'Wooldon Manor & The Orchard: Southampton's Gilded Age Estates' Webinar

Of all the summer cottages in Southampton, NY during the Gilded Age, none were as opulent and outrageous as The Orchard and Wooldon Manor. From wild parties that would make Jay Gatsby blush, to being the pièce de résistance of the era's top architects, these two country estates outshined and outsized their fellow neighbors in every measurable way. It's time to explore two supersized seaside palaces of the day, whose owners would come to discover that money does not always bring happiness.

Join New York Adventure Club as we go back in time to uncover the incredible story of Wooldon Manor and The Orchard, two of the most prominent estates in Southampton, NY at the turn of the 20th century.

Led by historian Gary Lawrance, our virtual showcase of these grand properties will include:

• The evolution of Wooldon Manor from a once-empty lot of sand to a mansion so large that even Southampton Society found it too rich and showy
• How The Orchard transformed from a small farmhouse into one of the finest homes in the Hamptons
• Stories of splendor and tragedy surrounding the estate owners, from the Breese & Merrill families (The Orchard) to the 5&10 cent store heiress Jessie Woolworth Donahue (Wooldon Manor)
• How these homes reshaped Southampton into a social playground of New York's elite, along with tales of their past glories
• The battle to save these homes from demolition, and what remains today of each
• Rarely seen archival images, floor plans, and color garden views

Afterward, we’ll have a Q&A with Gary — any and all questions about Wooldon Manor and The Orchard are welcomed and encouraged!

Can't make it live? Don't worry, you'll have access to the full replay for one week!

See you there, virtually!

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***A full replay of the experience will be available to all registered guests for up to a week

****If the event has already passed, but it's been less than a week, you can still register for it on our website's active replay section!

About Gary

Architect, Author, and Historian Gary Lawrance is an architect from Stony Brook, New York. His firm, Lawrance Architectural Presentations, provides design presentations, architectural models, digital renderings, and design development services to architects, landscape architects and interior designers.

Mr. Lawrance has an extensive background in the history of Gilded Age architecture, landscapes, and society, and co-authored the bestselling book, “Houses of the Hamptons 1880-1930” with Anne Surchin (Acanthus Press 2007, Revised 3rd Printing 2013).

Mr. Lawrance’s work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Hamptons Cottages & Gardens, Newsday, New York Social Diary, Southampton Press, and more. Mr. Lawrance has written for Architectural Digest, Dan’s Papers, Quest magazine, and his two blogs, Mansions of the Gilded Age and Houses of the Hamptons in addition to founding and contributing to the two very successful Facebook groups, Mansions of the Gilded Age & The Gilded Age Society with over 160,000 members combined. Mr. Lawrance also manages two equally popular Instagram accounts, Mansions of the Gilded Age & The Gilded Age Society.

Testimonials

"I like the floor plans and interior/exterior photos of the houses, anecdotes and stories about the owners." -Geoffrey

"The photos of course - fascinating! Also Gary provides such interesting details on the area, it's founding, the families and the transitions of the properties." -Patricia

"As with every Webinar I see, I learned things that I did not know and find it very informative and Gary knows his stuff." -Leslie

"I loved the photos and Gary’s knowledge and story telling ability." -Stephanie

"I liked the inside stories. Given that there were only two homes featured, Gary was able to show more photos and tell more details about the homes." -Lisa

"Subject matter, knowledge of the topic and style of delivery." -Clare

"The presenter was very knowledgeable. It was interesting to hear about the Woolworth family." -Ann

"Mr. Lawrence was an awesome presenter. So fun hearing all his personal anecdotes & own adventures at the properties. The vintage photos were a trip. Loved it!" -Diane

"I liked the relaxed, informal nature of the presentation." -Garth

" Gary is an excellent presenter and his knowledge of the subject matter makes it all the more interesting." -Patricia

" Enjoyed Gary's presentation and his great attention and care to detail and context" -Nicki

" I learned much about Southampton and the Donohue family." -Kevin

" Learning more than I thought I did and it was great!" -Leslie

" I loved all the pictures and how knowledgeable the speaker was about the subjects." -Mindy

" Gary is a great researcher and so knowledgable about his topic." -Sally

" The wealth of knowledge that Gary related. He had wonderful facts" Magda

" Wonderful photos, at ease delivery." -Elizabeth

"I like the stories about the families. Seeing the pictures of the houses." -Joel

"Very interesting to see some of the mansions of the Gilded Age" -Carolyn

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Categories: Virtual, Gilded Age

Event Venue

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