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Sleepy Hollow Country Club Architect: C.B. Macdonald / Seth Raynor Year: 1911 777 Albany Post Road, P.O. Box 9245 Scarborough, NY 10510-9245 (914) 941-8070 Course Access: Private www.SleepyHollowCC.org |
Sleepy Hollow Country Club
The two men assembled a board of directors to form a country club, including future Titanic victim John Jacob Astor IV, coal baron Edward Julius Berwind, cotillion leaders Elisha Dyer and Lispenard Stewart, and sportsmen W. Averell Harriman, Cornelius Vanderbilt III, and Harrison A. Williams.[13](p160)[nb 1] The country club was incorporated on May 11, 1911, with 600 members.[22] The directors' first meeting took place at Vanderlip's office at 55 Wall St., the National City Bank Building (Vanderlip was the president of the bank at the time). Initiation and yearly dues were each $100 ($2,600 in 2016[2]). For the first few years, the club rented Woodlea for $25,000 ($642,600 in 2016[2]) a year, and in 1912 the club purchased the property from Vanderlip and Rockefeller for $350,000 ($8,686,000 in 2016[2]). The club then constructed the golf course in close harmony to the existing lawns, and also built an outdoor garden theater with clipped cedars and a 16th-century Italian portal. The club ended up paying $310,000 for the land and house, and spent another $100,000 on improvements.[21] The club spent four years, starting in 1910, rearranging the house's kitchen, pantries, and service wing to house and serve more people, and in renovating one of the stables into a garage. The club also constructed more tennis courts and a toboggan slide for use in the winter.[7](p61) The grounds and Italian garden had been designed by the sons of Frederick Law Olmsted from 1895 to 1901,[13](p160) including long stretches of lawns[23](p36) and using American and foreign trees;[24] the club had Charles B. Macdonald and Seth Raynor design the first golf course in 1911,[25] and A. W. Tillinghast designed an update in 1935, succeeded by Gil Hanse's redesign from 18 to 27 holes around 2008.[6][26](p79)
In 1917 the club had 1,000 members, and its president was Frank Vanderlip.[21] In June of that year, William Rockefeller purchased 387 acres (0.6 sq mi) for the club, bringing its area to 480 acres (0.8 sq mi) (the house was originally sold with only 93 acres (0.1 sq mi)). Rockefeller spent $600,000 ($11,216,100 in 2016[2]), making it the largest single real estate transaction in the county.[21] The purchases allowed for the construction of about 40 houses on the club property.[15] New facilities were built in the 1920s, including a manager's house, skeet house, squash house, indoor riding ring, and swimming pool.[7](p61)[25] The club had operated at a loss from the beginning, and after the Wall Street Crash of 1929, club members were not successful in maintaining their wealth, and membership declined. Cuts were made – horses were sold, Woodlea was closed except for special occasions, and the golf house became the primary clubhouse. 5-acre (0.008 sq mi) building lots north of Woodlea were sold to members. In 1933, notable amateur golfer Bobby Jones played at the course.[27] The club was also not successful during World War II and later; in 1950 a member could stay overnight at Woodlea for $5 ($50 in 2016[2]), and for less in the golf house. The first formal dance that year also cost $5 a person. In 1961, in time for the club's 50th anniversary, Woodlea was redecorated with more modern fabrics, warm gold and forest green carpets, dropped lighting, and some lowered ceilings.[13](p167)[22]
Hillside Italian garden, c. 1906Original to the house, and occupying its northwest terrace against its service wing, was an Italian garden with vine-clad pergolas on each side, symmetrical gravel paths,[13](p164) marble benches, and long stone balustrades,[13](p165) giving it characteristics of a hanging garden. The garden was below the house's first floor, and was built against the hillside, occupying a portion of the slope that falls far below it. The lower walls of the house were screened with a row of large cedars planted on the highest part of the garden. The garden formed an immense rectangular space, and on the four sides of the terrace there were pergolas thickly overgrown with vines. In the center was a pool and a carved stone fountain imported from Rome.[28] Walks and beds of flowers and shrubbery occupied the rest, visible from the west-facing windows of the house.[12]
The garden was demolished in the 1960s, as was the golf house (in 1967).[13](p169) In the garden's location and replacing the use of the golf house, a wing was added to the clubhouse, constructed on the northeast terrace and completed in 1962.[25] The building holds a pro shop, dining facilities, and locker rooms. The structure was designed to be spacious and convenient and not be noticeable from the grounds below, although from Woodlea, the sight of the tar roof and ventilators was noted to be worse than the prior standing gardens.[13](pp167–8) The club hosted the NYNEX Commemorative from 1986 to 1993. In 1989, professional golfer Bob Charles set a current record when he won the tournament. In 2002, the club hosted the U.S. Women's Amateur Golf Championship.[27]
In 2014 the country club expanded and renovated the snack bar building, renovated the locker room building exterior, constructed a large array of solar panels on the roof of the locker room and dining facility building, and performed other renovations.[29] Replacing the golf house's location, a pool facility and tennis shop was constructed in 1968.[25]
The two men assembled a board of directors to form a country club, including future Titanic victim John Jacob Astor IV, coal baron Edward Julius Berwind, cotillion leaders Elisha Dyer and Lispenard Stewart, and sportsmen W. Averell Harriman, Cornelius Vanderbilt III, and Harrison A. Williams.[13](p160)[nb 1] The country club was incorporated on May 11, 1911, with 600 members.[22] The directors' first meeting took place at Vanderlip's office at 55 Wall St., the National City Bank Building (Vanderlip was the president of the bank at the time). Initiation and yearly dues were each $100 ($2,600 in 2016[2]). For the first few years, the club rented Woodlea for $25,000 ($642,600 in 2016[2]) a year, and in 1912 the club purchased the property from Vanderlip and Rockefeller for $350,000 ($8,686,000 in 2016[2]). The club then constructed the golf course in close harmony to the existing lawns, and also built an outdoor garden theater with clipped cedars and a 16th-century Italian portal. The club ended up paying $310,000 for the land and house, and spent another $100,000 on improvements.[21] The club spent four years, starting in 1910, rearranging the house's kitchen, pantries, and service wing to house and serve more people, and in renovating one of the stables into a garage. The club also constructed more tennis courts and a toboggan slide for use in the winter.[7](p61) The grounds and Italian garden had been designed by the sons of Frederick Law Olmsted from 1895 to 1901,[13](p160) including long stretches of lawns[23](p36) and using American and foreign trees;[24] the club had Charles B. Macdonald and Seth Raynor design the first golf course in 1911,[25] and A. W. Tillinghast designed an update in 1935, succeeded by Gil Hanse's redesign from 18 to 27 holes around 2008.[6][26](p79)
In 1917 the club had 1,000 members, and its president was Frank Vanderlip.[21] In June of that year, William Rockefeller purchased 387 acres (0.6 sq mi) for the club, bringing its area to 480 acres (0.8 sq mi) (the house was originally sold with only 93 acres (0.1 sq mi)). Rockefeller spent $600,000 ($11,216,100 in 2016[2]), making it the largest single real estate transaction in the county.[21] The purchases allowed for the construction of about 40 houses on the club property.[15] New facilities were built in the 1920s, including a manager's house, skeet house, squash house, indoor riding ring, and swimming pool.[7](p61)[25] The club had operated at a loss from the beginning, and after the Wall Street Crash of 1929, club members were not successful in maintaining their wealth, and membership declined. Cuts were made – horses were sold, Woodlea was closed except for special occasions, and the golf house became the primary clubhouse. 5-acre (0.008 sq mi) building lots north of Woodlea were sold to members. In 1933, notable amateur golfer Bobby Jones played at the course.[27] The club was also not successful during World War II and later; in 1950 a member could stay overnight at Woodlea for $5 ($50 in 2016[2]), and for less in the golf house. The first formal dance that year also cost $5 a person. In 1961, in time for the club's 50th anniversary, Woodlea was redecorated with more modern fabrics, warm gold and forest green carpets, dropped lighting, and some lowered ceilings.[13](p167)[22]
Hillside Italian garden, c. 1906Original to the house, and occupying its northwest terrace against its service wing, was an Italian garden with vine-clad pergolas on each side, symmetrical gravel paths,[13](p164) marble benches, and long stone balustrades,[13](p165) giving it characteristics of a hanging garden. The garden was below the house's first floor, and was built against the hillside, occupying a portion of the slope that falls far below it. The lower walls of the house were screened with a row of large cedars planted on the highest part of the garden. The garden formed an immense rectangular space, and on the four sides of the terrace there were pergolas thickly overgrown with vines. In the center was a pool and a carved stone fountain imported from Rome.[28] Walks and beds of flowers and shrubbery occupied the rest, visible from the west-facing windows of the house.[12]
The garden was demolished in the 1960s, as was the golf house (in 1967).[13](p169) In the garden's location and replacing the use of the golf house, a wing was added to the clubhouse, constructed on the northeast terrace and completed in 1962.[25] The building holds a pro shop, dining facilities, and locker rooms. The structure was designed to be spacious and convenient and not be noticeable from the grounds below, although from Woodlea, the sight of the tar roof and ventilators was noted to be worse than the prior standing gardens.[13](pp167–8) The club hosted the NYNEX Commemorative from 1986 to 1993. In 1989, professional golfer Bob Charles set a current record when he won the tournament. In 2002, the club hosted the U.S. Women's Amateur Golf Championship.[27]
In 2014 the country club expanded and renovated the snack bar building, renovated the locker room building exterior, constructed a large array of solar panels on the roof of the locker room and dining facility building, and performed other renovations.[29] Replacing the golf house's location, a pool facility and tennis shop was constructed in 1968.[25]
