Harry E. Donnell House

Infobox_nrhp | name = Harry E. Donnell House
nrhp_type =


caption = The Hill
location= Eatons Neck, New York
area = 16,000 sq ft
built = 1902 - 1903
architect= Harry Ellingwood Donnell
architecture= Neo Tudor
added = September 26 1985
governing_body = Private
refnum=85002516 cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2007-01-23|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service]

The Harry E. Donnell House, also known as The Hill, is a historic 33-room Tudor mansion located on the north shore of Long Island, at 71 Locust Lane, Eatons Neck, New York. The mansion was designed by prominent New York City architecht Harry E. Donnell for his wife, Ruth Robinson Donnell on 200 acres of land given to the couple by Ruth's father George H. Robinson. The mansion was constructed in June, 1902 and completed in January, 1903 by the Randall and Miller Company of Patchogue, New York. ["The Long Islander, Jan 2, 1903 page 1"] . When completed, the mansion had dual waterfronts. The east lawn extended from the mansion to Duck Island Harbor, and had sweeping views of Long Island Sound, while the south lawn extended to Northport Bay. About 80 acres northwest of the mansion was fashioned into a golf course.

In 1927, the estate was subdivided, and the Eaton Harbors Corporation created to maintain the private roads and beaches for the new owners in the subdivision. During the Great Depression sales of building lots on the old estate moved slowly. In 1964, the mansion and four acres were sold by Nicholas Donnell Ward to the Lang family, and in 1977 purchased by the Treuting and McBrien families. In 1987, it was purchased by Robert Gerlach. "cite book | last = Carr | first = Edward A.T. | coauthors = Michael W. Carr, Kari Ann Carr | title = Faded Laurels, The History of Eaton's Neck and Asharoken | publisher = Heart of the Lakes Publishing | date = 1994 | pages = 138-144 | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=OP4MAQAACAAJ&dq=faded+laurels | isbn = 1557871191, 9781557871190]

In 1997, the mansion was sold to the Carr family, who obtained the original architectural plans from Nicholas D. Ward and used them to restore the mansion to it's original design and finish. In 2002, the Carrs obtained a special use permit from the Town of Huntington, New York to operate a bed and breakfast after a lenghthy court battle.

The Harry E. Donnell House was added to the National Register of Historic Places [http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/NY/Suffolk/state2.html] in 1985.

References

External links

* [http://www.archiplanet.org/wiki/Donnell,_Harry_E.,_House National Register listing for H.E. Donnell House]
* [http://www.bbonline.com/ny/carr Carr Bed and Breakfast website with photos]