Estherwood (Dobbs Ferry, New York) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Estherwood and Carriage House
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West (front) elevation, 2008
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| Location | Dobbs Ferry, NY |
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| Nearest city | Yonkers |
| Area | 10 acres (4 ha) |
| Built | 1894–5 |
| Architect | Buchman & Deisler |
| Architectural style | Renaissance Revival (mansion), Queen Anne (carriage house) |
| NRHP reference No. | 79001646 |
| Added to NRHP | 1979 |
Estherwood is a beautiful old mansion. It was built in the late 1800s. You can find it on the campus of The Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, New York, United States. It used to be the home of a very rich businessman named James Jennings McComb. He helped the Masters School with money when his daughters went there.
The first part of the house built was its unique eight-sided library. This library was first added to McComb's old house. But he felt it needed a grander home to match its style. So, he hired architect Albert Buchman to design Estherwood around it.
The inside of Estherwood is very fancy. It has lots of marble and shiny gold leaf decorations. Estherwood is the only important building in the châteauesque style in Westchester County. Because it's so special, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1979. It is listed as Estherwood and Carriage House.
Contents
Exploring Estherwood's Buildings
The Estherwood property includes both the main mansion and its carriage house. Both are important parts of the historic listing. They are located on a 10-acre (4 hectare) piece of land. This land is just east of the main buildings of The Masters School.
Outside the Mansion
The mansion is three and a half stories tall. It has different numbers of windows on each side. The outside is made of white bricks. It has granite trim and fancy terra-cotta details. The roof is made of black and red ceramic tiles. It has copper decorations and stone ornaments. Four red brick chimneys rise from the roof.
A copper-covered tower top sits on the east side of the house. The main entrance is on the west side. It has a covered driveway called a porte-cochère. This entrance is held up by granite pillars and Doric order columns. Its ceiling is made of special Guastavino tile. This matches the tile on the porch, or veranda, that wraps around the rest of the house. The windows are placed in an interesting, uneven way. There are fifteen small dormer windows and a second-story oriel window.
Inside the Mansion
When you enter, you step into a small room called a vestibule. It has a floor with a mosaic pattern. The walls have marble trim and classic designs. Bronze light fixtures add to the fancy look. This room leads to the Great Hall, which is 65 feet (20 meters) long. It rises two stories high to a ceiling with square patterns and skylights.
A grand staircase made of pink marble goes up to a balcony. This balcony overlooks the hall. The balcony is supported by Ionic columns. The hall also has a green marble fireplace with limestone trim. The wooden floor has a carved Greek key pattern. This pattern is also seen on the underside of the balcony.
Six rooms open off the Great Hall. They are all decorated in a very rich style.
Dining Room Details
The dining room has dark oak walls. These walls are carved with designs from Northern Europe. You can see boar and ram heads. Copper and bronze medieval lights are on the walls. Built-in cabinets are supported by carved figures called caryatids. The north wall has a fireplace with a mosaic design. The nearby plaster wall is painted a deep Pompeii red. The ceiling is slightly curved and has square patterns, like the Great Hall.
Music Room Features
The Music Room is also called the "Red Room." It has a special area called an alcove. This alcove is framed by red marble columns and flat columns called pilasters. Both have fancy tops, or capitals, highlighted in gold leaf. Decorations like swags and garlands are carved into the walls and ceiling. They are also highlighted in gold. Musical designs like lyres, horns, and Pan flutes are everywhere. You can see these designs in the stained glass windows above the doors. The south wall is made of mahogany with brass trim. It has the Music Room's fireplace. This fireplace is flanked by carved Corinthian pilasters.
Reception and Drawing Rooms
The Reception Room has plaster walls and ceilings with detailed patterns. Two of its windows have gold-stained glass panels. An original crystal chandelier still hangs there. The drawing room is in the northwest corner of the house. It has curved brackets and marble columns. These columns have fancy tops and sit on tall bases. Its marble fireplace has wooden surrounds.
The Octagonal Library
The large, eight-sided library has a central stained-glass skylight. This skylight is also octagonal. More stained glass, with a rich flower design, is in the windows on the north wall. Other decorations include plaster molding with gold leaf. The bookshelves are made of dark Honduran mahogany wood. Of the six main rooms on the first floor, the Billiards Room is the simplest. It has oak wainscoting and plain windows and doors. The plaster ceiling has a simple design and a central decoration.
Upstairs and Attic
Upstairs, the school has changed some parts of the house. But the beautiful maple and golden oak wood are still there. The frosted glass closet doors and sliding doors off the balcony are also original. The attic also has its original arched doorways. It has old water tanks and unusual diagonal supports that go from floor to ceiling.
Today, this grand mansion is used for teacher housing by The Masters School. Some rooms have been connected and furnished to fit their needs. Estherwood also has a Steinway and Sons piano. This piano is often used for student concerts and performances.
The Carriage House
The carriage house is located east of the main house. It sits downhill from the mansion. It was built to use the slope of the land. It has a Queen Anne design with a Stick-style covered entrance. Inside, it has wrought-iron columns and sliding doors between each area.
Estherwood's History
James Jennings McComb was from Ohio. He became rich by inventing special ties. These ties were used to secure cotton after it was pressed into bales. In the 1860s, he moved to Dobbs Ferry. He sent his three daughters to the Misses' Masters School. This school was named after its founding sisters in 1877. McComb bought the land where Estherwood now stands. He later moved his family to a small house nearby. This was to make his daughters' walk to school shorter.
The eight-sided library was the first part built. It was an addition to McComb's small house. He had bought an octagonal library desk in Europe and wanted a room to match it. Soon, he was not happy with how the new room fit with his old house. So, he hired the New York firm of Buchman & Deisler. They designed a new house connected to the library that would match it better.
McComb and his family lived in Estherwood from its completion in 1895 until he died in 1901. He kept buying nearby land and renting it to the school. In 1910, the school bought all of it. This included Estherwood and the carriage house, from McComb's family. The school has made few changes to the building. They added an elevator in 1949. For many years, Estherwood was used as a dormitory for students. Today, its upper floors are faculty apartments. The main floor is used for special events and school functions.
Architectural Style
Estherwood is a rare home design by Albert Buchman. He was better known for designing big buildings like the New York World Tower. He also designed the Student Building at Barnard College. Buchman used his wide knowledge of architecture for Estherwood. He also understood the fancy tastes of the new rich people during the Gilded Age.
Estherwood uses many expensive materials and features. This shows off wealth, a style called conspicuous consumption. It has been compared to The Breakers in Newport, Rhode Island. That was the summer home of the Vanderbilt family. It was finished only three years before Estherwood. The Breakers was famous for being the most expensive house ever built at that time.
Images for kids
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West (front) elevation, 2008
