ELMWOOD OYSTER BAY COVE, NEW YORK
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lmwood is a resplendant estate made special by
a quiet buffer of 21-acres of land protected through easement and the Nature Conservancy. The house is comprised of timeless elements and original details that evoke a refined and comfortable elegance. Built in 1836 for the merchant Thomas F. Youngs as a working farm, the seven-bedroom Greek Revivalstyle residence was expanded during its ownership by Charles L. Tiffany II, the son of Louis Comfort Tiffany. As dedicated stewards of this historic estate, the current owners have restored the residence to perfection and updated the ancillary buildings and gardens to their optimum use and splendor.
A
landscaped courtyard with manicured hedges introduces guests to
Elmwood. The residence’s tall windows are trimmed with dark green shutters, and flowering wisteria climbs to soften the pale yellow cedar-clad façade. A broad portico with slender columns creates an inviting front entry. Once inside, a front-to-back center hall with 14-foot high ceilings sets a gracious tone. A graceful staircase sweeps to the second level. French doors with leaded glass lights at the far end of the hall open to a deep, columned portico overlooking a canopy of trees that slope to a pond below. The massive double-height columns have been masterfully restored. Throughout the residence, there are exceptional period details such as original mantles, moldings, ceiling medallions and polished wood floors. This is a home that welcomes natural light, views of the gardens and fresh breezes. The elegant front-to-back formal living room features two fireplaces with original marble mantles and tall windows with lovely carved rosettes adorning the casing. Original interior shutters neatly fold and tuck away. A deep bay window has seating beneath and offers pretty views of the gardens. Gleaming sawn oak floors feature dovetail joinery. The library has a wall of built-in cabinets and bookshelves and a fireplace. It opens to the spacious formal dining room featuring an oversized fireplace, corner display cabinetry and French doors opening to a screened-in dining porch.
The original kitchen complex with butler’s pantry and family room was renovated, enhancing the house for today’s lifestyle. The sunlight-filled kitchen features Vermont Danby marble countertops, white cabinetry and top-ofthe-line appliances. The butler’s pantry has a convenient refrigerator/freezer and dishwasher, white cabinetry and a subtle green granite countertop and backsplash. The kitchen flows into a relaxed family room, and a mudroom opens to the front courtyard.
The second level has a tranquil and spacious master suite with a fireplace, a wide bay window with built-in window seating and an en suite bath with a clawfoot tub. There are three additional restful bedrooms, each with a fireplace, and two full baths. In a separate wing, there is a well-equipped laundry room, a full bath and two offices. A staircase leads to the third level where there are three comfortable bedrooms and a full bath.
Terraced garden rooms with glorious mature plantings are complemented by attractive brick and bluestone hardscape. At the front of the pool house, blooming wisteria is trained to grow upon a pergola that provides shade to an informal sitting and dining patio. Topped with a cupola, the pool house is planned to seamlessly transition between the indoors and outdoors. Large wooden doors slide open to a relaxed sitting room and entertainer’s kitchen with crisp white cabinetry and beadboard detail. There is a convenient built-in grill, a bath, a changing room and a laundry room. Adjacent to the pool house and surrounded by red-brick walls, there is an outdoor shower with a round opening in the wall to view the gardens and a glass-enclosed greenhouse. The gardens boast rose of Sharon, clematis, dwarf Japanese maple and masses of flowering hydrangea and peony. There is a cutting/ vegetable garden with pea gravel paths framed by a fragrant rose border. Two stewartia trees bloom in the summer and provide shade and beauty at the pool house entry. Reminiscent of a reflecting pool, the idyllic heated saltwater swimming pool is framed by bluestone coping surrounded by verdant grass and a border of flowering perennials. A gazebo, set in the pool garden wall, provides shaded seating and a transition to the lower courtyard garden. A fountain adorns the steps that lead to a walled garden featuring a lush lawn and a border of primroses, scillia, fragrant lilacs, oak leaf hydrangea, hostas and ferns. A vine-covered curved brick wall overlooks a field of bluebells and camassia that slopes down to meet conserved woodland. There are two mature hornbeam trees. Unmatched in their splendor, the gardens provide year-round interest and serenity to this wonderful property. An original working barn has been reimagined by the notable architect, Eduardo Lacroze, as a recreation and fitness center. Masterful hand-hewn post and beam construction opens the double-height barn to create a magnificent gathering and relaxed entertainment space. One end of the barn is in use as a gym. Three sets of barn doors swing open to the gardens. Reclaimed original barn siding and wood walls, pine flooring and ceiling boards add visual texture and warmth to the design. There is a charming two-bedroom cottage with living and dining rooms, a kitchen and a bath with a separate shower and clawfoot tub. While the property is now on town water, the original board and batten water tower adds an attractive silo-like sculptural element to the barn complex. A cobblestone courtyard overlooks the original chicken coop which is repurposed as a quiet summer reading room. Pretty garden lights outline the coop’s open framing and pergola. Original ice and generator houses are currently used for storage. Added to the property by Mr. Tiffany in 1918, a brick coach house with a slate roof and two bays is an attractive and spacious garage.
MLS# 3320712. $4,500,000. A Masterpiece Collection Listing.
Cottie Maxwell Associate Real Estate Broker Gold Circle of Excellence 516.759.4800, c.516.857.3011 kathrynmaxwell@danielgale.com kathrynmaxwell.danielgale.com Watch Property Video
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