November 1942
The Marist Preparatory School property which was acquired during the past
summer is a two hundred acre plot of land, located in part in the village
of West Park and in part in the town of Esopus, and bounded on the west by
route 9-W (also known as the Albany Post Road), and on the east by the
Hudson River. This piece of land was detached from a much larger estate of
approximately 800 acres which had been assembled by the late Colonel
Oliver Hazard Payne during the early years of this century. This was later
willed by him to his favorite nephew, Harry Payne Bingham, who donated it
outright to the New York Protestant Episcopal diocese which transformed it
into a convalescent home operated on a charity basis.
Due to the windings of the highway and to the irregular indentations
caused by the river, the lot assumes a shape which in no wise resembles
any definable geometrical figure. It runs over four thousand feet in a
rather broken line along route 9-W and skirts the Hudson shore three
thousand four hundred feet as the crow flies. The southern limit is
roughly 1/4 of a mile and the northern extremity goes well beyond a mile
in its greatest length.
Since this
territory lies within the range of the Shawangunk mountains, the surface
of the property is rather uneven. A central plateau of comparatively
uniform altitude runs from north to south and takes in a great part of the
acreage. On the east the land slopes very rapidly away from the central
height of land to the shores of the Hudson. On the west the steepness is
less pronounced except at the northwestern extremity of the estate where
the greatest contrast in levels and the sharpest declivities are found.
The architects who planned the arrangement of the buildings very wisely
placed all the dwelling houses on the central plateau, thus facilitating
communication, drainage, and distribution of water supply.
A complex system of
wide, well-built roads reaches to practically all sections of the
property. These roads vary in width from twenty-five foot main arteries to
ten or twelve foot driveways in the more remote and less frequented
portions of the grounds. Most of these roads are lined with stately shade
trees (mostly maples and elms) thus forming pleasantly secluded walks.
Without any definite data as yet available, it seems safe to assume that
the mileage of roadways on the estate totals somewhere between four and
five miles. A very complete and carefully planned system of drainage, both
at the surface and underground, takes care of rain water and prevents
costly erosion. Considering the number of years that the grounds, have
been left without proper care, since 1927, the roads and the system of
drainage are in a surprisingly excellent state of preservation which is
unquestionable evidence of the quality of the original workmanship.
A previous reference to the location of this property in mountain country may have
created an impression of enormous rocks and precipitous ledges breaking
out at the surface in the most undesirable places. This was undoubtedly
the case at the time the land was in its natural condition. But long years
of terracing, landscaping, and importing of the highest grade of top soil,
accompanied by scientific fertilizing and loaming, have given the property
-- at least that portion which is not totally wooded -- a top dressing
which hardly, could be surpassed in quality. Lawns, gardens, and orchards
have occupied large tracts of the grounds in the past and there is no good
reason to suppose that they could not do just as well in the future. As
one approaches the shores of the Hudson, in the steeper and more hilly
portions of the woodland, the typical bluestone and shale common to the
region become as evident as in other sections of eastern New York.
The intelligent care which was exhibited in the landscaping of the property was still further manifested in the attention bestowed on the woods and groves. The evidence of an expert's, guidance in the choice, the grouping and the training of the trees and bushes is apparent even to the most casual of observers. Effectiveness was not obtained by sacrificing the natural to the artistic. It was rather a case of improving what was already beautiful and pleasing. While one grove is intended to present a similarity in foliage, another strives to bring out a contrast in coloration.
Some clumps of maples bring together as many as eight variations of this
prolific family, and neighboring collections of evergreens exhibit
surprising varieties of conifers. Bushes and vines, flowering and
non-flowering, have been scattered about with a prodigality which was
restrained solely by the rules of good taste. One need not be a trained
botanist to appreciate the wonders of native and imported plant life which
are found in even the most unexpected parts of the woods.
It is difficult to estimate from mere inspection the amount of land actually fully wooded and
the proportion which is cleared of trees and brush. A great part of the
central plateau is either open ground or fields with occasional groups of
trees and bushes thrown about to relieve the monotony of interminable
green lawns. Much of the sloping area along the old Post Road has likewise
been opened and landscaped. The total acreage devoted to open fields or
lawns probably comes close to one hundred acres. The greater part of this
was at one time kept up as regularly cut lawns and even today it would not
require too great an expense of time and labor to bring back much of this
to the trim condition of former days. From the front of the Mansion,
looking towards the river, one sees a terraced slope two thousand feet
long which still conjures imaginings of a green carpet extending to the
water's edge. It is claimed that during the lifetime of Colonel Payne
sixty acres of the estate were maintained as close cropped lawns.
Passing from the foregoing summary inspection of the ground, to a brief examination of the
buildings, it is advisable to consider these as subdivided into two
groups: those built of white limestone, native or imported, and those
constructed of blue limestone quarried on the estate.
The gatehouse, a classical two-story structure of somewhat sober Italian Renaissance style,
logically deserves first consideration due to its location at the main
entrance of the grounds, the vehicular gateway facing route 9-W. A curving
ten-foot wall, also of white limestone, which leads up to a massive
grilled iron portal, recessed one hundred fifty feet from the line of the
highway, bears out still further the suggestion of a Florentine villa of
the fifteenth century.
One thousand feet further into the property, having negotiated the climb which
winds to the level of the central plateau, one comes upon a French
chateau, with towered keep, dormer windows, and many-gabled red-tiled
roof, a replica of seigniorial residences in the land of Provence. This
was the gardener's cottage. Living quarters were on the second and third
floors. The spaciousness of the rambling ground floor was subdivided into
large, white-tiled halls which housed the indoor activities of the
florists and gardeners. At the rear of this cottage, and directly
connecting with it, with its long axis laid out in an easterly direction,
is the greenhouse. This was once a proud, glass-domed structure of great
beauty. but the challenge of so much unprotected glass was too
irresistible for the youth of the neighborhood. Ruins, all the more
ghastly because of the evident past grandeur, are all that is left of the
splendor of better days. The east end of this terminates in a white
limestone two-story tool shed, which balances to a degree the cottage at
the opposite end.
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 out 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 for 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 [ed note should be Pratts], 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 for 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
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.