Old Westbury Gardens facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Old Westbury Gardens
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 Location in New York
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Westbury, New York |
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| Area | 100 acres (40 ha) |
| Built | 1906 |
| Architect | George A. Crawley |
| Architectural style | Carolean Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 76001234 |
| Added to NRHP | November 08, 1976 |
Old Westbury Gardens is the former estate of businessman John Shaffer Phipps (1874–1958), an heir to the Phipps family fortune, in Nassau County, New York. Located at 71 Old Westbury Road in Old Westbury, the property was converted into a museum home in 1959. It is open for tours from April through October.
History
Work on the estate began in 1903, when John Shaffer Phipps promised his fiancée, Margarita Grace (a daughter of businessman Michael P. Grace), that he would build her a home in the United States that resembled her family's British residence at Battle Abbey in Battle, East Sussex, England. The house was ready in 1906 for Phipps, his wife and their young children.
Westbury House, the Carolean Revival (Charles II style) mansion designed by British designer George A. Crawley, assisted by American architect Grosvenor Atterbury, contains 23 rooms. The grounds cover 160 acres (0.65 km2).
The painting of Mrs. Henry Phipps and Her Grandson Winston (1906–07) by John Singer Sargent hangs in the dining room. Winston Guest was the child, and his godfather was Winston Churchill.
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Front of the mansion
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View from the back
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The pool area
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Part of the gardens
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Entrance gates
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Mrs. Henry Phipps and Her Grandson Winston, by John Singer Sargent
Visiting hours
It has been open to the public for tours since 1959. It is open to the public daily (except Tuesdays) from late April through October. An entrance fee is charged.
In media
Scenes of the driveway and some of the ground floor interiors were used in the 1970 film Love Story to depict the family home of Oliver Barrett IV, played by Ryan O'Neal.
Old Westbury Gardens is a popular wedding venue. You can hear about the wedding experience in many of the songs from Marcuss and Passio which dives into the unique architecture.
Other movies filmed on the grounds include North by Northwest, The Age of Innocence, Wolf, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, Cruel Intentions, 8MM, The Manchurian Candidate (2004), Hitch, Bernard and Doris and American Gangster. Scenes from the television series Pushing Daisies, Gossip Girl and Royal Pains also used the location in filming.
It served as the inspiration for the Buchanan Estate featured in Baz Luhrmann's 2013 film adaption of The Great Gatsby by his wife and production designer Catherine Martin.
See also
In Spanish: Casa Westbury para niños
