Old Westbury Gardens
Encyclopedia
Old Westbury Gardens is the former estate of John Shaffer Phipps
(1874-1958), heir to a U.S. Steel
fortune, in Nassau County, New York
. It has been open to the public for tours since 1959.
The gardens are located at 71 Old Westbury Road in Old Westbury, New York
.
Work on the estate began in 1903, when Phipps promised his British fiancee Margarita he would build her a home in the United States
that resembled her family estate in Battle Abbey
. The estate was ready for Phipps, his wife and their children in 1906.
Westbury House, the Charles II
-style mansion designed by George A. Crawley
, contains 23 rooms. The grounds cover 160 acre (0.6474976 km²).
The estate is open to the public daily except Tuesdays from late April through October. An entrance fee is charged.
Scenes of the driveway were used in the 1970
film Love Story
to depict the entrance to the home of Ryan O'Neal
's character.
Other movies filmed on the grounds include North by Northwest
, The Age of Innocence
, The Manchurian Candidate
(2004), Wolf
, Hitch
, Cruel Intentions
, 8MM
, Bernard and Doris
, American Gangster, and To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar
. Scenes from the television series, Royal Pains
also used the location in filming.
The painting "Mrs. Henry Phipps and Her Grandson Winston" by John Singer Sargent
hangs in the dining room. The godfather of Winston was Winston Churchill
.
John Shaffer Phipps
John Shaffer Phipps was an American lawyer and businessman who was an heir to the Phipps family fortune and a shareholder of his father-in-law's Grace Shipping Lines. He was a director of the Hanover Bank, U.S. Steel Corp. and W. R...
(1874-1958), heir to a U.S. Steel
U.S. Steel
The United States Steel Corporation , more commonly known as U.S. Steel, is an integrated steel producer with major production operations in the United States, Canada, and Central Europe. The company is the world's tenth largest steel producer ranked by sales...
fortune, in Nassau County, New York
Nassau County, New York
Nassau County is a suburban county on Long Island, east of New York City in the U.S. state of New York, within the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,339,532...
. It has been open to the public for tours since 1959.
The gardens are located at 71 Old Westbury Road in Old Westbury, New York
Old Westbury, New York
Old Westbury is a village in Nassau County, New York on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the 2010 United States Census, the village population was 4,671....
.
History
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that resembled her family estate in Battle Abbey
Battle Abbey
Battle Abbey is a partially ruined abbey complex in the small town of Battle in East Sussex, England. The abbey was built on the scene of the Battle of Hastings and dedicated to St...
. The estate was ready for Phipps, his wife and their children in 1906.
Westbury House, the Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
-style mansion designed by George A. Crawley
George A. Crawley
George Abraham Crawley , a British artist, designer and purveyor of English taste, is most famously known for the design of John Shaffer Phipps' George Abraham Crawley (1864–1926), a British artist, designer and purveyor of English taste, is most famously known for the design of John Shaffer...
, contains 23 rooms. The grounds cover 160 acre (0.6474976 km²).
The estate is open to the public daily except Tuesdays from late April through October. An entrance fee is charged.
Scenes of the driveway were used in the 1970
1970 in film
The year 1970 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 9 - Larry Fine, the second member of The Three Stooges, suffers a massive stroke, therefore ending his career....
film Love Story
Love Story (1970 film)
Love Story is a 1970 romantic drama film written by Erich Segal and based on his novel Love Story. It was directed by Arthur Hiller. The film, well known as a tragedy, is considered one of the most romantic of all time by the American Film Institute , and was followed by a sequel, Oliver's Story...
to depict the entrance to the home of Ryan O'Neal
Ryan O'Neal
Charles Patrick Ryan O'Neal , better known as Ryan O'Neal, is an American actor best known for his appearances in the ABC nighttime soap opera Peyton Place and for his roles in such films as Paper Moon , Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon , A Bridge Too Far , and Love Story , for which he received...
's character.
Other movies filmed on the grounds include North by Northwest
North by Northwest
North by Northwest is a 1959 American thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason, and featuring Leo G. Carroll and Martin Landau...
, The Age of Innocence
The Age of Innocence (film)
The Age of Innocence is a 1993 American film adaptation of Edith Wharton's 1920 novel of the same name. The film was released by Columbia Pictures, directed by Martin Scorsese, and stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Winona Ryder....
, The Manchurian Candidate
The Manchurian Candidate (2004 film)
The Manchurian Candidate is a 2004 American thriller film based on the 1959 novel of the same name by Richard Condon, and a reimagining of the previous 1962 film....
(2004), Wolf
Wolf (film)
Wolf is a 1994 American horror film directed by Mike Nichols and written by Jim Harrison, Wesley Strick, and an uncredited Elaine May, with music by Ennio Morricone and cinematography by Giuseppe Rotunno....
, Hitch
Hitch (film)
Hitch is a 2005 romantic comedy film directed by Andy Tennant and starring Will Smith. The film, which was written by Kevin Bisch, co-stars Eva Mendes, Kevin James, and Amber Valletta. Smith plays a professional matchmaker who makes a living teaching men how to woo women...
, Cruel Intentions
Cruel Intentions
Cruel Intentions is a 1999 American drama film starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon, and Selma Blair. The film is an adaptation of the 18th-century French epistolary novel Les Liaisons dangereuses by Laclos and is set among wealthy teenagers living in modern New York...
, 8MM
8mm (film)
8mm is a 1999 mystery/thriller film, directed by Joel Schumacher and written by Andrew Kevin Walker. It stars Nicolas Cage as a private investigator who delves into the world of snuff films.-Plot:...
, Bernard and Doris
Bernard and Doris
Bernard and Doris is a 2007 film directed by Bob Balaban. The teleplay by Hugh Costello is a semi-fictionalized account of the relationship that developed between socialite heiress and philanthropist Doris Duke and her self-destructive Irish employee Bernard Lafferty later in her life.The film...
, American Gangster, and To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar is a 1995 American comedy film, starring Wesley Snipes, Patrick Swayze, and John Leguizamo as three New York drag queens who embark on a road trip...
. Scenes from the television series, Royal Pains
Royal Pains
Royal Pains is a USA Network television series that premiered on June 4, 2009, starring Mark Feuerstein, Paulo Costanzo, Jill Flint and Reshma Shetty. The series is based in part on actual concierge medicine practices of independent doctors and companies...
also used the location in filming.
The painting "Mrs. Henry Phipps and Her Grandson Winston" by John Singer Sargent
John Singer Sargent
John Singer Sargent was an American artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian era luxury. During his career, he created roughly 900 oil paintings and more than 2,000 watercolors, as well as countless sketches and charcoal drawings...
hangs in the dining room. The godfather of Winston was Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
.