. Hallmarks of the Tudor style include steeply-pitched gables and rooves covered with slate, bays of casement windows, nine terra cotta chimney stacks, timbered exteriors, and interiors of wood paneling with plasterwork. The variety of materials used--brick, stone, stucco, timbering, plaster, and slate brought out a complex richness. Perhaps because stone, brick, and slate are natural materials, they mesh well together as a result of the subtleties in texture. Perhaps in response to the earlier fire at "The Boulders", the 1928 addition was built with a skeleton made of steel with concrete between the floors from basement to attic. In the event of a fire, the entire roof could have burned off and the floors below would have been spared. Likewise, if the was a coal fire in the basement, the floors above would have been protected.

The façade is punctuated with several projected half-timbered gables with leaded casement windows likely fabricated by the International Casement Co. of Jamestown. The exterior also includes castellation, brackets, bay windows, and bargeboards. Large expanses of stucco were articulated with columns of hewn timber and frequent ornamentation out of wood or carved plaster for interest. A few areas of the walls were deliberately devoid of the stucco, showing bare brick to create an artificially-weathered look of advanced age and disrepair. Texture was treated in an attempt to copy the natural weathering of wood with the intention that it might give the impression of being centuries-old. Other building techniques purposely eschewed from perfect straight lines and left the surfaces with bumps in the spirit of Tuscan rusticness.

Photo courtesy of "House & Garden" (Nov. 1922)

Photo courtesy of Long Island Studies Institute at Hofstra University (n.d.)

Photos courtesy of "The Architectural Record" (Dec. 1922)

Photo courtesy of the E.W. Howell Construction Group Archives (1923)

Photo courtesy of "Arts & Decoration" (Oct. 1924)

Photo courtesy of Regina G. Feeney, Freeport Memorial Library (1930)

Photo courtesy of "The American Architect - The Architectural Review" (Jan. 1923)

 Photos courtesy of "The Architect" (Jan. 1924)

Photo courtesy of "The American Architect - The Architectural Review" (Jan. 1923)

Photo courtesy of "Boxwood Gardens, Old and New" by Albert L. Lewis (1924)

Photo courtesy of "Arts & Decoration" (Oct. 1924)

Photo courtesy of "Country Life in America" (Oct. 1931)

Photo courtesy of LIU Post Archives & Special Collections (1940)

Photo courtesy of "Long Island" by C. Manley Debevoise (n.d.)

The exterior also features a generous program of whimsical and even childlike ornamentation. It has a rich treatment of the full range of Tudor motifs, echoing the important link between sculpture and architecture in the classical tradition. Most notable are the soffit carvings of various animals like bears, tigers, birds of prey, as well as traditional flowers. The west exterior façade of the home features ornamental busts of terriers and carvings of jesters, a fox and hunter and cornucopias with flowers. The staff wing portion of the home is less ornamental than the residential area was but features two porte-cocheres or carriageways to create interest. 

Over the west carriageway are burnt bricks arranged in a herringbone pattern that were salvaged from condemned homes in New York City for their aged look. Though interestingly, the family did not opt to otherwise import elements of older structures from Europe and install them for an undeniable sense of authenticity as was often done in other estates. As it so happens, the Tudor design of timbering was especially suited to be disassembled like a model kit and reassembled elsewhere if it were to be moved. Much of the embellishment from this period was derived from originally ecclesiastical ideas like the use of stained glass windows or wainscotting. For a good period of recorded history, the Catholic Church led the way in most aspects of decoration choice, and secular architecture often followed suit. In the case of "Hillwood", those ideas were later adapted for American sensibility.

In addition to the physical walls of the main house, the animated roofline also plays a key role in the effectiveness of the design. The shingle roof of the home was likely from Vermont; sourced in variegated colors and inlayed in a staggered pattern. Protruding out of the shingles are decorated clay chimney pots. Due to the tremendous weight of the material, individual pieces were brought to Brookville by train via the Long Island Rail Road and then trucked to the home. Slate rooves of this kind was a common feature of affluent Long Island Gold Coast dwellings. Attached to the roof were rainwater gutters fabricated by the Hoyt Hardlead Company. Realizing the difference in the size of the slates, is believed that the roof was installed by the John D. Emack Co. for the original sections and then the job was handled by the Newark-based firm of Robert McClorry during subsequent additions. 

It is worth noting that the home was built by hand using the labor of fine skilled artisans. Many of the contractors used for the estate's construction were New York or Long Island-based firms recommended by their architect. During this period, there was an abundance of skilled craftsmen alive who were trained in old-world construction techniques. Much of the building was created in the same way it would have been executed during Elizabethan times. Beams were attached by wooden dowels rather than using nails. During a recent restoration, insight to the home’s construction was uncovered: small irregularities that were often cut into beams to match perfectly the wavering edges of stucco walls where the two surfaces met. The painstaking process discovered oddities like builders’ penchant for stuffing large cracks in beams with thick ropes and patching them over instead of rejecting them. The prevailing notion was that a little wear and tear made high-quality construction more apparent. The estate also took advantage of using inexpensive local materials like boulders which were sourced from sand mining pits in Port Washington.

Photo courtesy of Long Island Studies Institute at Hofstra University (1935)

Courtesy of Donald and Lisa Sclare (n.d.)

Like a great architect, Marjorie was intimately-involved with the planning of the house, closely working with architects Hart & Shape during the building of "Hillwood". She sought to emulate parts of the other homes she had lived in and loved as part of the new estate as a means of connecting those parts of her life. Her exacting standards--much like her father had--were in full swing, personally overseeing the design and construction phases. She also collaborated with landscape architect, Marian Kruger Coffin, on what the relationship of each room would be to its garden view as part of the experience of the house. It was very much looking at the design from the outside in to best showcase the topography to exude a Beaux Arts sensibility. At the time, it was viewed that the garden had tremendous social utility worth maximizing. Although Marjorie was not a gardener or architect herself, she was very talented in envisioning memorable spaces and worked with great professionals to achieve that vision. As an added personal touch, some of the bricks used for the chimneys, decoration, and walls were made by the Post Brick Co. out of Post, Texas which had been founded by her father in 1907.

Photo courtesy of Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan (1920's)

The interior was also designed by Hart & Shape with decoration provided by Arden Studios. It utilized a vocabulary that spanned from historic precedent to precedent, oftentimes inspired directly from the great estates of Europe. A litany of skilled craftsmen worked to bring the artistic vision of the interior to life. Both the principal formal rooms and bedrooms were ornate with deep Tudor Revival overtones. Much of the furniture and fixture choice reflected the influence of E.F. who was an avid hunter and sportsman. There were also areas of levity like the postcards affixed to one of the bathroom's walls or tiles embossed with seagulls in flight which were in used one of the children's bathrooms. 

After main house was completed, it ultimately spanned 30,000 square feet in size. Mr. and Mrs. Hutton called upon Hart & Shape again to design a honeymoon cottage in 1928 for Adelaide and Thomas Durant and then a police booth in 1929 for the entry gate. As a gift, they were also called on in 1932 to design a child-sized Elizabethan playhouse for the estate to be used by Post's young children.

Photo courtesy of "Country Life in America" (Mar. 1929)

The very backbone of "Hillwood" was its employees. Post employed a staff of around 100 people to manage the estate for the busy season. Many of them were recent immigrants from Europe who found work upon arriving in the country from typically Britain or Scandinavian countries. They were attracted to the abundant possibilities in America that could come from work provided on these estates. Most of the grounds crew was of Italian descent. An operation of this magnitude would have required footmen, housekeepers, ladies' maids, valets, butlers, nurses, tailors, chefs, gardeners, chauffeurs, secretaries, and agents. Marjorie also had a number of private security watchmen after her father had insisted on one for her as a young woman. She demanded expert staff with a sterling employment history and an aptitude for perfection. She was known to have managed them in a kind way. In return, they were paid comparably or higher than at other estates. They brought honor to otherwise mundane, but necessary work. She respected them deeply and they felt very devoted to her in return. There was an apparent interrelation and mutual dependence that connected Marjorie with her staff despite their vastly different lives.

A chain of command was in place to provide standard procedure for staff to follow while maintaining the estate. Given the sheer size of the operation, a hierarchy was needed to organize the many levels of work on a daily basis. At the very top was the superintendent who served as an executive director with managers below them to facilitate the stables, garage, farming, etc. The majority of estate workers during that time would have typically received $2-5 per day as their salary. They were also given room and board of semiprivate quarters and their own private chef to prepare staff meals. By having quarters on the grounds, they were available immediately whenever needed. They also would seek additional temporary help in certain months to assist with grounds maintenance.

Courtesy of Ken Mensing (1935)

In equipping the estate, no expense was spared in providing for the advanced technology of the period to provide the most functional home environment. Marjorie took a sincere interest in the welfare of the employees which included giving them the tools necessary to perform at their best. No detail was to be left undone, no matter how seemingly little the task. It was very physically-involved work that was performed on a constant basis. Perhaps owing to the streamlined manufacturing processes implemented in the Post factories, investment to increase efficiency and speed were viewed as worthwhile. Nonetheless, many of the household duties could not be mechanized and were best left to staff labor. The estate had a great heart--and that heart came from those who served on it. To express her appreciation for the household staff in a permanent way, Marjorie's staff had a flagpole dedicated in their honor towards the end of her life.

The main house had an entire wing which was dedicated to the staff who were kept in close proximity to respond to needs through the enunciator system, a series of interconnected buzzers which signaled for attention. The staff rooms looked out over service court so deliveries could be attended to discreetly. The goal of the residential staff was to serve while being as unobtrusive as possible. Other technologies included a charcoal-activated water filtration system, Chelsea Elevator Co. dumbwaiter, and Shur-Stop fire extinguisher grenades which hung from the attic rafters and would have automatically plunged downward to the floor in the event of a fire. The basement had a large, 10' by 10' fireproof safe with multiple sets of layered doors. Additionally, the estate was known for its groundbreaking transplantation of trees and hybridizing of plant specimens utilizing its Lord & Burnham greenhouse. 

Marjorie had a passion for perfection which manifested itself in the exacting standard that she kept her estate in. Staff were expected to abide by her specifications which were quite obsessive to the last detail.  For instance, it would take almost an entire workday to lay out a formal setting for dinner in the manner of grand English and Russian aristocratic tradition. With the aid of a spotlight, the table would be centered in the room and then the difficult task would commence of placing all of the plates, silverware, and other parts of the place setting. Her butlers were instructed to place each plate exactly 16 inches from the next to allow for efficient serving. Each measurement was taken with yardsticks from the center of the table to ensure that the overhang of the tablecloth was even on each side. Just prior to the dinner starting, Marjorie would appear personally for a last look to ensure that not a thread was literally out of place. While this seems like overkill, guests were so impressed by the perfect symmetry that they would often hesitate to disturb it by eating their meal. This pursuit of perfection sometimes led to so much work that there were additional maids on staff to make the beds of other maids who were tied up in housekeeping activities.

Post especially relied on her personal secretary to manage her life as a lauded person in the social world and handle the workings of the "Hillwood" estate throughout the year. Though not much is known of Frances A. Ramsay who worked for her in the 20's or Edith Wells during the 30's, Margaret Voigt became her close counterpart starting in the 1940's. As secretary, she had the role of organizing the many social affairs including screening her mail, answering phone calls, editing her busy calendar, and responding to invitations. The same culture of respect for Marjorie also applied to Margaret: If friends or family treated her as merely a secretary, she would give them the cold shoulder by declining invitations on Marjorie's behalf or removing them from guest lists. Later in life as her popularity grew, she would receive letters from all over the world, often asking for charity or just advice from Ms. Post. Remarkably, a response was given to nearly almost all of her fanmail.

In spite of the demands, many of her employees remained on staff for almost their entire working lives and developed compatible working relationships with the Post family. Private chauffeur, Vincent "Jimmy" Sottile, was very close to Marjorie, having served for her at her many estates throughout the country over the years. William Webb, another chauffeur, was employed for many years. Charles Cronk was a constant presence as a security officer for 50 years for the family alongside other watchmen like Stephen Valdine. Marjorie was especially fond of Gus Modig who was devoted to her as a butler. Other staff like Sylvester Congero started off with the Prime family, but remained as head gardener into the 1970's under the Post family's tenure. His brother, Stanley, also worked for the Post family as a driver.

For the Post family, "Hillwood" was seen as country getaway to engage in golf, swim, play tennis, horseback ride, and fox hunt on the expansive neighboring properties. The estate was true to the adea of nature which was popularized at the time as the source of all sustenance. At its heart, a family place to enjoy the pleasures of growing up. The overall function of the house was to bring people together and enjoy each other and nature. During the busy season, there were a number of principal family members for the staff to look after, as well as usually a host of guests. Marjorie had three daughters: Adelaide, Eleanor and Nedenia. Adelaide and Eleanor went to the Nightingale-Bamford School in New York City while Dina attended the Green Vale School in Roslyn.

Photo courtesy of "Arts & Decoration" (Oct. 1924)

Photo courtesy of Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens (1923) 

Photos courtesy of Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens (n.d.)

Photo courtesy of Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens (1923) 

"Hillwood" was also viewed by some members of the family as a restrictive place due to Marjorie's pursuit to imbue respectability in her children and grandchildren. Priding herself on upholding only the finest standards of decorum, she had no qualms about instructing them on the proper way to act, whether they wanted to know it or not. The dining room was a significant part of the education for becoming a developing child into society as a sort of living learning lab. They would have spent their lives in the presence of important people of the time which served as building blocks for future success in the social world. Such a structured environment could often disagree with the natural tendencies of being a child. The Post family lived a life of cotillions and parties in an old money echelon, but had also the complexities of growing up with higher stakes being in the public eye. Typical challenges young adults face are amplified by the unique contours of being in the spotlight. Comings-and-goings of the family, unlike for most people, was syndicated news that made headlines and gossip columns. Along with other prominent women of her time, the newspapers kept a running list of the events in her life for the general public to read about. 

Much to popular dismay, "Hillwood" was admittedly not a participant in the raucous, bootlegging lifestyle of the 1920's that was popularized by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Despite the allure of being characterized as a place for parties, Marjorie was actually notoriously intolerant of alcohol. So much so, that she shortened the usual cocktail hour before dinner to just 20 minutes (Herbert May suggested it be extended to a whopping 30 minutes by the 1960's) and did not offer customary liquor for her guests in their rooms when they stayed over. Her limitation of alcohol consumption remained a steadfast personal practice throughout her life. Echoing the feelings of her father and of the Christian Science church, she never particularly enjoyed alcohol but would occasionally have small amounts without ever being intoxicated or ebrious. Instead, Marjorie opted as a host to have her guests revel in elegant affairs with live orchestral music and dancing. There was always square dancing wherever Marjorie went.

Notable visitors to "Hillwood" included William Coe, Eleanor Roosevelt, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Gloria Vanderbilt, Flo Zigfield, Bille Burke, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg, and Harry Guggenheim. They also hosted officers of the United States Navy. Marjorie did otherwise love to have guests over, and greatly enjoyed hosting the many frequent gatherings that took place on the estate. It was a quiet place for country pleasure but also to hold high-society philanthropic events. Hutton served alongside Marjorie as a partner for entertaining in carrying out her various duties associated with her numerous charities. She and her husband would graciously entertain a number of elegant events each year while they were in residence, however the most lavish entertaining occurred at their New York City residence on 92nd Street. Marjorie was personally-involved with choosing a congenial guest list for each function. 

One of Marjorie's life-long passions was charitable giving. Afterparties were often held at "Hillwood" as a means to leverage the estate as a resource to support social causes. Marjorie was chair of the Women's National  Council of the United States Flag Association and Edward was chair of the drive for Girl Scouts' Camp Edey. Other events like family coming out parties would have hundreds of attendees. As the estate adjoined the United Hunt Club, they often attended horse racing programs after hosting luncheons and the frequent gathering of members of the Meadow Brook Club. The estate was used for familial wedding receptions of Dina Merrill and Eleanor Hutton Gautier, along with holidays where strings of popcorn and tinsel would be hung for decoration. Marjorie invited her guests to stay as long as they reasonably liked, and felt obligated to supply them with anything they might have needed. She would tell anyone who stayed over that if there is something they wished for, but did not ask for, then it was their own fault. 

Photo courtesy of Ken Mensing (1939)

Photo courtesy of Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens (1946)

During the 1930's, Marjorie was taken aback by the Great Depression. Even during the darkest days of that period, it only slightly-affected the Post family's fortune. While they did not take on any new building projects for any of their homes, the properties they did own were maintained to an immaculate standard. As there was naturally a difficulty finding enough food to eat for the general public, Post underwrote the Marjorie Post Hutton Canteen for six years by adjusting her personal finances to use insurance premiums for sponsorship of full-course, free meals. In the first six months, more than 120,000 women and 50,000 children participated. Over the course of six years, it provided over 100,000 meals to women and children who were able to gain some sense of normalcy with full dignity.

Marjorie was staunchly against the notion of totalitarianism and felt that she needed to personally contribute to the war effort, especially to ensure a prosperous future for women worldwide. As Marjorie didn't have a son to help with fighting in the war, she offered her ship instead. While the U.S. Navy was hesitant to take on such an opulent vessel, they eventually relented with the goal of using it for racial integration. It ended up being the first ship after the Civil War which was racially-integrated. 

With the threat of Nazi forces invading Luxembourg, the six children of the royal family were sent to the United States in 1940 to ride out the war at "Hillwood". The Grand Ducal Family had fled the country on the might of the Nazi invasion of their country in May 1941 and were followed by the Nazis through France, Spain, and Portugal. As they were trapped by the ocean, they were rescued by American ships at Lisbon at brought stateside. As a family friend, Marjorie graciously took the family in for five months so they would not be put in danger. When the refugees arrived to the estate, Marjorie took one look at the heavy wool clothes they arrived with and decided that they were in need of summer apparel. She immediately had them taken to the upscale Best & Co. department store in nearby Garden City where they were fitted with new ones. The family stayed in her guest cottage for five months. As a result of her kindness to look after those children, Marjorie was awarded the Order of the House of Savoy of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

Photo courtesy of Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan (1940)

Photos courtesy of Ken Mensing (1940's)

After the war, Marjorie realized that her interests would best be served in Washington, D.C. and decided to sell her New York City apartment. For similar reasons, it became apparent that her Long Island estate would not be needed after being seldom used after 1939. Even into the mid-20th century, Post was one of the rare figures still able to afford three amply-staffed homes in the full Gilded Age fashion. After her divorce from E.F. Hutton in 1935, Marjorie had been granted full ownership of their Long Island estate as part of the settlement. While a figure was not given for this estate during its prime, it was reported that the yearly expenses for maintenance and salaries to maintain their "Mar-a-Lago" estate was $259,512 per year in 1962 dollars. This was probably similar to maintain, if not more expensive due to the acreage. She put "Hillwood" on the real estate market in 1947.

As luck would have it, a fledging institution happened to be looking for space to expand to a suburban campus in order to take advantage of the region's growing suburban population after WWII. Looking for a proper location, Long Island University President, Tristram Walker Metcalfe, would load his children and grandchildren into their Studebaker to visit local real estate showings. When they arrived at "Hillwood", the Metcalfe children played on the Great Lawn as their grandfather envisioned a college on the site. The Post estate appealed to the Long Island University trustees as a centrally-located site with buildings that could be transformed into classroom space. Being located on over 177 acres of land, there was also ample space for expansion if there was a future need. 

Before selling the estate to Long Island University, Marjorie had some of the fittings removed for her new Washington estate: The chandelier, sconces, marble mantel, and Wedgwood medallions were taken from her bedroom suite (the gold bathroom fixtures were moved to the President's house of Long Island University at 187 Post Road). She also had the paneling in E.F.'s bedroom dismantled and replaced with a dark knotty pine paneling. In the place of the mantels in Marjorie's and E.F.'s room were duplicates of a Spanish-style mantelpiece which is believed to have been saved in storage from the Prime's home before Marjorie had it renovated for her estate. The furniture was also removed except for the main hall fireplace's andirons. As they were securely affixed, most of the original lighting fixtures remained in place.

Her new estate in Washington, D.C. was originally named "Arbremont" which was built in 1926 for Col. Henry Parsons Erwin. Marjorie purchased it in 1956. Upon the suggestion of her daughters, it was renamed as "Hillwood" perhaps as a way to show that is was to be a new beginning for her but also a showcase of the most beloved parts of her past. When arriving in Washington, Marjorie had the appointments from Long Island reinstalled as part of her new estate's bedroom wing. Post also moved the headstones from her pet cemetery which was located on the estate's grounds.

On June 12, 1947, Long Island University entered into contract to purchase the estate at a price tag of $200,000. However, a number of the residents of the Town of Oyster Bay angrily reacted to the sale with the fear that it would invite an influx of middle and working class individuals into their guarded lands of affluence. More than 100 neighboring estate owners banded together to oppose the requested zoning waiver to accommodate a college. The Town of Oyster Bay held a zoning board meeting that July which was so heated and controversial that it went on until 2am. After a second hearing later in the month, the board decided to grant the variance needed to operate a university. The protesters, in return, decided to drag the fight out for another four years in litigation. Despite being publicly silent, Marjorie was secretly having her financial advisors fight on the side of Long Island University even if it meant going against her wealthy neighbors and friends.

Courtesy of "Newsday" (1950's)

Marjorie also considered giving Camp Topridge to Long Island University later in life, but decided against it amidst the tumult of the 1960's. Marjorie would continue to host high-performing students from C.W. Post College for a weekend of dining and visiting her Washington D.C. estate into her older age. When the students toured around the capitol, she would join them on the personally-chartered tour bus of the area. They would be able to see the new "Hillwood" estate in D.C. which undoubtedly connected her back to her old one on Long Island.

For the early classes of the college, alumni recounted that being the ones to craft the campus community from scratch really brought a sense of belonging. They were quite literally the pioneers. The campus was such a uniquely beautiful place that set Long Island University apart from their peers like Hofstra or Adelphi. Classes were taught in converted stables and historic mansions during the early years. Perhaps out of financial necessity or out of pride, the university utilized every possible space from the estate. Rather than demolish and new build to their spec, making do with the estate necessitated creative usage like remaking the former garage into the student center or conducting experiments in the greenhouses. Staying true to the estate's roots, the campus became one of the most important sites on Long Island for staging equestrian shows. 

Photo courtesy of LIU Post Archives & Special Collections (n.d.)

Photo courtesy of LIU Post Archives & Special Collections (1954)

By October of 1951, the college had finally earned the right to open its doors for both daytime and nighttime classes as the Brookville Extension of Long Island University. In honor of the 100th anniversary of C.W. Post's birth, they decided that it would be fitting to name it after him. Marjorie and her family joyously attended the dedication ceremony. The first full class of 148 students at C.W. Post College, paying $20 per credit, began day-time class instruction in September 1955. Marjorie remained engaged with the university as a benefactor and an honorary housemother to two of their fraternities and a sorority. An oil painting of Marjorie's father was unveiled on November 29, 1954 to christen the start of the campus. As the college grew, Marjorie supported it with annual donations in the hundreds of thousands. This was really telling of Post as the relationship between her and Long Island University was founded out of a real estate transaction, yet she felt the need to support the school. 

Photo courtesy of Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan (1954)

While under Long Island University ownership, some changes were also made to reconfigure the existing estate buildings for academic use. In 1957, an entrance was built on the west side of the main house of "Hillwood" to overlook the great lawn. While contemporaneous, it was built with very high regard for the original architecture that it almost seems seamless. One of the small porches outside of the solarium and another outside of the sweetheart bedroom were enclosed in 1973. Additionally, to remain in compliance with fire regulations, four fire escapes were added. Part of the interior of "Hillwood" was also reconfigured at one point for its use as a presidential overnight residence during the tenure of Admiral Richard Connolly.

Courtesy of LIU Post Archives & Special Collections (n.d.)

Photo courtesy of LIU Post Archives & Special Collections (n.d.)

Photo courtesy of Weber for "Newsday" (Jul. 1959)

Photos courtesy of Ken Mensing (1962)

Photo courtesy of LIU Post Office of Community Relations (1967)

From 1960-1971, the campus underwent a remarkable period of expansion which was necessitated by an influx of suburban students. In creating new buildings, the university opted for a Georgian Revival program which was first designed by Bradley Delehanty, the noted Long Island country house architect. The architectural style in particular was chosen to mesh well with the existing site and assimilate well with the surrounding Brookville area. The Georgian style also exemplified the truly American style of architecture, emphasizing a cosmopolitan style with high craftsmanship. The style became part of the identity of Long Island University. The architecture was fresh and yet indelibly connected to the DNA of the original estate—an extension of its spirit. The school took advantage of the Higher Education Act which provided low-interest federal loans to institutions for the purpose of erecting new buildings.

After the death of Bradley Delehanty, the remainder of the campus was designed by local architect Alfred Shaknis of Glen Head. Shaknis, whose work had primarily been for private estates, had been in practice since 1934 after working for many years for the landscape firm of Ferrucio Vitale. His sensibilities and experience designing structures on estates suited him well for creating an academic campus which was sensitive to existing buildings. As a function of understanding landscaping design, he was especially attuned to building in the classical tradition on visual axes to maximize architectural impact. In 1965, he formed a practice with Peter S. Van Bloem to form the Office of Alfred Shaknis & Peter Van Bloem. Together, the two designed the majority of the campus's buildings by 1971 and performed alterations to several of the existing estate structures for academic use. In the case of the Post cottage, it was expanded with a Georgian Revival wing in 1959 when it was used as the campus library.

Towards the turn of the 1960's, a grand master plan was drawn up by Eggers & Higgins which centered around the great lawn of the "Hillwood" estate with new construction alongside its former outbuildings. All of the buildings were to match the building axis of the main house. While not all of the structures in the plan ended up being erected, the academic buildings are located to the west of the estate core in roughly an H plan. The residential dorms are located to the east of the estate core in two clusters: A set of four identical buildings with a circular path to the north and several buildings in a T plan to the south. The first residential students moved into dormitories in September of 1960. While the master plan called for landscaping by Clarke & Rapuano, Innocenti & Webel instead provided landscaping and the Lewis & Valentine Nursery of Greenvale supplied the plantings. Sumptuous details like iron Shepherd's crook railings and gutter downspouts were used for the buildings.

Courtesy of the Office of the President of Long Island University (1970's)

Photos courtesy of LIU Post Office of Employer & Alumni Engagement (n.d.)

Photos courtesy of "College Management" (June 1969)

In the case of the Interfaith Center, Riggs Hall, and Post Hall, the Post family was personally-involved in funding the construction. While Marjorie had not intended on funding an interfaith chapel, she did approve using $75,000 of an earlier donation which was earmarked for a law school for its construction. For Post Hall, Marjorie supplied antique 16th century Portuguese tiles which were surplus from "Mar-a-Lago" for the fireplace mantle in the dorm's lobby.

Photo courtesy of LIU Post Archives & Special Collections (n.d.)

TO BE CONTINUED

If you enjoyed reading this estate's history, please consider contributing to towards the costs of putting this blog together. Instead of being trapped behind paywalls or only being available for purchase as a printed book, each post is offered for free to read without ads or royalties. Each article usually takes 25-50+ hours to write, and is done without any compensation required in return. All proceeds raised will go exclusively towards further research into Long Island estates. To donate, please visit https://ko-fi.com/gatsbysfootsteps. Thank you!