"Pees-a-Pun-Nox"/"Tide Oaks" (Centre Island, New York) | LIGC - Long Island Gold Coast

 residence, LIGC - Long Island Gold Coast

The property remains much as it has for the last 100 years with several modest buildings along the south shore of the island. Originally part of the Charles Smith estate, the outbuildings and associated acreage were purchased prior to 1900 by Macomb G. Foster a founding partner in the Fairchild and Foster pharmaceutical company. In the fall of 1900 Foster constructed his house incorporating distincitve circular and octagonal rooms and a crow's nest accessed by a unique external circular stair. Foster named the house "Pees-a-pun-nox".

The home was purchased from Foster's estate in the late 1930's by the neighboring property owner Cecil P. Stewart. Aristotle Onassis, Stewart's friend and business partner, spent several summers there during World War II with his girlfriend, Ingeborg Dedichen, a wealthy heiress to a Swedish shipping fortune. Onassis friend, Argentine shipping magnate Alberto (Aldo) Dodero, resided down the road at Brickyard Point.

The house was later sold by Stewart to William Talman Moore, Sr {industrialist, financier, capitalist} who renamed the estate "Tide Oaks". Moore served as president and chairman of the board of Moore-McCormack Lines, president of Robin Line, president and chairman of the board of Moore-McCormack Resources, and director of Combustion Engineering Incorporated. He also served as a trustee of Bank of Savings of New York City.

The round room contained the Moore's library and the home was occupied by their son, William T. Moore Jr., and his family for a number of years. Moore also owned another larger house named "Puente Vista" on Centre Island, just south of the Centre Island Village hall.