Cedarmere

Cedarmere was the country home of poet, newspaper editor, and civic leader William Cullen Bryant. In addition to the main house, the property has a pond, a boathouse, a mill, gardens, and a landscape designed by Bryant himself.

Originally used as a settlement, Richard Kirk originally owned the property, and in 1878, built the house. The property was purchased by Bryant in 1843. He named is Cedarmere after the cedar trees that wrapped around the pond. Through the 1840s-1860s, Bryant purchased additional land and expanded the main house. These renovations enlarged the house to 3 ½ stories with an extensive kitchen wing.

After Bryant’s death, the property passed on to his daughter Julia, who subsequently sold it to her nephew Harold Godwin. In 1902, the house had a serious fire which destroyed the kitchen and everything above the first floor. Godwin re-built the house in 1903.

When he died, Cedarmere passed first to his wife, and then his daughter Elizabeth Love Godwin. Elizabeth bequeathed the entire property to Nassau County in 1976. In 2013, the house underwent major renovations. In 2014, the interior was refurbished and refreshed. In 2016, the Friends of Cedarmere inventoried the 1200 volumes of books. A conservatory gave them guidance and a cost estimate to restore, repair, and conserve the collection.

From 1994 until 2009, Cedarmere was open to the public as a museum with exhibits about Bryant, tours of the house and grounds, as well as a variety of popular programs. After Nassau County closed the museum in 2009 due to financial concerns, the main house and gardens entered a cycle of deferred maintenance and deterioration. In 2014, the County leased the main house through the end of 2017 in exchange for maintenance and renovations to stabilize the structure.

Sources:

“CEDARMERE - History of William Cullen Bryant's 7-Acre Estate, Cedarmere, Located in Roslyn Harbor, N.Y., Including House Architecture, Gothic Mill.” The Friends of Cedarmere, Inc., http://www.friendsofcedarmere.org/history-of-cedarmere.html

“Cedarmere, Village of Roslyn Harbor, Nassau County IMPROVED.” Preservation Long Island, 20 Nov. 2018, https://preservationlongisland.org/cedarmere-village-of-roslyn-harbor-nassau-county

Brunswick Home

Brunswick Home was located in Amityville. It opened February 25, 1887 by founder Stephen R. Williams. Williams was also the Suffolk County Superintendent of the Poor from 1872-1880. It was called a private asylum for idiots, epileptics and feeble-minded children. Adults were added later on.

In 1931, President Benjamin Stein turned it into Brunswick Hospital which had general hospital functions, nursing home, rehab, and psychiatric facility. In 1948, the home and hospital were purchased by a group of physicians. They then purchased the Louden-Knickerbocker Hall, which was established in 1958.  The Louden Family opened Louden Hall in 1886 and Louden-Knickerbocker Hall in 1913. It was a facility for those with nervous & mental disorders, drug addicts, and alcoholics. John Louden also opened the Long Island Home in 1881, which later became part of South Oaks Hospital.

In 1940, the home burned to the ground and several patients lost their lives in the fire. The home was re-built and re-named Brunswick Hospital Center in 1960. By 2003, the campus covered 31 acres. The hospital closed in 2005 and the building was razed in 2012. It was given a New York State Historic Marker in 2017.

Sources:

“Brunswick Home.” William G. Pomeroy Foundation, 28 Mar. 2019, https://www.wgpfoundation.org/historic-markers/brunswick-home

“L. I. Hospital Merger.” New York Times, 10 Aug. 1958