Hempstead House Interior

Entrance - stairway. Dark wood paneling - walnut.

Gold Coast Estate

Castle Gould which became the servants` quarters and stables. "The grounds contain two castle-like buildings, Hempstead House, the main house, and a smaller house, known as Castle Gould. The main house measures 225 ft long (69 m), 135 ft wide (41 m), and has three floors containing forty rooms, punctuated by an 80-foot tower (24 m). Once construction had completed, the 300-acre estate needed 17 house servants and 200 farmers and groundskeepers to maintain its upkeep. Hempstead House in its prime was regarded as one of the most lavish estates to occupy the Gold Coast (North Shore Long Island)): In its heyday in the 1920s, Hempstead House revealed a taste for extravagance. In the Entry Foyer was an organ made of oak. The pipes still visible on the walls above were merely for show—the music reverberated through openings in the floors. Medieval tapestries once hung on the walls, and oriental carpets covered the floor. The sunken Palm Court once contained 150 species of rare orchids and other plants. An aviary housed exotic birds in ornate cages among the flowers. The walnut-paneled Library was copied from the palace of King James I; relief portraits of literary figures still decorate the plaster ceiling. The Billiard Room featured a gold leaf ceiling, hand-tooled leather wall covering, and carved oak woodwork from a 17th century Spanish palace." Howard Gould, son of railroad tycoon Jay Gould, began construction of the estate after purchasing the land in 1900. Initially, the plan was to build a castle that was to be a replica of Kilkenny Castle. Castle Gould, as it came to be called, was intended to be used as the main house. However, the Goulds did not like the castle so they decided to create another house on the estate which would serve as the main dwelling. After the completion of this house in 1912, the Goulds sold the estate to Daniel Guggenheim. Upon buying the estate, the name of the main house was changed to Hempstead House (the limestone stables and the servants quarters are, today, still referred to as Castle Gould). In 1917, the Guggenheims donated the estate to the Institute of Aeronautical Sciences. Soon after acquiring the estate, the institute sold it to the U.S. Navy who held it from 1946 to 1967. The U.S. government declared the estate as surplus and eventually gave the deed of the property to Nassau County, New York in 1971. Hempstead House, the main residence.

Sunwood Art Show

Grand entrance Sunwood art show - now Stony Brook University. Sunwood pond and garden. Sunwood stone terrace with awnings.

Sands Point Preserve

"Went back into the files. Employer was J.J. Fay with a house at Sands Point (Not named). Sold to Howard Gould then to Daniel Guggenheim. Hopes this helps ?? Les H." Our maternal great grandfather took care of the horses there. Hempstead House. Castle Gould, a 100,000-square-foot limestone building inspired by Kilkenny Castle in Ireland that financier Howard Gould and his wife, actress Katherine Clemmons, had visited on their honeymoon, was supposed to be the main residence after Gould bought the property in 1900. After it was completed in 1904, however, Katherine refused to move in -- finding that it was too large and impersonal, said Friends of the Sands Point Preserve executive director Jean-Marie Posner. It later became a stable and servants' quarters.

John Koch painting - Children with Tinker-Toys

Model Miss Jane McCormick 6 years old. Stony Brook post office, John Koch had a home in Stony Brook. Sunwood Estate, we used to pass this fine old home on the way to West Meadow beach. Sunwood garden. The Ancestral Dreams Collage with glitter. Ancestral Dreams.

John Koch Paintings

1953 "Children at Play" by John Koch our friend and neighbor. I posed with the minister`s son for this painting which was done for "Good Housekeeping Magazine" as a cover design. "The Roosevelt Women at Oyster Bay" - I modeled for this painting as well.