Among the largest estates ever amassed on Long Island was the enormous Renaissance –style mansion known as Harbor Hill designed in 1899 by Stanford White and built in 1900 to 1902 for Clarence H. Mackay and his wife Katherine. Clarence Mackay was the son of Comstock Lode magnate John William Mackay, and inherited much of an estimated $500 million fortune upon his father's death in 1902
The 576-acre
estate was built in 1900-1902 and was divided into formal gardens and terraces
surrounding the main house and a 70-acre farm. A description of the house was given in the
Brooklyn Daily Eagle. This is a brief excerpt: “Early in the course of the
preparations of plans Mr. Mackay made known his preference for the natural
wildness of the estate and of his desire to preserve this feature as much as
possible. It was decided that the house should be built on the very apex of the
hill.” At the bottom of the west garden, Mackay commissioned two replicas of
the famous Marly Horses statues. The 26-foot statues and pedestals were carved
by sculptor Franz Plumelet and installed in 1920.
Social events held at the house included a grand party
for the then Prince of Wales and Charles Lindbergh, was feted at a banquet and
dance Mackay held the night of transatlantic aviator's ticker-tape parade on
5th Avenue.
With Clarence Mackay’s death in 1938, the Harbor Hill
estate was left to his son John Mackay III. Due to vandalism during the World
War II, the mansion was demolished in 1947. The property was sold in the late
1950s and became the Country Estates housing development.
The remaining structures associated with the Harbor
Hill Estate are: Mackay Estate Dairyman's Cottage, Mackay Estate Gate Lodge,
Harbor Hill Water Tower, John Mackay III House and retaining walls throughout
Country Estates.
Sources:
“Harbor Hill.” Wikipedia,
Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Dec. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harbor_Hill
“Harbor Hill Country Home.”
Roslyn Landmark Society, 1 Jan. 1969,
www.roslynlandmarks.org/profiles/harbor-hill-estate
“Mackays and Harbor Hill
|.” The Bryant Library,
www.bryantlibrary.org/local-history/from-the-bryant-room/places-and-events/harbor-hill-for-the-mackay-estate/.
Accessed 26 Feb. 2024
