saving Tiffany

Louis Comfort Tiffany that is.  If you get the chance to visit Winter Park, Florida (approximately 5 miles north of Orlando for you Disney fans) please take the opportunity to do so.  The Morse Museum in Winter Park holds the remains of one of Long Island's lost treasures of the Gold Coast; Tiffany's Laurelton Hall.  Laurelton Hall has been called Tiffany's greatest work of art, having been built between 1902 and 1905 and destroyed by fire in 1957.  The once grand 37,000 square foot home that Tiffany nutured for over 20 years is the expression of Tiffany's love of nature and his art.  Many Long Island boaters can see the only remaining structure from the once 600-acre estate in the form of the smokestack from the power house or as we call it, the tower, that stands tall above the harbor in Cold Spring, the spot where many of us raft up for July 4th and marvel at what was once up on shore.

 The Morse Museum exhibition features the recently restored Daffodil Terrace from Laurelton Hall and approximately 250 objects from or related to the estate. These include prize-winning leaded-glass windows, iconic Tiffany lamps, custom furnishings, as well as art glass and pottery in Tiffany’s personal collection. The artist directed every facet of the estate’s construction, from the room interiors and architectural details to an extensive scheme of gardens and fountains. In addition to the terrace, the 10 new galleries at the Morse showcase surviving components of Laurelton Hall’s dining room, living room, and reception hall—also known as the Fountain Court—as well as other rooms, creating a uniquely immersive experience.

The Morse Museum exhibition opened February 19th and is especially timely given the impending demise of the beautiful mansion, Land's End in Sands Point, Long Island, (said to have been F. Scott Fitzgerald's inspiration for Daisy Buchanan's home in The Great Gatsby) only days away. This exhibition is truly a unique opportunity to see some of the glory that was once Laurelton Hall from Long Island's Gold Coast and Louis Comfort Tiffany.

P.S. If Long Island's Gold Coast intrigues you, please visit my favorite site http://www.oldlongisland.com/ and Enjoy!

all images via http://morsemuseum.org/

the gold coast of long island, classic

I've hit the jackpot! After visiting one of my favorite Long Island blogs, Old Long Island, I found two more fabulous blogs about amazing historical homes and designs on Long Island! Zach, who is the author of Old Long Island, is a dedicated historic preservationist who documents all that is interesting about our Gold Coast mansions, their owners, architects and many other cool tidbits along the way.  He's collected images and documents on over 290 estates that are absolutely fascinating.  I visit Old Long Island at least twice a week to see what Zach has found and posted.  What strikes me about the homes is how timeless the architecture, and when lucky enough to see; the interiors, truly are.  It's like looking inside a town home on the upper east side today -- timeless design.  I think it was my love of these old gold coast homes with their classic designs that led me to my love of interior design. I'm fortunate to be surrounded by such amazing history and jump at the chance to attend any show house or tour of homes that includes homes of historical or architectural significance.  And, when that can't happen, Zach and Old Long Island come to the rescue.  Thanks to Zach, the two blogs that I'm adding to my list of favorites are Houses of the Hamptons by Gary Lawrance, AIA from Stony Brook, New York of the firm: Lawrance Architectural Presentations and Mansions of the Gilded Age also authored by Gary Lawrance. For anyone who loves architectural history or simply has a love of the gold coast history here on Long Island, these are the blogs for you!  Thanks Zach and Gary for all your hard work and please continue so that we may all enjoy and learn! Gary has recently posted an amazing article from LIFE magazine about the North Shore of LI in 1946 that is so worth the read, almost as much for its entertainment value as its historical 'perspective' shall we say. To read the text on the LIFE pages, click on the images below and view at about 200% depending on your monitor.  I've posted the magazine pages, as well images from some of the amazing old gold coast estates that both Gary and Zach have written about on their blogs.  Enjoy!

images via Mansions of the Gilded Age

all images via LIFE Magazine July 22, 1946

published by Time, Inc. 

From Levittown To The Hamptons

We've come a long way from the Levitt houses of the 1950's to the multi-million dollar homes that are still being built in the Hamptons. Our Gold Coast history is steeped in blue blood names and massive mansions, many of which could not escape the ravages of time and taxes (see one of my favorites http://www.oldlongisland.com/). Our architectural landscape is as diverse as our population. Driving the length of Long Island, one can see stucco with heavily ornate moldings to match, alongside a 1950's Cape Cod and more contemporary renditions, culminating in farm land transformed to wineries and the classic "Hamptons Style" homes out East. We are truly a diverse community in more ways than one and our style reflects it in each and every way.

For more images of Levittown in it's early days, see this NY Times Slideshow. http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/10/12/nyregion/20071013_LEVITTOWN_SLIDESHOW_index.html