"LA COLLINA", ESTATE of BENJAMIN R. MEYER, ESQ., BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA

Legendary Estates of Beverly Hills

"IN SOME FORTUITOUS INSTANCES, an estate becomes legendary not only for its fine architecture and handsome grounds but also because it reflects a major turning point in a community's history, in larger architectural or landscape trends, or in the owners' goals for these showplace properties.

'La Collina' is one of those skillfully designed estates that represented those turning points. The national architectural press and Los Angeles media applauded 'La Collina' upon its 1924 completion. Flattering articles praised its owner, banker Benjamin R. Meyer, young architect Gordon B. Kaufmann, and landscape architect Paul G. Thiene for their vision." 

Houses of Los Angeles Volume 2

"La Collina", was Kaufmann's  first major residential project with the architectural firm of Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate.  Planning for the house began in 1920 and it was built from 1923 to 1924. The garden was one of the earliest  hillside gardens in the Mediterranean style of the 1920's.

   

Los Angeles Times - May 27, 1923 "A year will be required to finish the house which Ben R. Meyer, president of the Union Bank and Trust Company, is building in Beverly Hills - To insure a magnificent setting for his new home, Mr. Meyer purchased several acres of ground before he started work on the house." 

    They lived at their estate well cared for by a butler, two cooks, two maids, a masseur, three groomsmen, and three gardeners. Through his wife, Rachel Cohn Meyer (1872-1970), Meyer became a member of Los Angeles Jewish community and was responsible for many of the city's successful early philanthropies. He and his wife had no children. Rachel Meyers father, Kaspare Cohn (1839-1916) founded the Kaspare Cohn Commercial & Savings Bank, which became Union Bank & Trust Company after Meyer, as president assumed control shortly before Cohn's death. Similarly, Kaspare Cohn founded and financed the Kaspare Cohn Hospital, of which Meyer was an officer of the board. It became the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

PLOT PLAN

Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills

Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

Paul G. Thiene, Landscape Architect

     WHILE "La Collina", the Beverly Hills Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Esq., consists of slightly over seven and three-quarters acres, the frontage of this property is only 260 feet, while the total depth is about 1319 feet. As the property is so very narrow and long, the problem to be solved is interesting. In addition the grounds rise very rapidly, the Northerly line being 215 feet above the entrance at the South line of the property.

Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills

 Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

Paul G. Thiene, Landscape Architect

     The main approach is dignified with high walls along the street turning in with a graceful curve to deeply recessed, wrought iron gates guarded to the right by a two story gate lodge. At the beginning the main entrance drive with its long, sweeping curves is bordered on either side by an orchard and approaching the house winds its way through a strong mass planting.

Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills

 Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

Paul G. Thiene, Landscape Architect

    An existing row of olive trees gave the keynote for the location of the house, appearing as if built on a natural, untouched California hillside. In order to give the house the proper support a wall was built following the olive trees and encircling them. At the foot of this wall is a bleached walk. All walks are paved with flagstone and softened with grass joints and clusters of Portulaca, Sweet Allysum, Sedum, etc.

    The leveling of the building site left a bank on the uphill side of approximately 30 feet. Three terraces with steps, walks, pergolas and planting made a very effective background for a site for the house and changed the unsightly hillside into a spot of beauty. 

GATEHOUSE

Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills

 Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

Paul G. Thiene, Landscape Architect

    The main entrance had its own Italian-style gatehouse. The driveway wound up the hillside, through several hundred feet of olive groves. Where the driveway neared the house more formal gardens were planted including heavily foliaged trees and blooming shrubs and flowers.

APPROACH

Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills

 Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

Paul G. Thiene, Landscape Architect

APPROACH
Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills

 Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

Paul G. Thiene, Landscape Architect

Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills

 Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

Paul G. Thiene, Landscape Architect

FORE COURT

Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills

 Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

Paul G. Thiene, Landscape Architect

    The driveway ended in a paved motor court with a central fountain in front of the L-shaped mansion.

Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills

 Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

Paul G. Thiene, Landscape Architect

Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills

 Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

Paul G. Thiene, Landscape Architect

FIRST FLOOR PLAN

Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills

 Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

    Kaufmann designed an entrance court in front of an L-shaped stucco villa so that the gardens stepped downhill directly from the living-room terrace to a pool pavilion and rose garden. An enclosed service stairway in the courtyard and an octagonal breakfast room on the garden facade created transitions between the formal central block housing the owners living spaces and the more rustic service wing with an open second-story patio. Known for his enthusiasm and ability to persuade clients to spend lavish sums. Kaufmann selected and designed the furnishings, supplied by the Los Angeles decorating studio Marshall Laird, and he purchased tapestries and Oriental rugs from the city's leading carpet dealer, John Keshishyan. All at substantial expense to Mr. Meyer.

HALL

Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills

 Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

STAIR HALL

Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills

 Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

HALL STAIRWAY

Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills

 Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

LIVING ROOM ENTRANCE

Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills

 Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

    The living room, library, and dining room opened onto terraces and formal gardens overlooking Beverly Hills to the south, and the distant Pacific Ocean. Kaufmann placed steps at the entrance to the living room and library to accommodate changes in ceiling height.

    Unlike William Randolph Hearst, who had looted Europe for Spanish and Italian bell towers, ironwork, and doorways, Ben Meyer insisted that "only materials manufactured in California or native to the Southland be used." Los Angeles Times - May 27, 1923

LIVING ROOM

Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills

 Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

BREAKFAST ROOM

Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills

 Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

    The breakfast room was set back from the main block to preserve the symmetry of the house facade when it was viewed from the garden below. Kaufrnann commissioned the acclaimed Italian decorative painter Giovanni B. Smeraldi (1868-1947) to paint the Pompeian details of the breakfast room walls and ceiling. Smeraldi’s work can be seen in many historic public buildings in the United States, mainly on the ceilings, and he considered the Los Angeles Biltmore Hotel to be his finest work in this country.

DINING ROOM

Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills

 Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

LIBRARY

Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills

 Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

CORNER of LIBRARY

Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills

 Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

"ROAD OVER HILL"
Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills
Dedrick Brandes Stuber (1878-1954)

    Upstairs, the mansion included four bedrooms, a sitting room, and servants' quarters, with a servants' sitting room and covered porch. 

SECOND FLOOR PLAN

Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills

 Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

    "La Collina" was one of the first and most regarded Beverly Hills estates to have a professional landscape architect, who maximized the opportunities presented by the site, and who worked in tandem with the architect to make the property enhance the mansion, and vice versa. Paul G. Thiene and his assistant Lloyd Wright, son of Frank Lloyd Wright designed and planted the property before the house was complete. 

Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills

 Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

Paul G. Thiene, Landscape Architect

   In designing the pool the idea of giving the appearance of a reflecting pool of water rather than a swimming pool was carried out. Therefore, a border of Iris and other flowers was planted around the pool, softening the coping and gracefully hanging over the edge of the water. A vine covered pergola at the other end of the gardens complements the pavilion and affords facilities for garden parties. For convenience in such parties a kitchenette was built into the pavilion.

Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills

 Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

Paul G. Thiene, Landscape Architect

Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills

 Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

Paul G. Thiene, Landscape Architect

    An old pepper tree on the hillside was supported by a wall and so a very interesting outlook was created which opens to the swimming pool garden, entrance to which is gained through an intermediate grass terrace thence to the pool garden. Directly ahead of the pool is a pavilion. Back of this are ten dressing rooms.

GARDEN POOL AND HOUSE
Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills

 Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

Paul G. Thiene, Landscape Architect

GARDEN POOL AND HOUSE
Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills
 Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects
Paul G. Thiene, Landscape Architect

Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills

 Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

Paul G. Thiene, Landscape Architect

CASINO
Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills

 Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

Paul G. Thiene, Landscape Architect

    A tunnel connecting with the pergola on the second terrace leads into the casino, a large room nestling into the hillside with a comfortable terrace in the foreground affording a view of the entire valley. Provisions have been made to connect the second floor of the house with this tunnel.

POOL

Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills

 Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

Paul G. Thiene, Landscape Architect

    

ROSE GARDEN

Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills

 Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

Paul G. Thiene, Landscape Architect

    Directly below the pergola is the rose garden. From here one enters through wrought iron gates into the theatre court. The theatre, itself is built directly underneath the pergola and is equipped with a complete projection room. It has a maximum capacity of 65 people. However, it is so arranged that large, comfortable chairs may be placed on the various platforms for smaller parties. Underneath the projection room the heating and ventilating are located as well as a pump to lift the water from the swimming pool to an irrigating reservoir.

ROSE GARDEN

Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills

 Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

Paul G. Thiene, Landscape Architect

      A very complex lighting system has been arranged throughout the entire grounds. Provisions  ave been made in various places for percolator connections. All lamp standards are so arranged so as to be able to plug in streamers. An intercommunicating telephone system is installed in various parts of the grounds.

STABLES

Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills

 Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

    A stable group nestled into the canyon above the house will be a picturesque group of buildings. Meyer was an amateur horseman who raced heavy harness ponies.

    The garages are conveniently located behind the hill near the house. The garage court walls will be slightly concealed by planting from the main drive and this cope will afford an interesting spot of architecture.

RIDING RING

Estate of Benjamin R. Meyer, Beverly Hills

 Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, Architects

    For the domestic water supply a reservoir has been established in the highest part of the property, in the Northeast corner, and camouflaged by a pergola. From this site a view of the surrounding country is obtained.

Winston Churchill, Ben R. Meyer, Captain Monte Foster and a Marlin swordfish caught by Winston Churchill, taken at Catalina Island, 1929 SOURCE

    "La Collina" became a landmark of good taste in architecture and landscape architecture and provided a model for many future estates in 1920's. Awarded Certificate of Honor, American Institute of Architects. When Edward Laurence ("Ned") Doheny Jr. and his wife, Lucy, decided to build their Greystone mansion at the Doheny Ranch, they quickly selected Kaufmann as their architect. Why? "Because he did the Ben Meyer house, and I liked it," said Lucy Doheny years later.

    In 1941 they sold the estate to a investment group. In subsequent decades, the estate was subdivided into building lots for smaller homes. The long driveway became a new street. Although much altered, "La Collinas" main house, featured in the TV series Entourage, and gatehouse remain today as independent private residences. Last sold: June 2004 for $9,690,096.

   wikimapia LOCATION. Bing Maps VIEW.    

MRS. EDWARD B. McLEAN

Mrs. McLean, who was, before her marriage, Miss Evelyn L. Walsh, is one of Washington's most distinguished hostesses. The far-famed Hope diamond now occupies an important place in Mrs. McLean's notable collection of jewels.

THE  FIRST  GOWN 

 Erte's description of this month's cover translated from the French.

   THE eternal story of the first temptation always interested me, and I used to try to decide on which chords of the feminine soul the Prince of Darkness had to play, when disguised as a serpent, in order to make woman fail into the abyss of disobedience to the Creator's laws.

   Once I dreamed of our ancestor, Eve, and this is what I saw: The serpent which became the embodiment of wisdom, thanks to the Evil One, had commanded the birds, who were in his power, to bedeck Eve with flowers. Although almost entirely concealing her form, her neck and arms were left revealed in quite a modern decolletage and when, finally, the birds encircled her head, suggesting an unusual coiffure, Eve began to believe herself a superior being.

   Urged by the Tempter, she wandered to a mirror-like pool where, like Narcissus, she admired herself, and with primitive coquetry, contemplated her beauty, and the words traced over her pliant body by the serpent—"La Premiere Robe".

   So now I see a charming young person—perhaps one of the readers of these very words—gazing in a mirror, an actual mirror. What she sees, I also see: there are flowers covering her gown, but they are artificial, being merely embroidered. Then, there is an artificial bird in her coiffure—quite different from those which the Tempter summoned to the Garden for Eve. But this modern gown has almost exactly the same decolletage as the first gown Eve wore, and always . . . always, there is the same serpent, invisible to most people, with that diabolic glint lurking in its eyes.

"SEAVIEW TERRACE", THE NEWPORT HOUSE of EDSON BRADLEY

           

                            - CLICK TO PLAY APPROPRIATE BACKGROUND MUSIC -

Edson Bradley's ''Seaview Terrace'' estate, Newport, RI

   

Edson Bradley's ''Seaview Terrace'' estate, Newport, RI

"Seaview Terrace", Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

ARTS & DECORATIONS MARCH, 1924 
COVER DESIGN: "The Bird Merchant", by J. M. Sert
One of eight canvas panels for the Spanish castle by Addison Mizner for J. M. Cosden, Palm Beach

The house of Edson Bradley, of Newport, R. I. This building is finished in chalk-white stucco, with limestone trim reminiscent of old Normandy.

The Newport House of Edson Bradley
Executed in the Style of an Old Manor House in Normandy By HOWARD GREENLY

Ruggles Avenue Entrance Gate, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

HIS house will be, when complete, a study in archaeology of an architect's own work. In many instances owners have leaned toward examples of English or Continental Architecture in the design of country seats which have inspired more or less exact copies, and in many instances these have fitted into alien surroundings with a certain felicity. Modern sentiment in design abroad rather scores our archaeological tendencies as reactionary and unproductive of progress in art, and in architecture. As a matter of fact there is no present progress in art, nor has there been relative progress for centuries. What is evident is a general progress in appreciation of beauty and things of the spirit, and inspiration derived from monuments of the past, excelling in design and in craftsmanship, have been responsible for this spiritual growth of artistic appreciation.

    In 1907 and covering a period of four or five years of various additions, the writer altered and remodeled the old Gardiner Hubbard house in Washington, on Dupont Circle, for Mr. Bradley. The existing house, dating from the early seventies, was of red face brick trimmed with sandstone in what has come to be known as the Mid-Victorian manner and American interpretation. The alteration adhered to the lines of the existing walls, making use of the red brick and introducing limestone as a trim in plain or ornamented courses, quoins, corbels, cornices, etc., with carved enrichment in the manner of the French Renaissance architecture, where the Gothic merged into the classic
detail of Italian derivation. The use of stained and other leaded glass in the windows contributed to the stylization effect of the ensemble. The house might have been considered as archaeological in point of its detail and in its composition and silhouette, but was in no sense a copy of an ancient structure either in plan or in elevation.

    All of this material has been for the last fifteen years undergoing a natural weathering process adding greatly to its interest. And when the owner determined to abandon his Washington home and develop his property in Newport, it was decided to remove from the Washington house the most interesting of the stone work, wrought iron, and stained glass, and build the new house around this collection of the architect's earlier contribution to archaeology.

    On the Newport site existed the old Kernochan residence, a structure of brick and half timber with enriched gables reminiscent of the Elizabethan manner. With various changes in the silhouette of roofs and gables and the re-employment of the half timber considered merely as weathered material, this house has been incorporated into the new structure. A new wing has been added to the southwest, and a service wing to the north, and the great tower, virtually removed in its entirety from Washington, makes an interesting turning point between the new southwest wing and the south facade of the old house. It was determined to finish the exterior walls in a chalk-white stucco with the limestone trim reminiscent of the smaller chateaux and manor houses of Normandy or of Touraine in place of the red brick walls in the Washington house. Half timber will be used sparingly in certain gables and overhangs to convey the impression of additions carried out at various periods. The roofs of the high-pitched type characteristic of the style will be covered with dark, variegated slate laid with certain graduations of thickness and exposure, but not emphasized in point of picturesque irregularity associated with roofs done in the English manner. Wide balustraded terraces to the south and east at levels varying with the change in levels of the old and new first stories will give a sense of structural repose between the house and the lawns and gardens. The property is fortunate in the quantity and quality of its trees—beech, tulip, maple, and elms existing in admirable locations and massing.

    The interiors of the house are designed with relation to the collections of the owner, which number tapestries, porcelains, furniture, and carpets of the first importance; besides which there are examples of ancient wood panelings and carved ornament to be incorporated into the general scheme of interior decoration.

The great entrance hall is shown with its windows of fourteenth century stained glass and its high gallery of carved and polychromed oak and Spanish chestnut. The beautiful space is lighted with hanging wrought iron Medieval Italian lantern's

    In such case is the great entrance hall reproduced herewith from the architect's drawing. The room will be done in rough plaster with limestone trim, a flagged floor with an inset of a Persian tile panel in iridescent glazes upon which will fall the light of a great window in the western wall filled with stained glass of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The ceiling will be of patterned plaster carried on great wood beams with polychrome decoration in the Italian manner, very low in tone. At the east end is the gallery in carved and polychromed oak and Spanish chestnut, giving access from the owner's apartments in the southwest wing to the stair hall and the east body of the house. The walls will be hung in tapestries and rare fabrics and the room will be lighted with big wrought-iron Medieval Italian lanterns suspended from the ceiling.  

North Front, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Northwest side, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Northwest side, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Porte-Cochère, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

South Front, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

South Front, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

East Front, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

East Front, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Southeast view, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Southeast view, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Southeast view,, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Southeast view, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

South Terrace, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Stained-glass window on tower, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

View showing tower, chapel and recessed porch of the breakfast room.

South side, East Terrace, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

South side, East Terrace, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Stained-glass window on tower, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Wrought-iron light fixture on tower, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Gable, South Front, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Gable, South Front, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Gable detail, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

East Terrace, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Niche on East Terrace, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Carving detail, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Approach to the East Terrace, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Carved balustrade,East Terrace, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Sitting Room Bay Window,  Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

West Front, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

The tower on the southwest corner has a spiral staircase that connects the master bedroom suite with the grounds below.

Southwest corner, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Door to Small Tower, South West Angle, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Southwest corner, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Southwest cornerr, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Connecting the west wing to the original structure is a Gothic-style staircase and a round reception room.

Porte-Cochère, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Vestibule, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Vestibule, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Newport Through Its Architecture  -  "The cavernous halls and antiquarian rooms of Sea View Terrace lack the polish of the other palatial mansions on Ochre Point. They seem redolent of clanging chains, medieval jousts, and noisy banquets. Dutch sixteenth-century stained glass, ornamented with Renaissance armorial designs, adds a quasi-ecclesiastical air. Close inspection reveals that each window amalgamates fragments of glass from disparate contexts, assembling them somewhat illogically into the equivalent of stained-glass patchwork quilts—not uncommon among glass collections of the era. As known from period photographs, the now-lost original furnishings included bearskin rugs, hunting trophies, Renaissance cassone or chests, wrought-iron torcheres, Chippendale chairs, arms and armor, and exotic hanging lamps."

The Great Hall, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

The Great Hall, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

The Great Hall, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

The Great Hall is 38-foot-high and has a floor with Hispano-Morcsque floor tiles.

The stained glass in this window has been assembled to create a “gothic” effect regardless of provenance.

THE FLAGELLATION

The panel originally belonged to the cycle of the Passion of Christ a section of the New Testament window still extant in situ in the Milan Cathedral.

Stained glass window from the Camelite Church at Boppard-on-the-Rhine

Outside view of  the Great Hall.

The Great Hall, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

The Great Hall, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

The Great Hall, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

The Great Hall and passageway into the Drawing Room.

Passageway looking from the Great Hall through the Chapel into the Breakfast Room.

Passageway looking from the Great Hall through the Chapel into the Breakfast Room.

Passageway leading from Chapel into the Great Hall.

The Great Stairway, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

The Great Stairway, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

The Great Stairway, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

The Great Stairway, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

The Drawing Room, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

The Drawing Room, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

English Renaissance-style decorative plaster ceiling and a fifteenth-century French stone fireplace surmounted by a carved Byzantine over-mantel from the twelfth century.

The Stair Hall was originally part of the Kernochan structure. The eastern end was extended to create the largest space in the new house, the Solarium

 

The sculpted wooden and gesso ceiling was moved from the Bradley's Washington D. C. home, "Aladdin’s Palace".

Stair Hall, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Stair Hall, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Stair Hall, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Stair Hall, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Window detail, Stair Hall, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Breakfast Room, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Breakfast Room, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Chapel doorway into Breakfast Room, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Chapel, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Outside view of chapel window and recessed porch of the breakfast room.

Entrance to Dining Room, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

The Dining Room, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

    The paneled main dining room has a Tudor strapwork ceiling, sixteenth-century Flemish tapestries, and English Chippendale style furniture.

Outside view of dining room and the "Great" stairway windows.

Inside view of the Great Stairway window.

The solarium has a terra-cotta-tiled floor and a wall fountain backed by decorative tiles. Used as a dining hall during the Salve years.

Wall Fountain, Solarium, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

Solarium with windows facing the sea.

Fireplace Alcove, Solarium, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

The Music Room, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

The Music Room, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

The Music Room had a mixture of Louis XVI and Robert Adam detailing.

Service Wing, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

The upper levels of the service wing contained twenty-three staff bedrooms that shared four bathrooms.

   

Servants' Porch, windows of the Music Room in the background.

Kitchen, Residence of Mr. Edson Bradley, Newport, Rhode Island

Howard Greenley, Architect, New York

    The second floor contained a master suite of two bedrooms, a sitting room, two bathrooms, a dressing room, and a room for Mrs. Bradley's personal maid. An additional five bedrooms were on this level, embellished with carved woodwork and antique marble fireplaces. Located on the third floor were five guest rooms, storage rooms and a trunk room. 

https://www2.bc.edu/~kuchar/collinwood.htm

"The upper floors seem to have been totally made over to the point that very little of the original architecture remains...., just imagine a typical college dorm hallway: dented walls, pealing institutional off-white paint, dark worn carpeting, stapled posters on doors and walls."

    On the surrounding property were greenhouses, a garage for six cars (with rooms for the chauffeur), a separate seven-room staff cottage, and the original stable that was converted into a garage for an additional ten automobiles.

The gate located on Marine Avenue was originally the main entrance. These gates opened to a long, winding drive that created the illusion of a much larger estate.

http://www.seaviewterrace.org/index.html

"Along the Cliff Walk in Newport, Rhode Island, 'Seaview Terrace', also known as the Carey Mansion, stands as the largest privately owned Summer Cottage of the Gilded Age.  At approximately 40,000 square feet, it is the fifth largest of the Newport mansions, only after the 'Breakers', 'Ochre Court', 'Belcourt Castle' and 'Rough Point'. 

Ripley’s Believe it or Not

     The majority of the house was originally built in DuPont Circle in Washington, DC by liquor baron Edson Bradley in 1907, taking 4 years to complete. The house occupied an entire city block and was  known as 'Aladdin’s Palace', due to its sheer size and grandiose nature.  The Bradleys then decided to move to a Newport, Rhode Island in February of 1923. They had the house dismantled and shipped to the new location over the next two years, accomplishing what is believed to be one of the largest homes to be relocated by road and rail. This remarkable feat was featured on Ripley’s Believe it or Not.

Follow THIS LINK to see the Washington D. C. mansion before its relocation.

     Howard Greenly, the architect of 'Seaview Terrace', won several awards for his work on the French Gothic chateau in 1928, including the Second Mention for General Work by the Architectural League of New York and the President’s medal from the American League of Architects.  Greenly incorporated the pre-existing Elizabethan-Revival mansion into the house, which had been owned by James Kernochan and known as 'Sea View'.  The earlier 'Sea View'  is still visible, encased in the East Wing of the house and was renamed 'Seaview Terrace'. The roofline of the turrets and conical domes were derived from 'Chambord', a famous French Renaissance chateau in the Loire Valley, and impart a picturesque unity to the whole. 

     A housewarming was held in the summer of 1925, as Greenly continued to move rooms fully intact from France, as well as contents of the DuPont Circle house for installation at the seaside locale. At the end of that year, the 63 room manor was completed at a cost of two million dollars. It featured a chapel, whispering gallery, an Esty  organ and Dutch sixteenth century stained glass, ornamented with Renaissance armoral design. Included in the stained glass collection is the ‘Flagellation’ circa 1545, which is documented in the national archives. Original furnishings included bearskin rugs, hunting trophies, Renaissance cassones, wrought iron torcheres, Chippendale chairs, arms and armor and exotic hanging lamps.

     In January of 1930, the Bradley’s daughter, Julie Fay Bradley Shipman, was deeded the property by her father, the same year her husband, Rt. Rev. Herbert Shipman, the protestant Episcopal bishop of New York and a World War I army chaplain passed away.  

    ***On August 17th, 1941 a  "Ball for Britain", the last major social event held at the house was attended by eight hundred patrons.***
    

October 26, 1941

"NEWPORT MANSION TO GO AT AUCTION French Chateau of the Late Edson Bradley Will Be Offered Nov. 29 ANTIQUE PIECES INCLUDED Fifty - Room  Residence Was Erected by the Noted Art Collector in 1925."

How Newport Became America's Richest Resort

"The customary assortment of expensive tapestries and paintings found plenty of buyers. But the highest offer on the house was only $25,000, and that came from a Providence man who was rumored to be a gambler, so Shipman turned him down." 


    
     On July 24,1942 the City of Newport took title due to back taxes and during World War II, the house served as army officer’s quarters.

    In 1949 Edward J. Dunn bought the property for $8000, transferring title to Mrs. George Waldo Emerson Sr., who in turn leased it to Lloyd H. Hatch, making it headquarters for The Hatch School during the fall and spring semesters from 1951-1961. During the summers, Mrs. Emerson Sr. operated Burnham-by-the-Sea, a private all-girls boarding school which ran in association with the Mary Burnham School for Girls in Northampton, MA. After the Hatch school vacated the property  it was then rented to The Newport School for Girls  who enjoyed their summers there until the early 1970's. 

     During 1966-1971 the  turreted profile became the icon for the cult classic TV show 'Dark Shadows', which continues to draw thousands of loyal fans annually."  

THE ARCHITECT MAY 1928

                                                - Josettes Music Box From Dark Shadows -

     "In 1945 cities from around the world were invited to promote themselves as the ideal site for the new location of the United Nations Headquarters. 'Ochre Court', 'Seaview Terrace' and 'The Breakers' would serve as offices and embassies, and a plethora of underutilized and abandoned mansions throughout Newport would be available for purchase. The international search committee rejected all proposals and chose free Rockefeller land in New York City for the headquarters." By Newport Historical Society


    "In 1974 the estate was bought by Martin Carey, brother of former New York governor Hugh Carey, who dreamed of finding oil off George's Bank and reportedly bought this for his oil company headquarters. Not finding oil he leased the property to Salve Regina University for use as a dormitory." Rogues and Heroes of Newport's Gilded Age By Edward Morris 

"Seaview_Terrace"

 "The mansion's Drawing Room, used by the university for performances and practice, was renamed Cecilia Hall, for the patron saint of music (Saint Cecilia). During the 1980's 'Seaview Terrace' housed the American syndicate of The Americas Cup.

On August 31, 2009, Salve Regina University terminated the lease with the Carey family. 

The Syfy network featured the mansion in the first season, second episode of its paranormal reality show Stranded on March 6, 2013.

'Seaview Terrace' is privately owned and is not open for tours or tourist visits." 

    The Rhode Show interview with the author of IN THE SHADOW OF A NEWPORT MANSION.

    Stranded (TV Series) "Seaview Terrace" (2013) Plot Summary.

   wikimapia.org LOCATION. BING. 

    Flickr - Carey Mansion, Pinterest - Burnham by the Sea, Pinterest - Collinwood, Pinterest - Dark Shadows, http://seaviewcares.org/.