Greentree
Encyclopedia
Greentree is a 400 acres (1.6 km²) estate
in Manhasset, New York
on Long Island
. Payne Whitney purchased the estate for his bride, Helen Julia Hay
, in 1904. Later, John Hay Whitney
and his second wife, Betsey
, occupied the main house, where Mrs. Whitney remained in residence there until her death in 1998.
Radio and TV talk show pioneers John Reagan "Tex" McCrary
, and his wife, model and movie star Jinx Falkenburg
, with their sons Kevin "Jock" McCrary and John Reagan "Paddy" McCrary, lived on and off the Jock Whitney estate from 1947 to 1977.
As with other Gold Coast Mansions
, the original estate was pieced together. The five family farms that were purchased to make up the new estate were the Mitchell, Ketchum, Brinkerhoff, Skidmore, and Schenck farms. The estate was latter divided, with gifts of land being made to several organizations. The North Shore Unitarian Universalist
Society, received a portion adjacent to Shelter Rock Road and has built a large Worship Hall on the site of the former Apple Orchard. The old clay real tennis
court court was removed at that time. North Shore Manhasset Hospital also received a donation of property adjacent to Community Drive. The remaining 408 acres, including the family home, are run by the Greentree Foundation, as a conference center dedicated to international justice and human rights issues.
The estate has hosted the Manhasset negotiations
, a round of talks between Morocco
and the Polisario Front, August 10–12, 2007, as part of a set of UN-led meetings centering on the future of Western Sahara
, among others.
Estate (house)
An estate comprises the houses and outbuildings and supporting farmland and woods that surround the gardens and grounds of a very large property, such as a country house or mansion. It is the modern term for a manor, but lacks the latter's now abolished jurisdictional authority...
in Manhasset, New York
Manhasset, New York
Manhasset is a hamlet and neighborhood in Nassau County, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2010 Census, the population was 8,080....
on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
. Payne Whitney purchased the estate for his bride, Helen Julia Hay
Helen Hay Whitney
Helen Julia Hay Whitney was an American poet, writer, racehorse owner/breeder, socialite, and philanthropist. She was a member by marriage of the prominent Whitney family of New York.-Biography:...
, in 1904. Later, John Hay Whitney
John Hay Whitney
John Hay Whitney , colloquially known as "Jock" Whitney, was U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, publisher of the New York Herald Tribune, and a member of the Whitney family.-Family:...
and his second wife, Betsey
Betsey Cushing Roosevelt Whitney
Betsey Roosevelt Whitney , was an American philanthropist, the ex-wife of James Roosevelt , and later wife of American millionaire and U.S. Ambassador to the Court of St...
, occupied the main house, where Mrs. Whitney remained in residence there until her death in 1998.
Radio and TV talk show pioneers John Reagan "Tex" McCrary
Tex McCrary
John Reagan McCrary , better known as Tex McCrary, was an American journalist and public relations specialist who invented the talk show genre for television and radio, and appeared on radio and TV with his wife, Jinx Falkenburg.Born in Calvert, Texas, McCrary graduated from the Phillips Exeter...
, and his wife, model and movie star Jinx Falkenburg
Jinx Falkenburg
Jinx Falkenburg was an actress, expert swimmer and tennis star, and one of the highest-paid and most ubiquitous cover-girl models in the United States during the 1930s and 1940s, one of the first supermodels. She married journalist and influential publicist Tex McCrary in 1945...
, with their sons Kevin "Jock" McCrary and John Reagan "Paddy" McCrary, lived on and off the Jock Whitney estate from 1947 to 1977.
As with other Gold Coast Mansions
Gold Coast Mansions
The north shore of Long Island, New York, USA in a sixteen mile stretch from Great Neck to Huntington, was a favorite retreat for the rich and the famous. Many were wealthy industrialists of the Gilded Age who pioneered great industries. These captains of industry spent fortunes on their lavish...
, the original estate was pieced together. The five family farms that were purchased to make up the new estate were the Mitchell, Ketchum, Brinkerhoff, Skidmore, and Schenck farms. The estate was latter divided, with gifts of land being made to several organizations. The North Shore Unitarian Universalist
Unitarian Universalism
Unitarian Universalism is a religion characterized by support for a "free and responsible search for truth and meaning". Unitarian Universalists do not share a creed; rather, they are unified by their shared search for spiritual growth and by the understanding that an individual's theology is a...
Society, received a portion adjacent to Shelter Rock Road and has built a large Worship Hall on the site of the former Apple Orchard. The old clay real tennis
Real tennis
Real tennis – one of several games sometimes called "the sport of kings" – is the original indoor racquet sport from which the modern game of lawn tennis , is descended...
court court was removed at that time. North Shore Manhasset Hospital also received a donation of property adjacent to Community Drive. The remaining 408 acres, including the family home, are run by the Greentree Foundation, as a conference center dedicated to international justice and human rights issues.
The estate has hosted the Manhasset negotiations
Manhasset negotiations
The Manhasset negotiations were a series of talks that took place in four rounds in 2007-2008 at Manhasset, New York between the Moroccan government and the representatives of the Saharawi liberation movement, the Polisario Front to resolve the Western Sahara conflict...
, a round of talks between Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
and the Polisario Front, August 10–12, 2007, as part of a set of UN-led meetings centering on the future of Western Sahara
Western Sahara
Western Sahara is a disputed territory in North Africa, bordered by Morocco to the north, Algeria to the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its surface area amounts to . It is one of the most sparsely populated territories in the world, mainly...
, among others.