Minne-wawa (Centre Island, New York)

 house  Add category

Minne-wawa, "a pleasant sound as of wind in the pine trees". Built for Charles Austin Sherman{cotton goods importer} Colonial Revival in style. Contract awarded to builders Smith & Roberts of Flushing, New York, in Fall of 1899. Architect not known. Sherman was a descendant of Roger Sherman, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Minne-wawa was purchased from Sherman in 1920 by Albert Rathbone, senior member of the law firm Rathbone, Perry, Kelley and Drye. Rathbone served as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury under President Wilson. In his capacity at the Treasury, Rathbone went to Europe in 1919 as financial advisor to the Peace Mission.

James David Mooney II, head of Willys Overland and president of General Motors Overseas from 1923 to 1941, purchased the home on 5 acres from Rathbone. Mooney acted on Frankiln Roosevelt's behalf in negotiations with Germany to try to prevent the "phony war" from errupting into an all out conflict.

After Mooney's death the property was sold to George Seedman, founder of Times Square Stores. The Seedman's resided there until Mr. Seedman's death in the 1990's. The property was then sold to attorney John van Merkensteijn, to publisher Rupert Murdoch. After being known for 108 years as Minne-wawa, the house was renamed "Rosehearty" by Rupert Murdoch and Wendi Deng, the same as their 56 meter Peri Navi yacht. Rosehearty, Scotland is the town in which Murdoch's great-grandfather, the Rev. James Murdoch was raised. Murdoch sold the home to current owners in 2011.