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