Harbor Hill

Harbor Hill
Harbor Hill
Highest point
Elevation	348 ft (106 m)
Prominence	348.0 ft (106.1 m)
Listing	New York County High Points 58th
Coordinates	40°47′57″N73°38′22″W / 40.79917°N 73.63944°W
Geography
	Harbor Hill Location of Harbor Hill in New York State
Location	Roslyn, New York,; United States
Topo map	USGS Sea Cliff

Last updated July 17, 2024

Harbor Hill was a large Long Island mansion built from 1899 to 1902 in the present-day Village of East Hills, New York, for telecommunications magnate Clarence Hungerford Mackay.

History

Harbor Hill in 1922 Harborhillaerial.JPG — Harbor Hill in 1922

Clarence Mackay (1874–1938) was the son of Comstock Lode magnate John William Mackay, and inherited much of an estimated $500 million fortune upon his father's death in 1902 (approximately $13 billion in 2012 dollars). White collaborated closely with Clarence Mackay's wife, Katharine Duer Mackay (1880–1930), and with her approval based the main façade of Harbor Hill upon that of François Mansart's Château de Maisons of 1642, using a mix of other influences to finish the overall design.

Built at great expense and furnished lavishly (at least three different decorating firms were employed), the home originally sat on 688 acres (2.78 km²) and enjoyed views across Roslyn Harbor to Long Island Sound. Formal terraces and gardens were finished by Guy Lowell.

Social events held at the house included a grand party for the then Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII and the Duke of Windsor) in 1924.^[3]

On June 13, 1927, Charles Lindbergh, accompanied by his mother and the Mayor of New York, was feted at a banquet and dance Mackay held the night of transatlantic aviator's ticker-tape parade on 5th Avenue.^[4]

In 1931, upon the incorporation of the Village of East Hills, the estate was included within the boundaries of that municipality.^[5]

The building was vandalized during World War II, and demolished in 1947.^[6] After Harbor Hill was razed; a fountain with four equestrian statues designed by Henri-Léon Gréber was moved to Kansas City, Missouri, where it is displayed adjacent to Country Club Plaza.

Summit

At an elevation of 348 feet Harbor Hill is the highest point in Nassau County, New York.^[2] Whether Harbor Hill or 401-foot Jayne's Hill to the east was the highest point on Long Island was a point of some debate in the 19th century, with Harbor Hill often thought to be the higher.^[7]^[8] A news report of 1901 reported that Jayne's Hill was actually taller.^[9] Nevertheless, the issue remained contested at least as late as 1938.^[10]

Remaining buildings

Much of the estate, including the site of the main building, has been covered with a modern housing development. However, three remaining buildings from the Harbor Hill estate were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991: the Mackay Estate Dairyman's Cottage, the Mackay Estate Gate Lodge, and the Mackay Estate Water Tower.^[5]

Related Research Articles

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Flower Hill is a village in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The eastern half is considered part of the Greater Roslyn area, which is anchored by the Incorporated Village of Roslyn. Western and northern parts are more closely associated with Manhasset and Port Washington. The population was 4,794 at the time of the 2020 census.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jayne's Hill</span> Highest point on Long Island

Jayne's Hill, also known as High Hill, West Hills, Oakley's Hill, and Janes Hill, is the highest point on Long Island, New York with an elevation of between 387 feet (118 m) and 400.9 feet (122.2 m) above sea level. It is situated on the Harbor Hill moraine, a terminal moraine that makes up the northern spine of Long Island, in West Hills County Park in Suffolk County, a little more than a mile to the north of Melville.

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The Mackay Estate Gate Lodge is a historic gatehouse located in the Incorporated Village of East Hills in Nassau County, New York, United States.

Mackay Estate Water Tower is a historic water tower located in the Incorporated Village of East Hills in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The tower was originally a component of Clarence Mackay's Harbor Hill Estate.

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The Roslyn Landmark Society is a nonprofit historical society headquartered at 36 Main Street in Roslyn, New York. It serves as the historical and landmark society for the Greater Roslyn area.

Country Estates, Inc. was a 20th Century American real estate development company. It developed many luxury housing developments on Long Island, New York and in South Florida.

The Nassau County Sewage District is a public sewer district in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. It is owned by Nassau County and as of 2022 is operated under contract by Suez North America.

Nassau County Route 7 is a major, 11.64-mile (18.73 km) north-south county highway in Nassau County, on Long Island, New York, connecting the Incorporated Villages of Freeport and Roslyn. It consists of two discontiguous segments linked by one-block stretches of Front Street and Peninsula Boulevard in Hempstead: County Route 7A (Roslyn–Hempstead) and County Route 7B (Hempstead–Freeport).

References

↑ Stanford White on Long Island; Exhibit at the Museums at Stony Brook to November 1 (Antiques and the Arts Online)
1 2 USGS GNIS Detail, Harbor Hill
↑ "HarborHill".
↑ Bill Bryson, "One Summer: America, 1927" (Doubleday 1913)
1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
↑ "Harbor Hill Country Home (Estate of Clarence Mackay) | Profiles | Roslyn Landmark Society".
↑ "Questions Answered". Brooklyn Daily Eagle . October 9, 1887. (listing Harbor Hill at 384 feet, and Jayne's Hill at 383)
↑ Brooklyn Daily Eagle Almanac, 1890, p. 85 (Harbor Hill 384; Jayne's Hill 383)
↑ "Highest Point on Long Island". Brooklyn Daily Eagle . June 7, 1901. (reporting that Jayne's Hill is indeed taller)
↑ "Walt. Funnel Stands Up For Jayne's Hill". The Long Islander. Dec 15, 1938. ("There was really a bit of blood pressure on the subject as advocates pressed their arguments...")

External links

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[1] Stanford White on Long Island; Exhibit at the Museums at Stony Brook to November 1 (Antiques and the Arts Online)

[:0-2] 1 2 USGS GNIS Detail, Harbor Hill

[3] "HarborHill".

[4] Bill Bryson, "One Summer: America, 1927" (Doubleday 1913)

[nris-5] 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.

[6] "Harbor Hill Country Home (Estate of Clarence Mackay) | Profiles | Roslyn Landmark Society".

[BE1887-7] "Questions Answered". Brooklyn Daily Eagle . October 9, 1887. (listing Harbor Hill at 384 feet, and Jayne's Hill at 383)

[8] Brooklyn Daily Eagle Almanac, 1890, p. 85 (Harbor Hill 384; Jayne's Hill 383)

[BE1901-9] "Highest Point on Long Island". Brooklyn Daily Eagle . June 7, 1901. (reporting that Jayne's Hill is indeed taller)

[funnel-10] "Walt. Funnel Stands Up For Jayne's Hill". The Long Islander. Dec 15, 1938. ("There was really a bit of blood pressure on the subject as advocates pressed their arguments...")

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