Around the turn of the century, scores of wealthy Americans seeking a retreat from the urban industrial iife built grand estates for themselves; magnificent mansions surrounded by acres of landscaped grounds. Often modeled after English country houses, many of these properties were the work of America’s foremost arhitects and landscape designers.
Only a few remain today. Post war inflation, high property and income taxes, the expense of maintenance and large staffs, and the need for higher density use of prime land have brought about the destruction of many large estates during the past few years.
The venue of Randy Tan and Amanda Daflos’ wedding is at the Glen Cove Mansion Hotel in Long Island’s Gold Coast. Amanda’s family is from Long Island.
The father of the groom, Kuya Junior, greets Randy’s childhood friend and his wife. They flew in from Sacramento, California.
Kuya and Ate Linda arrived at the estate yesterday morning. They took the red eye flight of Jet Blue.
The fifty-five acre estate originally known as The Manor, owned by John and Ruth Pratt, was considered as one of the “best twelve country houses in America”.
The 1910 brick stone Georgian mansion was designed by the noted architect Charles Adams Plat (1861-1933).
John Pratt, who passed away in 1967, was an attorney and an executive at Standard Oil Company. Ruth Baker Pratt was the first Republican Congresswoman from the state of New York. She represented New York city’s “Silk Stocking district. Mrs. Pratt Ruth and her family maintained the estate until her death in 1965. In 1967, the estate was sold. The new owners turned the manor into a hotel and conference center. The hotel had undergone numerous renovations and extensions to give way to more guest rooms, conference rooms, large dining rooms, including a pool and a fitness center.
Our bedroom, #488
View of the garden from our room. It rained.
Double grand staircase
Oyen and I with the couple to be, Randy and Amanda.
How’s that for a house?
The Hollywood movies “North by Northwest”, “Where’s Poppa”, and “Sabrina” starring Harisson Ford, were filmed here.
