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Home My WebLink AboutFI-42 FOR OFFICE USE ONLY BUILDING-STRUCTURE INVENTORY FORM FI-42 UNIQUE SITE NO. A 3lD u'r l37 DIVISION FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION QUAD NEW YORK STATE PARKS AND RECREATION SERIES ALBANY,NEW YORK (519) 474-0471) NEG. NO. YOUR NAME: Town of Southold/SPLIA DATE: April 1988 YOUR ADDRESS: Town Hall, Main Rd. TELEPHONE: 516 765 1892 Southold LI NY ORGANIZATION (if any): Southold Town Community Development Office IDENTIFICATION 1, NTIFI A NAME`S�)): "Grey Gulls" Mortimer Buckner/Mrs. Reynolds duPont House 2. COUNTY: Suffolk TOWN/CITY: Southold VILLAGE: Fishers Island 3. STREET LOCATION: North of east End Rd. , at West Harbor, NW of BrickYard 4. OWNERSHIP: a. public ❑ b. private 0 Pond. 5- PRESENT OWNER: Edmond Carpenter ADDRESS: 6. USI:: Original: residence Present: residence 7. ACCESSIBILITY TO PUBLIC: Exterior visible from public road: Yes ❑ No Interior accessible: Explain I)rinate residence DESCRIPTION 8. BUILDING a. clapboard ❑ b. stone ❑ c. brick ❑ d. board and batten ❑ MATFRIAL; e. cobblestone ❑ f. shingles 11 g. stucco ❑ other: 1). STRUCTURAL a. wood frame with interlocking joints ❑ SYSTEM: b. wood frame with light members T (if kn(wi+n) c. masonry load bearing walls ❑ d. metal (explain) e. other 10, CONDITION: a. excellent Axl b. good ❑ c. fair ❑ d. deteriorated ❑ 11. INTEGRITY: a. original site LI b. moved ❑ if so,when? c. list major alterations and dates (if known): 121. PHOTO: neg: KK XIV-27, fm S. 13. MAP: NYS DOT composite New London and Mystic quads rs a a� 1. ^ y"�• � 19 s j - II !" 6 Bartow u HawAl Nest g, • ° Poid Poin6I1 J3 u u o° ✓ 5{ i D ins _ Dot�fn ` ` I I L' if' •q. `�' \tea ,` JS g l��ard pokd Vest ! rbor " ra/a r 7 a Oh JI 4 r tip r�1! 1111TTTp 4 "�T f 3t '•�' i.t s w .K;a fl 1 s-= �� fAl HP-1 t ,c I'OS eC FI--42 N 14. THREATS TO BUILDING: a.none known b.zoning ❑ c. roads d. developers ❑ e. deterioration ❑ f. other: 15. RELATED OUTBUILDINGS AND PROPERTY: a. barn CD b. carriage house ❑ c. garage ❑ d. privy ❑ e. shed ❑ f. greenhouse ❑ g. shop ❑ h. gardens Lel i. landscape features: large lawn j. other: tennis pave ion, tennis court Ib. SURROUNDINGS OF THE BUILDING (check more than one if necessary): a.open land M b. woodland E3 c.scattered buildings ❑ d.densely built-up Q e. commercial ❑ f. industrial ❑ g. residential FN Ii.other: West Harbor to north and west 17 INTI-RRELATIONSHIP OF BUILDING AND SURROUNDINGS: (Indicate if building or structure is in an historic district) Located in a very low density, private, secluded residential area north of East End Rd. . Predominantly open land surrounds the house, with woodland to the south. West Harbor directly north and west. 18. OTHER NOTABLE FEATURES OF BUILDING AND SITT (including interior features if known): Large, 1'2 story, irregularly shaped, ' gambrel roof Shingle Style house with large stone exterior chimneys. NE facade with sub- sumed porch, timber posts, 16/16 windows on ground story, and low, hipped roof dormers. Other windows 6/6, with board shut- ters and "Z" motif. - see below # 20 - SIGNIFICANCE Irl. DATE OF INITIAL CONSTRUCTION: Circa 1920's ARCHITECT. BUILDER: '0 HISTORICAL AND ARCHITECTURAL IMPORTANCE: This fascinating house is one of the many remarkable mansions found here on the east end of Fishers Island. The house is of particular interest, as reportedly it was built on the site of the old brick yard. This house is very similiar to the Buckner house on the south side of the island at Barleyfield Cove (see Form FI-17) . 18 - continued Bulls eye windows in gable peaks, l%2 story gable and gambrel roof wings on S with hip and shed roof dormers, and bands of 6-paned _1. SOURCES: windows. Stone interior chimney. Fishers Island, A Book of Memories. James and Joanne Wall, a Pp. . Y_Frq pondence, Mystic Isle Realty Inc. , 4/88. "Grey Gulls" FI-42 Fishers Island �, rtiti•' Tennis pavillion, west of • Neg: KK XIV-28, Ilk Q View of house from W/NW, facade facing water. 5 {,5,y�i yJ ,, • `4 yy,, x '� �..- ,�r l t' `y,.r`.,R. � { H.f KK XIV i only word to describe it was "elegant." It was a hotel unto itself. The ballroom was formal and impressive. The dining room boasted the most mouth-watering cuisine in the area. ,� Mrs. Boyce Kelsey, whose family frequently visited the island 0 P. during the summers of the '20's and '3o's, recalls that the 5 .M children were put up at the Mansion House; only the adults — had accommodations at the club. Memories are all That remain a • (a Mfor b 1963 it had become too of That impressive structure, y / ■..... cosily to maintain.It was razed and replaced with a contempo j •■■■•• CIA M rary wood structure needing less-expensive maintenance. F-J - C-t 5 Summer Places ; �!+■ When the members of the Fishers Island Corporation began � 01 their efforts to develop the eastern end, just a few old structures and some abandoned foundations occupied the land. ,- ::�i td The old Winthrop place,used by the overseer of the farm,was - O located behind the barns where the ninth fairway of the big F 0 course now lies. Until recently the summer home of Mr. and " - • Mrs. Gerold Bryce, it is now owned by Mr. and Mrs. Stephen - 0 Kelsey jr. The middle farm complex with its barns and - _- �+ outbuildings existed, as did the old icehouse and the present Lys home of Mrs. john Templeton.A bit Farther west is a structure ` ?� that may be one of the four oldest buildings on the island, the rh„IG by Ch rW Mu,Vn p Brickyard House. The present owners are Mr. and Mrs. "Grey Culls," currently the home of ri Reynolds duPont Jr.In the woods behind their house.between Mrs. Reynolds duPoni Sr. F" the pond and the paved east end road, are old foundations pp once part of the homes suppliedfor employees of the early the reverse of the other and with a few more closets. It has brickworks. recently been purchased from Mr. and Mrs. 1. Fife Symington To the west of the brickyard site is what has been known in by Mr. and Mrs. John Irwin III. recent years as Camp Tabor.This crumbling,massive structure Anolner nome with an interesting history is the current �I'sidence of Mr. and Mrs. Denis O'Brien.With no slight to the was formerly used to house members of the Bays' Club of New York who acted as caddies for Hay Harbor and the Fishers ,x %v owners,old-timers still refer to this structure as Simmons'(stand Golf Clubs.Before that,this area was the old Wilderness Castle This formidable edifice is located on the far easterly Farm and the buildings included the old red barn, still ]mint of the island. When Mr. and Mrs.Grant Simmons chose this spot in the early 1930'x,much thought went into the type of standing. and an overseer's cottage. ' home that should be built,The idea of a castle won out because Once the east en was opene to ome ut ing y mem els the Simmonses had been impressed by the castles they visited of the corporation, some of the most impressive homes on the rin the continent. But where to get the stone? All castles are island.joined the old structures in this area. One was Grey (atilt of stone. Gulls, the home now owned by Mrs. Reynolds duPont and, The island did not have enough of the proper building stone, constructed by the first president of the Fishers Island Corporation, Mortimer Buckner. Built on the site of what had, 11u1 a quarlly in Stonington. Connecticut did. Grant Simmons once been part of the hrickworks,it was to be a surprise for his visited the quarry and found that cast-off rocks could be Europe. Unfortunately,Mrs.Buckner obtained by arranging to carry them away. All parties were wife who was visiting in E referred the south side of the island over the Pleased; Simmons had his stones and the quarry operators on her return, p northerly exposure her husband had chosen. Her secosons who had recently emigrated to America were hired to were rid of something they did not want. European stonema- nd complaint was that the house lacked close)space.However,the oversee the building, basic design of the house pleased her.so a site was chosen on Inferior floors of the castle were oak and slate. Flue-lined the island's south side overlooking Barley Field Cove. The firvplaces were constructed in the dining, living, and master house erected was identical except that it was constructed ' a1