Wallace K. Harrison Estate
Encyclopedia
Wallace K. Harrison Estate is a historic estate located at West Hills
in Suffolk County, New York
, the home of architect Wallace K. Harrison of the New York firm Harrison & Abramovitz
.. The estate home is a rambling, one story flat roofed concrete main house with a two story circular living room near the center. It was built in 1929 in the International style
. Also on the estate are a garage, two guest cottages, a studio, and a circular swimming pool. The property was purchased by Harrison and his wife in the early 1930s. Harrison bought a prefabricated house for $1000, the Aluminaire House
, designed by A. Lawrence Kocher and Albert Frey for the Architectural League Show of 1931 in New York. He also embarked on the main house, which was initially built as a wing to what was called the "Tin House." As the complex grew the Tin House was relocated and became a guest cottage.
The estate was sold by the Harrisons in 1974 to Hester Diamond, who placed the estate on the National Register of Historic Places
. Subsequent owners placed the house for sale amid concerns about potential demolition, but the house was restored by the buyers, with guidance from architects SchappacherWhite. The Aluminaire House was disassembled and acquired by the New York Institute of Technology
campus at Central Islip, which reasembled it. The property is to be transferred to a trust dedicated to its maintenance.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1985.
West Hills, New York
West Hills is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Huntington, Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 5,607 at the 2000 census...
in Suffolk County, New York
Suffolk County, New York
Suffolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York on the eastern portion of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,493,350. It was named for the county of Suffolk in England, from which its earliest settlers came...
, the home of architect Wallace K. Harrison of the New York firm Harrison & Abramovitz
Harrison & Abramovitz
Harrison & Abramovitz was an American architectural firm based in New York and active from 1941 through 1976, a partnership of Wallace Harrison and Max Abramovitz....
.. The estate home is a rambling, one story flat roofed concrete main house with a two story circular living room near the center. It was built in 1929 in the International style
International style (architecture)
The International style is a major architectural style that emerged in the 1920s and 1930s, the formative decades of Modern architecture. The term originated from the name of a book by Henry-Russell Hitchcock and Philip Johnson, The International Style...
. Also on the estate are a garage, two guest cottages, a studio, and a circular swimming pool. The property was purchased by Harrison and his wife in the early 1930s. Harrison bought a prefabricated house for $1000, the Aluminaire House
Aluminaire House
The Aluminaire House was designed as a case study by architects A. Lawrence Kocher and Albert Frey in 1931 for the New York Architectural League Show at the Museum of Modern Art. The three-story house, made of donated materials and built in ten days, was the first all-metal house in the United...
, designed by A. Lawrence Kocher and Albert Frey for the Architectural League Show of 1931 in New York. He also embarked on the main house, which was initially built as a wing to what was called the "Tin House." As the complex grew the Tin House was relocated and became a guest cottage.
The estate was sold by the Harrisons in 1974 to Hester Diamond, who placed the estate on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. Subsequent owners placed the house for sale amid concerns about potential demolition, but the house was restored by the buyers, with guidance from architects SchappacherWhite. The Aluminaire House was disassembled and acquired by the New York Institute of Technology
New York Institute of Technology
New York Institute of Technology is a private, non-sectarian, co-educational research university in New York City. NYIT has five schools and two colleges, all with a strong emphasis on technology and applied scientific research...
campus at Central Islip, which reasembled it. The property is to be transferred to a trust dedicated to its maintenance.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1985.