Harbor Hill, designed by Stanford White and built in 1902 at the apogee of the American country house era, stood on 648 acres in Roslyn, Long Island, and was occupied by the Mackays, one of the richest families in the United States at that time. Despite its vaulted origins and patrons, the house was unoccupied by the 1930s and finally razed in 1947 to make room for a housing development. Wilson (architectural history, U. of Virginia) tells the story of the grand house and its owners with primary focus on the zenith of both through the 1910s. Sections include the world of Harbor Hill, the patrons, Stanford White and McKim, Mead & White, designing Harbor Hill, overnight renaissance palace, maintaining standards in service, and the Mackay's triumph and defeat. The author provides a straightforward account of the Mackay family along with an interesting look at society and design in the first part of the twentieth century. Oversize: 9.5x12" Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
A "palace" ruled by a "queen," Harbor Hill in Roslyn, Long Island, wascommissioned by the beautiful and imperious Katherine Duer Mackay, wifeof one of the country's wealthiest men.
The mansion along with its magnificent furnishings, art, gardens, and the owners' striving, hubris, and ultimate failure are the dramatis personae of this saga. Stanford White, the architect, wrote, "with the exception of Biltmore, I do not think there will be an estate equal to it in the country." An extravagant product of the desire for social acceptance, the portrait encompasses western mining and old versus new wealth, religious differences and the building of a church, art collecting, and the many people, from the architects, builders, and workers to the servants and staff who ran the house and gardens. Harbor Hill's story includes elements of farce and tragedy; in a sense it is an American portrait.
