Chanticlare (often spelled Chanteclair and also known as the Ricks Estate) was a large, Gold Coast-era estate located in the Village of Flower Hill, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States.
| Chanticlare | |
|---|---|
| Alternative names | Chanticlair; Ricks Estate |
| General information | |
| Status | Demolished |
| Type | Home |
| Architectural style | English Tudor |
| Location | Stonytown Road, Flower Hill, New York, U.S. |
| Construction started | 1920s |
| Demolished | 1960s |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Frederick A. Godley |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 42 |
Description
editOverview
editChanticlare was constructed in the 1920s for attorney and Union Carbide executive Jesse J. Ricks.[1][2][3][4][5] The mansion, designed in the English Tudor-style by Frederick A. Godley, featured 42 rooms – including a music room/ballroom.[1][3][4][6][7]
Failed preservation efforts
editIn the 1960s, following the deaths of Jesse Ricks and his wife, their children would sell off the remaining land.[1][3][4][8] Originally, the developers of the Chanticlare at Flower Hill subdivision, Edwin and Walter Ketay, wanted to save the mansion, and made attempts to do so.[1][3][4][9] A number of the homes built on as part of the development were designed by architect Stanley H. Klein.[1][9]
One of the plans for its preservation was for C.W. Post University (now LIU Post) to purchase it and use the space as a music school, an accounting school, and/or administrative offices, amongst other proposed uses by the school.[1][3][4][10] However, in 1967, C.W. Post ultimately chose not to buy the property.[3][4][10][11]
The Ketays soon after tried getting the Nassau County Cultural Society to occupy the home – although the plan was largely opposed by residents.[3][4][12]
With all preservation efforts failing, preserving the building proved to be too costly, and the estate was ultimately demolished in the late 1960s and replaced with an additional 4 homes as part of an amended plat map and plan for the Chanticlare at Flower Hill subdivision made by Edwin and Walter Ketay.[3][4][10][11]
Remnants of the estate
editChanticlare pipe organ
editIn 1968, the pipe organ formerly located in Chanticlare's music room was donated by John Ricks and Jane Ricks-King, the children of Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Ricks, to Hofstra University in honor of their late parents.[3][4][13]
The three-bank Aeolian electro-pneumatic pipe organ, valued at $115,000 in 1968, was installed in the Adams Playhouse at Hofstra, along with a memorial plaque.[14] In order to house the components of the instrument, Hofstra had to add two chambers onto the Adams Playhouse, totaling 430 square feet (40 m2).[14]
The donation of the organ meant that students at Hofstra studying the organ could practice on-campus as opposed to having to travel off-campus to the nearby Episcopal Cathedral of the Incarnation.[13][14]
Guest house
editThe estate's guest house, located off Stonytown Road, still stands.[3][4][5] Like the main mansion, it was also designed by Godley.[3][4][5]
See also
edit- Harbor Hill – Another Gold Coast estate, which was located in nearby East Hills.
- Sunset Hill – Another Gold Coast estate, which was partially in both Flower Hill and Plandome.
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f Kass, Jane (May 18, 1965). "Mansion Spared as Homes Rise on Estate". Newsday – via ProQuest.
- ^ "OFFICERS ELECTED BY UNION CARBIDE; J.J. Ricks Goes From President to Chairman -- Succeeded by Benjamin O'Shea". The New York Times. 1941-05-28. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-04-17.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Village of Flower Hill » Flower Hill Village Historical Gallery". villageflowerhill.org. Retrieved 2024-03-12.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Schwartz, Mitchell (2023). Flower Hill Village Historical Gallery Official Guidebook. Village of Flower Hill, New York. pp. 17, 25–26.
- ^ a b c "Village of Flower Hill » Flower Hill Historic Trail". villageflowerhill.org. Retrieved 2024-03-12.
- ^ "Untitled – Page 19". The American Architect. February 5, 1929. p. 19.
- ^ "TOUR OF L.I. HOMES TO AID SMITH CLUB: College Scholarship Fund to Benefit From 'Living With History' Event on May 7". The New York Times. April 18, 1957 – via ProQuest.
- ^ Map of Chanticlare at Flower Hill, Situated in Flower Hill, Nassau Co., N.Y.(Map). June 15, 1965 – via Nassau County Public Records.
- ^ a b "On the Job". Newsday. May 21, 1965. p. 17C – via ProQuest.
- ^ a b c MINUTES OF A PUBLIC HEARING AND REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE VILLAGE OF FLOWER HILL. NASSAU COUNTY. N.Y. May 1, 1967. Village of Flower Hill, New York.
- ^ a b MINUTES OF A PUBLIC HEARING AND REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE VILLAGE OF FLOWER HILL. NASSAU COUNTY. N.Y. 1967-1969. Village of Flower Hill, New York.
- ^ MINUTES OF A PUBLIC HEARING AND REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE VILLAGE OF FLOWER HILL. NASSAU COUNTY. N.Y. December 4, 1967. Village of Flower Hill, New York.
- ^ a b "Organ Donated to Hofstra". Newsday. July 10, 1968. p. 25 – via ProQuest.
- ^ a b c "Organ Given as Memorial". The Hofstra Chronicle. September 19, 1968.