Gould-Guggenheim Estate
National Register of Historic Places

Gould-Guggenheim Estate

Port Washington, Nassau County, New York
Listed
September 28, 2006
Type
District
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
06000881

About this property

Hempstead House, also known as the Gould-Guggenheim Estate or Sands Point Preserve, is a large American estate that was built for Howard Gould and completed for Daniel Guggenheim in 1912. It is located in Sands Point on the North Shore of Long Island in Nassau County, New York. In its heyday in the 1920s, Hempstead House revealed a taste for extravagance. In the Entry Foyer was an organ made of oak. The pipes still visible on the walls above were merely for show—the music reverberated through openings in the floors. Medieval tapestries once hung on the walls, and oriental carpets covered the floor. The sunken Palm Court once contained 150 species of rare orchids and other plants. An aviary housed exotic birds in ornate cages among the flowers. The walnut-paneled Library was copied from the palace of King James I; relief portraits of literary figures still decorate the plaster ceiling. The Billiard Room featured a gold leaf ceiling, hand-tooled leather wall covering, and carved oak woodwork from a 17th century Spanish palace. Howard Gould, son of railroad tycoon Jay Gould, began construction of the estate after purchasing the land in 1900. Initially, the plan was to build a castle that was to be a replica of Kilkenny Castle. Castle Gould, as it came to be called, was intended to be used as the main house. However, the Goulds did not like the castle, so they decided to create another house on the estate to serve as the main dwelling. After the completion of the house in 1912, the Goulds sold the estate to Daniel Guggenheim in 1917. The name of the main house was changed to Hempstead House (the limestone stables and the servants' quarters are still called Castle Gould). In 1942, the Guggenheims donated the estate to the Institute of Aeronautical Sciences. Soon after acquiring the estate, the institute sold it to the U.S. Navy, which held it from 1946 to 1967. The U.S. government declared the estate as surplus and eventually gave the deed of the property to Nassau County, New York in 1971. Media related to Gould–Guggenheim Estate at Wikimedia Commons Pictures and Information on Hempstead House in Sands Point

Location

95 Middle Neck Rd.
Port Washington, Nassau County, New York
40.86021, -73.69673

Categories

SOCIAL HISTORYARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Sands Family Cemetery
Listed
1.4 mi
Dodge, Thomas, Homestead
Industrial
1.6 mi
Landsberg, William, House
Industrial
1.9 mi
Main Street School
Industrial
2 mi
Sousa, John Philip, House
Early Republic
2.1 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Pelham
1776Revolutionary War
5.6 mi
Action at Pell's Point
1776Revolutionary War
6 mi
Battle of Pell's Point
1776Revolutionary War
6.3 mi
Battle of Mamaroneck
1776Revolutionary War
6.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Gould-Guggenheim Estate listed on the National Register?

Gould-Guggenheim Estate was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 28, 2006.

What type of historic resource is Gould-Guggenheim Estate?

Gould-Guggenheim Estate is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Gould-Guggenheim Estate?

The period of significance for Gould-Guggenheim Estate is recorded as the industrial era, specifically around 1912.

Can I research the history near Gould-Guggenheim Estate?

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