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Image provided by: Suffolk Cooperative Library System
All dressed up for the hohday season TTE: The Vanderbilt Museum in Centerport celebrates an old fashioned Christmas BY ELISE PEARLMAN Eagle's Nest, William K. Vanderbilt H's magnificent Centerport residence, sits on 43 rolling acres overlooking Long Island Sound and Northport Harbor. The 24-room gold coast man- sion, with its unusual Spanish architec- ture. served as Vanderbilt's summer home. Once a modest bachelor's retreat, the mansion was expanded to spectacu- lat proportions using the $21 million Vanderbilt imhenited after his father's death. Happily. Vanderbilt had a vision of sharing the beauty of his surroundings and the knowledge gained through his world travels with others. The estate, along with funds for its perpetuation, was willed to Suffolk County upon Vanderbilt's death, and opened as a museum in 1950. According to Florence Ogg, the museum's director of archives and col- lections, visitors to Eagle's Nest are in for an extraordinary treat this holiday season. As they tourthe houseand learn about the remarkable Vanderbilt legacy, they will view the handiwork of local garden clubs which recalls the magic of a bygone Christmas. The holiday tours of the Vanderbilt Mansion have been a tradition for many years, Ogg said. indicating that this year's tour is based on \an interpreta- ton of a 1936 holiday season.\ According to Ogg, planning for holi- day tour began months ago when she met with director J. Lance Mallamo to discuss the theme and its implementa- : tion. She later conferred with the garden clubs, and the decoration of the various rooms was assigned. Ogg indicated that the garden clubs draw on a collection of vintage oma- ments that the museum has amassed over the years, augmenting their artistry with festive garlands, high quality wire ribbon, and artificial flowers. Every effort is made to convey the opulence and refinement has been the Vanderbilt hallmark. \Color is very important,\ Ogg. noted, \Everything is very under- stated, subtle and elegant. Even the wrapping paper coordinates with the color scheme of the room. Every detail is worked out beforehand.\ The Vanderbilts were able to accom- modate an unusually large number of dinner guests because their large-scale furniture once served monasteries and cathedrals. The Vanderbilt dining room, decorated in rich earth tones, conveys the abundanceand bounty that would have characterized an elaborate holiday feast serving the likes of writer Dorothy Parker, decorator Elsie De Wolfe, publisher Conde Nast, profes- sional golfer Sam Snead and play- wright George S. Kaufman. The Centerport Garden Club used orna- mental fruit, flowers and greens to dec- orate this room in the effusive style of Members of the Honey Hills Garden Club, Michele Brosnan Marilyn Amodio prepare to decorate Dorothy Parker's befroc poem, One Perfect Rose. della Robbia, an Italian artist. The Three Village Garden Club (Setauket/Stony Brook arca) decorated Vanderbilt's gracious library. 'The tradi- tional Christmas tree, sheltering a wealth of unopened presents, projects the antic- ipation associated withChristmas Eve. In contrast, visitors to the organ room, decorated by the Nathan Hale Garden Club (Huntington Harbor , Peggy Stepanek and in the theme of her areca), will feel as if they have wan- dered into the mansion on Christmas morning. Ogg said that vintage photo- graphic paraphernalia scattered throughout the room is meant to con- vey the impression that Conde Nast had come to do a photo layout of the organ room and its guests for a maga- zine holiday issue. Continued on page B35 Diamond & Gold Neck \Tinsel\ This Holiday... \Forget The Tree... ©ecorate Each Other Instead.\ Diamond f Wrist k... \Garland\ if 1 J Lighthouse Landing - 14 East Broadway « Port Jefferson Rare Tahitian Rr] ; - Pearl & Rak. ~ Diamond ley,. \Ornaments\ Open every day 'til Christmas . (631) ”3:11\ be Mme“?! Eanes enne eee snene ess