'
Ellencourt', the
Samuel Sachs estate designed by
J.H. Freedlander c. 1902 in
Elberon, New Jersey. Sachs was married to the daughter of
Marcus Goldman and in 1882 joined his father-in-law's banking business (along with two brothers-in-law) creating
Goldman, Sachs & Co. He named
'Ellencourt' for his daughter. Sachs died in 1935 at the age of 83 at his residence in the Pierre Hotel in New York City. His NYTimes obituary states that "Mr. Sachs's whole life was wrapped up in three major interest - his family, his business and his philanthropies. Among the institutions and organizations of which he was a benefactor were the Montefiore Hospital, Bellevue and Allied Hospitals, the Federation for the Support of Jewish Philanthropic Societies, the Harvard Business School, the Harvard Fine Arts Department and Fisk University at Nashville, Tenn." '
Ellencourt' is no longer standing.
'Ellencourt', the Samuel Sachs estate designed by J.H. Freedlander c. 1902 in Elberon, New Jersey. Sachs was married to the daughter of Marcus Goldman and in 1882 joined his father-in-law's banking business (along with two brothers-in-law) creating Goldman, Sachs & Co. He named 'Ellencourt' for his daughter. Sachs died in 1935 at the age of 83 at his residence in the Pierre Hotel in New York City. His NYTimes obituary states that "Mr. Sachs's whole life was wrapped up in three major interest - his family, his business and his philanthropies. Among the institutions and organizations of which he was a benefactor were the Montefiore Hospital, Bellevue and Allied Hospitals, the Federation for the Support of Jewish Philanthropic Societies, the Harvard Business School, the Harvard Fine Arts Department and Fisk University at Nashville, Tenn." 'Ellencourt' is no longer standing.
Photos from Architectural Record, 1903.
10 comments:
I wish the roof had been better resolved. Maybe it looked better in person. Clearly the landscaping was "finished" but I would love to see the gardens a few years later. That big octagon porch is curious with the glass & iron canopy entrance; perhaps it was used for entertaining?
Well I hsve to say this is quite the odd duck. That roof just does not sit well on the home. One could also have the driver let you off in front of the house or have him take you to the oddly oversized pavillion-like appendage around the side and in case of rain, the owner has thoughtfully provided an equally strange projecting glass canopy with 2 huge hanging lanterns to light the way. Why did they not just design that thing as a porte-coche and get it over with? Very strange details and massing make for a bizarre piece of architecture. For all that grandeur, you also had to climb up to the second floor between 2 solid interior walls. A large mansion with no grand entry stairs? What were they thinking? Overall a strange, boxy composition with some decorative accents, and some people complain about another architect's designs? Really?
Give me the stable you can have the main house
Seems like he was trying to go for some sort of Oriental/Beaux-Arts hybridization....didn't work to well, but I'd take this anyday to what is being built in the nowdays.
That roof reminds one irrevocably of the false McMansard roof fascias that dominated the architecture of a certain fast food chain in the 80's.
So many of the big houses of the Jersey shore were of this sort---Boxy, tall, stucco. I wonder why there in particular?
Archibuff (and remember, you started it---Mom, he hit me first), since you mention it: This house has many of the flaws of proportion and composition that characterize many of Gilbert's country houses. I'm just curious that you see them here, but not at, let's say..Winfield, also an odd, static boxy house with cramped proportions (and actually, for all the oddity of composition here, the details themselves are more fluidly executed than CPH.) AS I so often mention, this is not argumentative, just a learning curve for me.
---the stable building is rather elegant, as is the porch of the main house. And the porte cochere marquee gets high points for trying.
Hey what did I do? I will get you back next time DED, when Zack puts up another fine design by the esteemed CPH. (BTW When are we going to see more of his townhouse designs? Did someone say Delamars townhouse?) However I do think the client pretty much dictated Winfield Halls look. It is almost an exact replica of massing and boxy proportions of the earlier version, for better or worse, even down to the western portico, the flat pilasters on the facade, the porte cochere, etc. Yet Winfield soars with its great garden, landscaped terraces, entry court and eclectic interiors IMO, plus CPH did urban townhomes far better (Exception noted for Pembroke). But here? You are right that is where Mickey D's stole their mansard roof from and the service wing looks like a mini-me version of the big house. Very odd from the rear. Yet I love the elegant stable.
archibuff, grand is not the same thing as good, interior or exterior. The previous Winfield (also by Gilbert, I think?) was a much more interesting design than its replacement. It's pretty clear to me that Gilbert was much more at home with eclectic styles think the Sinclair house) and informal massing than he was with the French classicism that overtook rich American taste at the turn of the last century. And his detailing is hopelessly stiff, his proportions 'off' (Did the poor man never hear of the Golden Rectangle?). That's never the client's fault.
See you next round :-)
Maybe that octagon porch was originally an aquarium -- a convenient place to keep that giant vampire squid.
sec word: bankee: the mutant child of a banker and a banshee
Does anyone know when this home was demolished? And/or its actual address?
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