"Chelsea" (Muttontown, New York)

 residence, LIGC - Long Island Gold Coast, historic remains, French Renaissance (architecture)

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Estate home designed c. 1924 in the French Renaissance style by Delano & Aldrich and constructed by E.W. Howell & Co. on originally 120 acres of land for Benjamin Moore {capitalist, attorney}. Moore served as a real estate developer with massive holdings in the Chelsea section of Manhattan and as an attorney in private practice. He also served as mayor of the Village of Muttontown. He was the great-great grandson of the author Clement Clarke Moore, who penned the poem “T’was the Night Before Christmas.” His wife Alexandra Emery was a member of a prominent Cincinnati family. "Chelsea", the name chosen for their Muttontown estate, was named for the area in NYC where Mr. Moore’s ancestors had lived for generations. Although sharing the same name, he had no relation to the Benjamin Moore of the painting industry.

After the Moores married in 1921, they embarked on a year-long honeymoon around the world. Mrs. Moore kept a journal on that trip and the couple looked for ideas to incorporate into a dream country home they would build when they returned back home. While cruising the upper Yangtze River in China, the Moores were impressed by a large manor house along the river, with a stark white, black-trimmed facade that was reflected in the adjacent waters. Intending to recreate that vision on Long Island, they purchased the Chelsea property in 1923 and hired William Delano, of the architectural firm Delano & Aldrich, to carry out their vision. They commissioned formal landscaping by Umberto & Innocenti and Ferrucio Vitale. Many of its pieces are salvaged from elsewhere; paving stones in the garden are from 23rd Street in Manhattan, 18th-century hand-painted French wallpaper and panelling from a Louis XV château in the Loire Valley, France, oak walls from a 17th-century pub, and pine paneling from a house once owned by the Duke of Wellington in England.

The white-washed concrete-block French Norman residence that they agreed upon also incorporated Chinese and English Country House traditions, as well as fashionable Art-Deco influences that were popular in the 1920's. The front elevation shows the influence of 17th and 18th-century French styles, and is adorned with wings, towers, and a tall slate roof. The building’s south side emphasizes the Oriental inspiration, with its courtyard, Chinese Moon Gate, moat, and bridges. The gardens combine both French and English influences, with Oriental grace and a lotus-filled reflecting pond which was designed by Ferrucio Vitale in 1924. The moat and a nearby circular fountain with lion heads are both lined with cobblestones that were collected from the original pavement on West 23rd Street in Manhattan, where the 18th-century Chelsea Mansion of Benjamin's ancestors once stood.

Inside, the 40-room home reflects a blend of influences as well. The Breakfast Room is lined with 18th-century hand-painted French wallpaper on linen that was saved from a house being torn down in France. The Library features panelling from a Louis XV period château in the Loire Valley. The old oak walls in the Flower Room are from a 17th-century English pub, and the antique pine paneling in the dining room was retrieved from an English house once owned by the Duke of Wellington. The Chinese style is reflected indoors as well - one example being two antique loggia doors, carved in teak and rescued from a Chinese summer palace in Bejing.

Perhaps the most impressive room is the Gallery, a long reception room decorated in the Art Deco style. The Gallery features a spectacular 85-foot mural on 40 panels, painted in oil over white gold in sepia tones, and depicting scenes in a mythical Mediterranean village. The mural was created by internationally-known muralist José María Sert; Alexandra Moore fell in love with Sert's work in Paris, and commissioned the artist to create this treasure for her Long Island estate in 1926.

The Moores lived at Chelsea with their three children most of the year and added a children’s wing in 1929. When a change of pace was needed, the family traveled to one of their other homes in New York City or Florida. After several decades of living at Chelsea in a very grand style, Alexandra took steps to protect her creation from destruction. She gifted portions of the estate grounds to Nassau County; nearly 100 acres were donated to the county over a 10-year period. Combining this acreage with previous acquisitions from the nearby Christie Estate created the 550-acre Muttontown Preserve that we have today. In 1979, Alexandra Moore herself placed the house on the National Register of Historic Places. She continued to make Chelsea her home until her death in 1983 at the age of 89, and willed her mansion to the county as a means to preserve the property for the public to enjoy. Today Chelsea Mansion can be booked for private events and its gardens and trails are open to the public for hiking, nature walks, and cross-country skiing in the winter months.

According to Alexandra's daughter Linda, her mother "was always very caring and concerned about the house. Mother always realized that she was very lucky to live the way she did. She appreciated that it was quite rare. My mother was a very strong and creative woman and knew exactly what she wanted. She also had an extraordinary eye for detail.''

chelseamansion.com/

www.oldlongisland.com/search?q=chelsea
archive.org/details/north-shore-long-island-country-hou...
hdl.handle.net/2027/nyp.33433105185619?urlappend=%3Bseq...
www.americanbuildings.org/pab/app/pj_display.cfm/669959
www.locationdepartment.net/locations/9052
Photos - tinyurl.com/23x63ns



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