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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPE-23 FOR OFFICE USE ONLY PE 23 "BUILDING-STRUCTURE INVENTORY FORM DIVISION FOR HISTORIC PRE5ERV,aTiON UNIQUE SITE NO. LI.®n4 �b`7 QUAD NEW YORK STATE PARKS AND RECREATION SERIES ALBANY,NEW YORK 1 SI HI 474-0479 NEG. NO. YOUR NAME: Town of Southold,/SPZIA DATE: September 1986 YOUR ADDRESS: Town Hall, Main Road TELEPHONE:_(516)765-1892 Southold L. I. N.Y. 11971 ORGANIZATION (if any):Southold Town Community Development Office IDENTIFICATION I. BUILDING NAME(S): "Bell 'Buoy" 2. COUNTY: Suffolk TOWN/CITY: Southold VILLAGE: Peconic 3. STREET LOCATION: At end of Indi-nn ]Meek LnnP. 4. OWNERSHIP: a. public ❑ b. private 12 S. PRESENT OWNER. Rbt, Day ADDRESS: G. USE: Original: Summer residence Present: Ragi dpnra 7. ACCESSIBILITY TO PUBLIC. Exterior visible from public road: Yes No Interior accessible: Explain DESCRIPTION H. BUILI3IN(; a. clapboard ❑ b. stone ❑ c. brick ® d. board and batten ❑ MATERIAL: e. cobblestone ❑ f. shingles ❑ g. stucco ❑ other: 1} STRUCTURAL a. wood frame with interlocking joints ❑ SYSTEM: b. wood frame with light members IN (il' kn<xvn) c. masonry load bearing walls ❑ d. metal (explain) e, ether 10. CONDITION: a. excellent ❑ b. good ER c. fair ❑ d. deteriorated El 11. INTEGRITY: a. original site ❑ b. moved ® if so,when`" circa. 1908, ea. 50 feet c. list major alterations and dates (if known): from beach near y and covered with brick veneer at that time. PE-RSM XVIII-11 12. PHOTO: From west 13. MAP: N.Y.S. DOT Southold Quad Front (west)and north elevation bh&, H NO ;. •f'• A i ! v South 4Ia +� � �'NG d P• �*`P to • S • • r • a "p y`s t'Q � a'•a�� a" MO " •4 ••a a + w '4aµ Ski^q • p .a a •+ .d p Y •a• P +a r"• 10 a e�+ N � PECOMIC Bi- PE 23 14. THREATS TO BUILDING: a. none known M b. zoning El c. roads D d, developers El e. deterioration ❑ f. other: 15. RELATED OUTBUILDINGS AND PROPERTY: a. barn El b. carriage house El C. garage ED d. privy E e. shed 0 f. greenhouse El small formal g. shop El h. gardens M garden with fountain i. landscape features: cottage w. gambrel roof j. other: & vert. boards w. carport 16. SURROUNDINGS OF THE BUILDING (check more than one if necessary): a.open land El b. woodland 0 c. scattered buildings F1 d.densely built-up El e. commercial ❑ f. industrial F g, residential [_� h.other: hpq c-,h �wet I and,-, 17. INTF.RRELATIONSHIP OF BUILDING AND SURROUNDINGS: (Indicate if building or structure is in an historic district) Extensive property at the tip of Indian Neck, surrounded on three sides by water: the bay on the south side, the creek on east and north. Vegetation is part wooded, part wetlands. 18. OTHER NOTABLE FEATURES OF BUILDING AND SITE (including interior features if known), 12-storyo 3-bay, center entrance brick house. Gambrel roof with shed roof dormers on front, sweeping "salt box" roof on rear. Apparently the original driveway to this house was further south. That location today is marked by a brick pier and SIGNIFICANCE rustic wood gate. lit. DATE OF INITIAL CONSTRUCTION:- circa 1904- 9()-5*- or circa190-3-- A RCI I ITECT: BUILDER: 0� 1115VORICAL AND ARCHITECTURAL IMPORTANCE: Home of the artist Edward A. Bell (1862-1953) , an inter- nationally known painter. The cottage is a cultural land- mark and recalls the days early in this century when Peconic had its colony of artists. See forms Im 21, PR 22 and PT' 36 for other Peconic artists. Interview with Robert Day, owner, who is great- nephew of Mrs. Bell 212/475-7387. Sept. 1986 21. SOURCES:*Letter from Nelson C . White , Waterford, Conn. Otto Korten. Korten Photos (c. 1910)9/9/1985 Collections Nassau County Historical Museum. From prepared by Rosemary Skye Moritt, research assistant. "Boll-Buoy" P-R 23 f . Photo PE RSM 11-16 From west r.� h 5 This picturesque formal sunken garden is reached by means of descending steps both from the front entrance and from the opposite side, and is enclosed by a low wall on three sides. f PE 23 September 9 , 19$5 Dear Barbara Van Lew, In writing you in answer to your questions , I am reminded of Thurber ' s story of the little girl who was asked to ,give a book report and who wrote "This book tells me more about penguins than I wanted to know. " First , Edward A. Bell was born in 1862 , one year younger than my father (Henry C . White 1861 -1952) . Bell ' s father was American and his mother of German descent . Bell was born in New York City, went to school there and attended the National Academy of Design. It was there that he met Benjamin Fitz who had came from Peconic , Long; Island to attendthe ca emy . -�e7T and rTi�z Taat�i-7iscovered thaty had a passion for boats and Fitz invited Bell to Peconic where they began their lifelong friendship. Fitz ' s sister married Franklin ( ?) Overton . The Overtons had two children, Franklin and Julia. In n 1879 ( or 1880) Bell and Fitz went to Munich to study art . They stayed nearly ten years, returning to the USA around 1890 . Bell , who had known Julia as a little girl , now fell in love with her and they were married in 190 Around 1904 or 1905 they built (I think) the Bell uoy on the shore of Peconic Bay and later moved it up onto the bank a out fifty feet from where they had a fine view . They occupied the Bell buoy as long as they lived in summers/and in winter Mrs . Bell 0kL-Ve Te,U moved up to her family home in Peconic and Bell went to New York where he had a studio . It was through Bell and Fitz that Irving Wiles and Henry Prellwitz came to Peconic and joined the group. After Bell ' s death in 1953 , Mrs . Bell continued to own the cottage and it was left at her death to her brother Franklin' s daughter, Louise Overton Day . I have lost touch with Louise, the is still living, but her nephew Franklin Rich , to whom preferred you, will know all about it and who owns and occupies it now . I am very happy that you have done so much research about the artists in the North Fork for it all has a lot of interest . Someday we must meet and talk of all these matters in person . We will show you a number of Bell ' s pictures and you will see what a fine artist he was . As I told you, we also have some of the best of Fitz ' s work includingthe famous am us Nelson C. White letter. 9/16/1985 PE 23 nude "Reflection" which is reproduced in Caffin 's book "The Story of American Art . " It was a great tradgedy that Fitz died in 1895 when he was only thirty-five . Thank you again for your letters and the copies of Preservation Notes . Sincerely yours , t -DO C _ VWi985 a letter i PE 29 Preservation Notes a Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities a Fall.Winter 1985 r, � Aft', - f r . wtl■a..i _ Ilia ■fl■ �r,� i �[i k Bell CoUlage. Peconic Hanel -t. Weber phcatograph PECONIC Seen here in a 1980 photograph is the had its colonyofartists.* Comparing the cottage in Peconic that was once the 1980 photograph with a photograph summe- home of the artist Edward A. taken about 1910 establishes clearly that Bell(1862-1953). Bell studied art at the the exterior of the building had not been National Academy of Design and the altered.■ Bavariam Royal Academy in Munich, *For information on the Peconic artists see was an Associate Member of the Na- Preservation Na(es, I- W 1980 p. 8 and S:S tional Academy,SAA,the Salamagundi 1985 P.8. Club,and Art Students League. Bell won awards at the Paris Exposition 1889, second dallgarten prize NA© 1893, Pan OMISSION American exposition at Buffalo 1901. In the:Springi Summer 1985 issue and St. Louis exposition 1904_ His work is in the collections of the Indianapolis of Preservation Notes Vol.XXI,No. I. page ten, the following credit for Ari Association, The Cincinnati Mu- seum, and Smith College at Northamp- omitted:erpaintingwasinadvertently ton, Ma=sachusetts,and was included in mii the 1970 exhibition "Artists of Suffolk Girt im Sidney Mount 11807-18681 t Girl with Pitcher, 1829 County, Part I" at the Heckscher Mu- Oil on Canvas.20 3.4"X 16" seum. -fhe Museums at Stonv Brook This cottage,which iscalled"Bell Buoy," Gift of Mrs. F. Henry.Berlin, 1979 is a cull:iral landmark that recalls the !'hutagrald?04);P1OpeAerrGallen.New York days early in this century when Peconic 8 'fir i�v' �{i�rlai%� x�•r� r H - _y�yyy ti rv;° � Y +r a.t ��� z� .r yZ 1 •r4�*,i*y'�� L�', ��r♦ti.Y `5 ti, 4:" '�f" - - ".Y...'x.�Yr'� a�;ad.e" .. _ ':y�^'i! hOIL, A4.,twt tw .,fi+ y -. t e 4, a ca y' C ^^.. _ •. d. Im fib jn 1. t l �.. f "v+•fi` Y"' �. _. ,[�� , . :� � - J.r" ��likC��CCflIFF�TiCC�C�ICCCCC�CIC � . r ` r:^ �{IAF ,�'} - ,s� w p.s•. � 'r�fr. ]�,. ais � ].jpgk 7 y x. I }%`e.• .}t l /^Sal. ��, a��V,♦•t J{w-_� 25 je �e ,,' :, - � ,.� —`�fir-•, �. w,;:- ;..�. • �+ yam.—��s'A'IJG I't.��++'Lt�C' �' '�.♦ '!. �\ *v' ���_ � �� ��I!-f�• �t"R i S • PF 23 Catalogue ORLANDO HAND BEARS from Maine to California, Mexico to Brittany, pro- Sag Harbor, 1812-1851, Sag Harbor dueininnumerable sketches and paintings. Primar- g ily a landscape painter, he also painted several por- Bears was active on Long Island as a portrait paint- traits. A member of the National Academy, the New er prior to and after a residence in New London, York Water Color Society and the Century Associa- Connecticut, where he married at the age of 27. tion, he was also influential in the founding of The Alfred, Orlando's brother, and subject of the por- Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Hayden Plane- trait included in the exhibition, wears the gold tarium. earring of a whaler. Records indicate that he was 5. PORTRAIT OF THOMAS MORAN, 1922, drowned at sea shortly after the completion of his oil on canvas portrait. 1. PORTRAIT OF ALFRED BEARS, c 1$33, Lent by Kennedy Galleries, Inc. oil on canvas $. EVENING SCENE, East Hampton, Long Lent by Kathryn and James Abbe, Jr. Island, mixed media 7. CLAM DICCING, East Hampton, Long Island, water color EDWARD AUGUST BELL Lent by Mrs. E. Ives Bartholet New York, 1862-1953, Southold Bell was a student of Waiter Shirlaw and William ALONZO CHAPPEL Merritt Chase in New York and de Loefftz in Munich. An Associate Member of the National New York City, 1828-1887, Middle Island �► Academy of Design and the Salmagundi Club, Bell After an earl career as painter, architect and decor- exhibited mainly figurative paintings. Bell was a pa close friend of Lemuel and Irving Wiles and a sum- ator fora ramatic group in Brooklyn, Chappel mer resident OT-l"e—con c, song Isli-Iff turned to illustrating history textbooks and biogra- phies. His historical paintings and portraits are fre- t. LANDSCAPE, oil on board quently derived from earlier source- material. 3. AT THE DRESSING TABLE, oil on canvas Although facial features are specific, figures often lack the feeling of actuality. Lent by Mr. and Mrs, James H. Rich 8, DRAFTING THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, oil on canvas ANDREW FISHER BUNNER Heckscher Museum Collection New York, 1841-1897, New York Buttner, a landscape painter, studied in Europe and WILLIAM MERRITT CHASE lived for a time in Venice. Many of his paintings Indiana, 1849-1916, New York are of European scenes including seventy-five sketches of his Venetian trip, owned by the Metro- Chase studied during his early years with B. F. politan Museum of Art. In 1860 Bunner became an Hayes in Indianapolis and J. O. Eaton at the Na- Associate Member of the National Academy of De- tional Academy. Further study and travels in Europe sign. OLD HOUSE, SOUTHAMPTON, was prob- were to have considerable impact on his art. In New ably painted in the 1880's when Bunner summered York he was a member of "The Ten", a group of in the Hamptons, artists who protested against the continued patron- 4. OLD HOUSE, SOUTHAMPTON, oil on age of European art, and exhibited their own works. He taught at the Art Students League, his studio canvas on Tenth Street, and was the founder of the Sbinne- Lent by The Parrish Art Museum cock Art Village. Chase came in contact with a record number of students and his enthusiasm and competence as a teacher were responsible for the HOWARD RUSSELL BUTLER spread of Impressionism in this country. New York, 1856-1934 9. JAMES MacNEILL WHISTLER, 1885, oil Butler spent his early years in Paris studying with on canvas Dagnan-Bouveret, Roll and Gervex. Upon his return Lent by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, to America he spent considerable time traveling bequest of William H. Walker, 1918 Artists of Suffolk Counter, Part I. Heckscher Museum Catalogue, 1970 Page Seven