Coindre Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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George McKesson Brown Estate -- Coindre Hall
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Coindre Hall
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 Location in New York
Location in the United States
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| Location | Brown's Rd., Huntington, New York, USA |
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| Area | 13 acres (5.3 ha) |
| Built | 1910 |
| Architect | Clarence Luce and J.V. Schafer. |
| Architectural style | Renaissance, French Chateauesque |
| MPS | Huntington Town MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 85002493 |
| Added to NRHP | September 26, 1985 |
Coindre Hall, first known as West Neck Farm, is a huge 40-room mansion. It's built like an old French castle. This amazing building was finished in 1912. It was made for George McKesson Brown, who was a very successful businessman in medicines.
The Story of Coindre Hall
The famous architect Clarence Luce from Paris designed this grand house. It sits on 34 acres of beautiful land. This land includes a boathouse on the north shore of Long Island. It is right next to Long Island Sound.
The home was built for George McKesson Brown. His family owned the McKesson Corporation, a big medicine company. George was also a Huntington Fire Commissioner for 29 years. He was the older half-brother of the race car driver David Bruce-Brown.
In 1930, Mr. Brown gave a private road to the Town of Huntington. It was then named Browns Road to honor him. Mr. Brown found it hard to keep up with the mansion's costs. So, he sold it in 1939. He passed away in Huntington in 1964, at 86 years old.
Later, the Brothers of the Sacred Heart bought the property. They wanted to start a boarding school and a summer camp there. The school was named after Father André Coindre, who founded the Brothers. The school helped pay for the education of young Brothers. It was run by the Brothers, who have been teaching in the United States since 1847. The boarding school closed on June 30, 1971. This was because they did not have enough teachers. At that time, 116 students lived there during the week.
Suffolk County Takes Over
In July 1972, the Suffolk County Legislature decided to buy Coindre Hall. They paid $750,000 for it. They also spent $4,000 to map the area. Their plan was to make it a park by the harbor. They also wanted to let the Town of Huntington use the mansion as a cultural center.
By the end of 1976, Suffolk County decided to close Coindre Hall. This was due to budget cuts. It cost the county about $90,000 a year to keep it open. Since the county bought it, different groups had used the property. These included the Huntington Militia and the Huntington Art League.
In 1981, Eagle Hill School leased the property from Suffolk County. This was a private school for students with learning differences. The school signed a 25-year lease. However, they faced money problems and ended the lease in 1989. The school had fewer students and could not afford the rent. They also could not make needed repairs to the building.
Coindre Hall Today
Since 1973, Coindre Hall Park has been managed by Suffolk County. Today, the park has a gym. People play soccer and basketball there. The organization [www.splashesofhope.org Splashes of Hope] has an art studio upstairs. They use the space through a special agreement with the County.
The mansion is often used for weddings and special events. Lessings Caterers handles all the events there. In Fall 2018, the Town of Huntington used Coindre Hall. They held adult exercise classes in the building.
On September 26, 1985, Coindre Hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it is a very important historic site. It was also dedicated to the Suffolk County Historic Trust.
