"Willow Bank"
Old Brookville, New York
Upon entering the lush estate of Willow Bank, one feels as though they have arrived in another time – a time of grandeur and prestige. The estate stands as an exemplar of the Gold Coast and the Golden Age of America. One can imagine the many distinguished guests who have arrived in the granite cobblestone-lined drive court since its inception. The house was built in 1920 in the Colonial Revival style, as portrayed in the symmetrical composition of the main façade, the twin chimneys, and the measured proportions of the home. Renowned architect of the early 1900’s, Bradley Delehanty, was engaged by financier Francis Gordon Brown III to design this elegant home. Other exterior architectural features of the brick home include a sunburst light above the main entry door, large double-hung German wood windows, arched French doors, Vermont slate roofing with copper standing-seam roof accents, and carriage door-style garage doors.
The original portion of the home is a modified Center Hall Colonial, with a central winding staircase that anchors the entry foyer. The living room maintains its original dentil crown molding, with intricate ceiling paneling and raised-wall paneling at the fireplace. The original raised-panel pine wall paneling, woodwork around the fireplace, and dentil crown moldings in the dining room have likewise been meticulously maintained over the course of a century. Similarly, raised wall panel wainscoting lines the hallways. The sun-drenched west-facing family room has a carved natural verde stone mantel, arched doorways and custom integrated millwork with intricate radiused casings. An adjacent sunroom features beadboard ceilings, natural stone knee walls, and natural cleft-finish stone slab pavers transitioning into stepping stones in the courtyard. The continuity of material from indoor to outdoor space blurs the boundary between the two, visually and experientially extending interior space to the exterior.
An extensive addition built in the early 2000s ushered the home into modern day: creating a spacious kitchen for cooking and entertaining guests, kitchen dining room, den, study, great room, as well as a massage room with a panoptic view of the grounds. The extension cleverly encircles a lush courtyard, providing ample natural light and views into the garden from nearly every vantage point inside the home. The southern wing of the extension is situated between the courtyard and the swimming pool, allowing a natural flow between indoor and outdoor spaces. The French provincial kitchen features top-line appliances, overlay cabinet doors and natural white Carrara countertops with matching slab backsplashes. The ceiling is articulated with beadboard and trim. An adjacent kitchen dining room features Roman Tuscan-style columns, glazed French doors, French provincial wallcoverings, and is crowned with a daylight-filled octagonal cathedral ceiling and copper-topped cupola. A doublesided fireplace offers a visual connection between the kitchen dining room and the den. Wall paneling cleverly conceals integrated cabinets. No detail is spared even in the study, which features coffered ceilings with v-groove paneling for a transitional look.
On the upper floor, the picturesque primary suite features a substantial walk-in closet with no lack of storage and thoughtful detail. The primary bathroom features Ming green marble tiles with basketweave mosaic, white Thassos marble tiles, and satin brass plumbing fixtures. The charming secondary bedrooms all have ample amounts of built-in storage with classic full-height cabinetry. The panel wainscoting throughout the hallways ties the upper floor together with the features of the first floor.
