Thank you to all members and friends who joined us this past Saturday, July 27, 2024 for the Roslyn Landmark Society's second Annual Historic House VIP Reception held at the historic Webb Institute!
The Webb Institute was founded as Webb's Academy and Home for Shipbuilders in the Bronx in 1889, by shipbuilder and philanthropist William H. Webb. Webb gifted the school a substantial endowment upon his death a decade later, which continues to primarily fund the school to this day. Following the death of Herbert L. Pratt, son of Standard Oil industrialist Charles Pratt, the school’s leadership purchased his Glen Cove estate to serve as the Webb Institute's new home beginning in 1947.During the VIP Reception, attendees were treated to two private tours led by Professor M. Spencer Boyd, a Webb Institute alumnus, and Peter Bentel, a partner at Bentel & Bentel Architects. Throughout the excursions, Professor Boyd provided an incredibly informative talk about the history of the Pratt family, William Webb, the marine industry, and the history of the historic site.
The tours also included exploration of Stevenson Taylor Hall, the mansion built by Herbert L. Pratt in 1912 known as “The Braes” that served as the main estate house. It was the largest of six Pratt family mansions built along the North Shore’s Gold Coast in Glen Cove during the first decades of the twentieth century.
As a member of the architectural team that added a 2018 addition of 30,000 square feet of teaching space to the campus without destroying the view of the mansion or overwhelming its prominence on the historic site, Peter Bentel also graciously provided valuable insight throughout the tour regarding the mansion, its history, and his firm's work to enhance it.
Many thanks again to Professor Boyd and Peter Bentel for leading the tours, as well as Webb Institute's President Mark Martecchini, Alyssa Caliguri, Gailmarie Sujecki, and John Ferrante for permitting access to the site and for all their assistance with this event.
The Roslyn Landmark Society's staff would also like to thank the Board Trustees serving on the Society's Fundraising & Events Committee (Rosanna Wolff, Daphne Hanjis, and Aviv Fine) for all their hard work to make the VIP Reception such a resounding success!
Special thanks also to Juliana Terian, owner of Rallye Motors, and our corporate sponsor of this event, Rallye Lexus.
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