Harbor Hill was a large

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

mansion built from 1899–1902 in

Roslyn, New York Roslyn ( ) is a village in the Town of North Hempstead in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. It is the Greater Roslyn area's anchor community. The population was 2,770 at the 2010 census. History Ro ...

, for telecommunications magnate Clarence Hungerford Mackay. It was designed by

McKim, Mead & White McKim, Mead & White was an American architectural firm that came to define architectural practice, urbanism, and the ideals of the American Renaissance in fin de siècle New York. The firm's founding partners Charles Follen McKim (1847–1909), Wil ...

, with

Stanford White Stanford White (November 9, 1853 – June 25, 1906) was an American architect. He was also a partner in the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, one of the most significant Beaux-Arts firms. He designed many houses for the rich, in additio ...

supervising the project - the largest private residence he ever designed. The home was built atop Harbor Hill, the highest point in

Nassau County, New York Nassau County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of New York. At the 2020 U.S. census, Nassau County's population is 1,395,774. The county seat is Mineola and the largest town is Hempstead. Nassau County is situated on western Long Island ...

, and demolished in 1949.

History

Clarence Mackay (1874–1938) was the son of

Comstock Lode The Comstock Lode is a lode of silver ore located under the eastern slope of Mount Davidson, a peak in the Virginia Range in Virginia City, Nevada (then western Utah Territory), which was the first major discovery of silver ore in the United ...

magnate

John William Mackay John William Mackay (November 28, 1831 – July 20, 1902) was an Irish-American industrialist. Mackay was one of the four Bonanza Kings, a partnership which capitalised on the wealth generated by the silver mines at the Comstock Lode. He al ...

, and inherited much of an estimated $500 million fortune upon his father's death in 1902 (approximately $13 billion in 2012 dollars). White collaborated closely with Clarence Mackay's wife, Katharine Duer Mackay (1880–1930), and with her approval based the main façade of Harbor Hill upon that of

François Mansart François Mansart (; 23 January 1598 – 23 September 1666) was a French architect credited with introducing classicism into Baroque architecture of France. The '' Encyclopædia Britannica'' cites him as the most accomplished of 17th-century Fr ...

Château de Maisons The Château de Maisons (now Château de Maisons-Laffitte), designed by François Mansart from 1630 to 1651, is a prime example of French baroque architecture and a reference point in the history of French architecture. The château is located in M ...

of 1642, using a mix of other influences to finish the overall design. Built at great expense and furnished lavishly (at least three different decorating firms were employed), the home originally sat on and enjoyed views across Roslyn Harbor to

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York to the south. From west to east, the sound stretches from the Eas ...

. Formal terraces and gardens were finished by

Guy Lowell Guy Lowell (August 6, 1870 – February 4, 1927), was an American architect and landscape architect. Biography Born in Boston, Lowell was the son of Mary Walcott (Goodrich) and Edward Jackson Lowell, and a member of Boston's well-known Lowe ...

. Social events held at the house included a grand party for the then Prince of Wales (later

Edward VIII Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire and Emperor of India from 20 January 19 ...

and the

Duke of Windsor Duke of Windsor was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 8 March 1937 for the former monarch Edward VIII, following his abdication on 11 December 1936. The dukedom takes its name from the town where Windsor Castle, a ...

) in 1924. On June 13, 1927,

Charles Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, author, inventor, and activist. On May 20–21, 1927, Lindbergh made the first nonstop flight from New York City to Paris, a distance o ...

, accompanied by his mother and the Mayor of New York, was feted at a banquet and dance Mackay held the night of transatlantic aviator's

ticker-tape parade A ticker-tape parade is a parade event held in an urban setting, characterized by large amounts of shredded paper thrown onto the parade route from the surrounding buildings, creating a celebratory flurry of paper. Originally, actual ticker tap ...

on 5th Avenue. JC Nichols Fountain by Henri-Léon Gréber Kansas City

The building was vandalised during World War II, and demolished in 1947. After Harbor Hill was razed; a fountain with four equestrian statues designed by

Henri-Léon Gréber Henri-Léon Greber (28 May 1854 – 4 June 1941) was a French sculptor, and medallist. His son was the architect Jacques Gréber. Active in the United States, he produced a fountain sculpture of four equestrian statues for Harbor Hill in 1910, ...

was moved to

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

, where it is displayed adjacent to

Country Club Plaza The Country Club Plaza (often called The Plaza) is a privately-owned regional shopping center in the Country Club District of Kansas City, Missouri. Opened in 1923, it was the first planned suburban shopping center and the first regional shoppi ...

Summit

At an elevation of 348 feet Harbor Hill is the highest point in

, . Whether Harbor Hill or 401-foot

Jayne's Hill Jayne's Hill (also known as High Hill, West Hills, Oakley's Hill, and Janes Hill) is the highest point on Long Island, New York, with an elevation of between and above sea level. It is situated on the Harbor Hill moraine, a terminal moraine tha ...

to the east was the highest point on Long Island was a point of some debate in the 19th century, with Harbor Hill often thought to be the higher. (listing Harbor Hill at 384 feet, and Jayne's Hill at 383)Brooklyn Daily Eagle Almanac, 1890, p. 85 (Harbor Hill 384; Jayne's Hill 383) A news report of 1901 reported that Jayne's Hill was actually taller. (reporting that Jayne's Hill is indeed taller) Nevertheless, the issue remained contested at least as late as 1938. ("There was really a bit of blood pressure on the subject as advocates pressed their arguments...")

Remaining buildings

Mackay_Estate_Gate_Lodge_2013-09-29_16-17-22

Much of the estate, including the site of the main building, has been covered with a modern housing development. However, three remaining buildings from the Harbor Hill estate were listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1991: Mackay Estate Dairyman's Cottage, Mackay Estate Gate Lodge, and Mackay Estate Water Tower.

References

External links

Harbor Hill: An Appreciation

{{Authority control Mansions of Gold Coast, Long Island Houses in Nassau County, New York Landforms of Nassau County, New York Landforms of Suffolk County, New York Hills of New York (state) Demolished buildings and structures in New York (state) Châteauesque architecture in the United States Gilded Age mansions

History

Summit

Remaining buildings

See also

References

External links