Winfield Hall

 Located in Glen Cove, a Gold Coast Mansion was built on the same spot for Dr. Alexander Crombie Humphreys by C.P.H. Gilbert in 1899. The original Mediterranean villa style house was then purchased by Emmet Queen in 1907. It was then purchased by Robert Winfield Woolworth. It was speculated Woolworth wanted a home nearer the sound like the Joseph DeLamar Mansion.

Winfield Hall was designed and build for Frank Winfield Woolworth, after his existing home, also on the estate, suddenly and mysteriously burned.  Intriguingly, the plans were already completed for the new mansion by architect, C.P.H. Gilbert in 1916. It was one of the most expensive Gold Coast mansions ever built.  The pink and beige marble grand staircase, alone, cost more than $2,000,000 when it was built in 1917.

Built of white marble, the home was designed along the lines of an Italian renaissance palace.  At three stories high and with 56 rooms, it was (and is) an imposing edifice. The Georgian dining room featured 18th century Grinling Gibbons-style carvings, while the music room, the focus for the entire house, featured a built-in Aeolian organ. Each of the second floor bedrooms in the house was designed along the lines of a period museum, such as Empire, Ming, French Gothic, Marie Antoinette, Louis XIV, etc.

Unfortunately, like its predecessor, the mansion suffered a devastating fire in the winter of 2015.  A terrible amount of damage was done to the mansion, which had been rebuilt in 2010. As of 2012, it was a privately owned home.

Sources:

“Gold Coast Mansions.” Winfield Hall - Woolworth Mansion, www.goldcoastmansions.com/WinfieldHall/WinfieldHall.ht

 “Winfield Hall - the Historic Woolworth Estate in Glen Cove, Long Island.” FLS Black Car Service, 18 Nov. 2017, www.fatehlimoservice.com/what-to-see/winfeld-hall-woolworth-mansion