Lillian Sefton Dodge Estate facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Lillian Sefton Dodge Estate
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The Formal Gardens
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 Location in New York
Location in the United States
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| Location | Frost Mill Rd., Mill Neck, New York |
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| Area | 86 acres (35 ha) |
| Built | 1922-1925 |
| Architect | Clinton & Russell |
| Architectural style | Tudor Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 79001595 |
| Added to NRHP | July 22, 1979 |
The Lillian Sefton Dodge Estate, also known as Sefton Manor, is a huge historic home in Mill Neck, New York. This amazing estate has 34 rooms and covers 60,000 square feet! Today, it is also known as the Mill Neck Manor Lutheran School for the Deaf. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
Contents
History of the Estate
Designing a Grand Home
This grand estate was designed in 1922 by the famous architectural firm Clinton and Russell. They created it for Lillian Sefton Dodge, who was a successful cosmetics executive. The design was inspired by an old English house called St Catherine's Court in Somerset, England.
The main house is built in the Tudor Revival style. This means it looks like old English homes from the Tudor period. It has features like steep roofs and decorative stonework. The house is two and a half stories tall with a full basement. It has a strong steel frame. The outside is covered with brown granite and trimmed with light-colored limestone. The roof is made of gray slate. It has cool granite dormer windows and chimneys.
Inside the Manor
One of the coolest things inside are four huge stained glass windows. They show scenes from five different plays by William Shakespeare. These windows were made by Charles Jay Connick in 1927. They cost a lot of money back then, about $10,000 each! Below these windows is a 15th-century cathedral pew. Many of the sandstone fireplaces came from Europe.
Almost all the metalwork inside, like door handles, was done by the famous iron worker Samuel Yellin. Other special features include 400-year-old entry doors. There is also a 9-foot-tall safe for silverware. The ceilings have hand-sculpted plaster patterns. The walls are covered in oak panels, and there are beautiful Renaissance chandeliers.
Gardens and Other Buildings
The property also has a Tudor-style farm complex. It features half-timbered walls, which are common in Tudor buildings. There is a beautiful formal garden designed by Charles Wellford Leavitt. The estate also includes a garage and a greenhouse.
The gardens are very special. They have boxwood plants shaped to look like a sundial. You can also find urns and stone temples scattered around. The gardens once had many tulips, azaleas, mountain laurels, magnolias, and Japanese cherry trees. Large, multi-tiered fountains were brought from Venice. However, the water to these fountains was turned off after the property became a school.
Current Use of the Estate
Becoming a School
In 1949, a group called Lutheran Friends of the Deaf bought "Sefton Manor." They wanted to create a school for deaf children. The school was officially called the Eastern Branch of the Lutheran School for the Deaf. It was part of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.
On September 23, 1951, a special dedication ceremony was held. Over 3,000 people came to celebrate! Melvine Luebke became the headmaster for the new school. He had worked at another school for the deaf before. The school officially opened on September 25, 1951. It welcomed 50 deaf children, some from as far away as Maryland. By 1956, Mill Neck Manor was fully approved by New York State.
The Manor Today
The manor house was used for classes until 2002. A new building was then built specifically for classrooms. Since 2016, the manor house has been undergoing a big restoration. The goal is to make it look as close to its original design as possible.
Today, the home is open for tours once a month. You can also visit by making a reservation. The Mill Neck Foundation also hosts special events in the Manor. In the 2015–16 school year, the Mill Neck school had more than 106 students.
The living room of the manor is now used as the chapel for the Mill Neck School for the Deaf. This room still has its original wall lights and fancy plaster ceiling. It also has the original fireplace and wood carvings above it. It became the school's chapel in 1958. Stained glass windows surround the chapel, making it a beautiful and peaceful place.
About Lillian Sefton Dodge
Lillian Sefton Dodge was a very important person in the cosmetics world. She was the president of Harriet Hubbard Ayer, Inc., a company that made makeup and beauty products. She took over running the company after her first husband, Vincent B. Thomas, passed away in 1918. In 1947, she sold her company to Lever Brothers for over $5 million.
Lillian Dodge passed away on July 20, 1960, in New York City. She was married twice. Her first husband, Vincent B. Thomas, died in 1918. Her second husband, Robert L. Dodge, was a stained glass artist. He passed away on July 16, 1940, at the age of 68.
See also
In Spanish: Casa de Lillian Sefton Dodge para niños
