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December 1942
Two hundred feet
further, the main road runs into a T-.Shaped intersection, with
the upper bar of the T running north and south. A two-minute walk
towards the south brings one to the principal building on the property,
the Mansion. The first impression is of of vastness and solidity. Closer
inspection causes a definite sense of deception. The entrance lacks the
pretentiousness which might be expected from the general proportions of
the building. But the fact really is that this is simply a side
entrance, an opening for the purposes of every day usage, a mere door
for the convenience of the general public. The front of the mansion is
to the east overlooking the Hudson River. A beautiful colonnade of
fifteen-foot white limestone columns supports an artistically decorated
roof of the same material which shelters a marble porch running the
length of the building. Seven French windows, set in archways seven feet
by fifteen, lead from this porch into what was once the grand reception
room of the former owners. This is now a beautiful chapel, which is
characterized by a marked liturgical simplicity. The high vaulted Dutch
gold ceiling, the sculptured marble archways, the hand carved oak
pilasters which separate the sections of paneling, the antique red-tiled
floor with its offsetting multicolored marble border are just a few
noteworthy features of a room which is every way remarkable.
As might be
expected, the other rooms on this floor are in keeping with the
reception room. The library is conspicuous for its mahogany beamed
ceiling and its wall trimming which frames rich brown leather panels.
The mahogany hand-carved insets over the doors and windows as well as
the massive ceiling cornice, arrest the attention in the dining room
which is completely finished Circassion walnut. A brightly colored
ceiling ornamented with well-preserved gold filigree work calls for
special notice in the breakfast room. And the view of the Hudson river
which one gets from the lounging room is both unusual and surprising. No
description these rooms would do justice to the subject without some
mention of the artistic fireplaces, each of a unique design executed in
special color of marble.
The ascent to the
second floor, the private room floor, is by means of a white Carrara
marble stairway. The ceiling of each bedroom is worked out in ornamental
plaster, the walls are silk lined, the woodwork is solid oak finished in
white enamel, each floor is parquetted in a design all its own. Here
again there are Tiffany styled marble fireplaces which offer a variety
of colors and method of execution. Spacious bathrooms with walls and
floors of marble connect with most of the bedrooms.
The house is laid
our as a hollow square arranged around a central patio, the hallways
being along the inner walls of the building. Three of the wings open
directly into the interior court through plate glass doors which are
protected by a grille of wrought iron. These doors lead to recessed
porches whose roofs are supported by columns of white limestone. The
court is sixty feet by sixty. The center piece of this area is a
fountain surrounded by a large basin. Forming the base of the fountain
and supporting it several feet higher than the basin is a genuine
antique statue of Atlas pictured in his traditional posture with one
knee on the ground.
Heroic sized
murals, based on mythological themes, occupy, the space over the
doors in the three recessed porches which lead from the building to the
patio. The contrast in colors created by the blue background of these
paintings is meant to set off the while limestone columns which might
otherwise be lost in the general whiteness of the building.
So much far the
constructions of white limestone. Lying to the north of the mansion, and
roughly three-tenths of a mile from it, is a large group of buildings
consisting of a cottage and several service structures. These are of
blue limestone. The houses arc arranged around a partially enclosed
area, very much in the form of a deep U. These squat, ivy-covered, grey
buildings with their high sloping roofs of blue slate, characteristic
slender chimney pots, low windows, octagonal north tower are decidedly
English in every detail of their architecture. The high stone wall which
closes the open end of the U recalls the necessity under which each
large English household was placed to protect itself against the
surprise attacks of the gentry who wore Lincoln Green. Stately elms
scattered over the lawns which border the roads within this group add to
the suggestion of an England of yesteryears.
A scant minute's
walk from these buildings, and directly to the east of them, is another
cottage of the blue limestone variety. This was formerly the residence
of the superintendent of the estate. This is the oldest house on the
estate and is the only relic of the days when part of this land was
owned by the Astors, long before the beginning of this century. In spite
of its age it is still in a very good state of preservation. The former
Episcopal owners made it serve as a sort of dining pavilion fur their
convalescents. Two large annexes were added by them in order to
accommodate more people at one sitting. It is a very roomy building and
could take care of a good number of people residing there.
Other buildings
on the property are: a large ice house, located at the northern
extremity of the pond which is near the center of the estate, and
strictly speaking an appendage of the English group; a fortress-like
coalhouse on the shores of the Hudson, where twelve hundred tons of coal
could be unloaded from barges at one time; a small pumping station, very
close to the northeastern corner of the property, and along the river's
edge, which houses pumps and other machinery connected with the water
supply of the place; finally, a boat house, practically at the southeast
corner of the grounds. An extra word about this latter building might be
in order.
One of Colonel
Payne's hobbies, possibly his only one, was yachting. During the later
years of his life, he became the owner of the largest, fastest, best
appointed steam yacht then afloat, the "Aphrodite". The
operation of this immense boat -- it was over three hundred feet long --
required an unusually lengthy docking space, affording a depth of water
sufficient for a craft of that tonnage. So, at the southern extremity of
his estate, directly in the line of vision of his mansion, the Colonel
had a dock built of reinforced masonry which extended far enough into
the channel to guarantee a minimum depth of twenty-five feet of water at
all times. This shell was then filled with rocks and the surface was
leveled off with earth. Today, this large artificial platform is still
intact and affords an ideal place for fishing, diving, swimming and
picnicking. The boat house is built at the northern extremity of the
dock and encloses a basin, large enough in length, width and depth to
shelter fully quite a large tender or dinghy of a larger boat. This was
exactly the reason for which this structure was erected, to provide a
safe anchorage for the small boat of the "Aphrodite" when the
latter was at its Hudson anchorage. At the opposite end of the dock is a
Pavilion built entirely of cut stone and roofed over with red tiles.
All the buildings
described in this article are steel and concrete structures and
therefore fully fireproof, with the exception of the superintendent's
cottage and the cottage in the English Village which are rated
semi-fireproof.
(end of part two of
a two- part article) |