For many, the mere thought of Old Westbury conjures vivid images of the iconic Westbury house and the breathtaking gardens that surround it. But long before it became a destination for millions of visitors, Old Westbury Gardens was home to one of Old Westbury’s oldest and most notable families. John and Margarita Phipps built the Westbury House in the early 1900s, reserving almost half of the purchased land to create English-style gardens that Margarita had adored. The Phipps family lived in the home for about 50 years before their daughter, Margaret “Peggy” Phipps Boegner, inherited the home and its magnificent gardens and decided to open Old Westbury Gardens to the public. Her intention was to preserve the stately home and magnificent gardens her mother treasured. Her relative, Mary Phipps, was also a strong supporter of preservation and served as CEO and later Chairman of Old Westbury Gardens during her many years of leadership. It’s only fitting that today, the responsibility of preserving the Phipps family’s legacy is being led by two women who share in the steadfast commitment of the women who came before them.

If anything is clear from looking through the photos from the family archives, it is that this was a place largely ruled by children and dogs! There are very few pictures of the children inside Westbury House since I think they spent most of the daylight hours out on the grounds. Peggie’s recollection of her childhood confirmed that she and her brothers spent most of their days playing games that involved a great deal of imagination and a little mischief. I love to see children enjoying the gardens the way the Phipps children did - crouched at the edge of the pond watching turtles on a log or running in and out of the log cabin houses. Our Dog Days take place in both the spring and fall so canine visitors can also enjoy the gardens. We have a wonderful archival photograph of the children dressed to perform “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” That was the inspiration for our ‘Midsummer Nights’ Weekend where we adorn the statues with garlands and add illumination to the gardens so that guests can enjoy the twilight and early evening hours on the longest days of the year. People bring picnics and enjoy the music that we have throughout the gardens. It all feels magical.

They both had a tremendous amount of influence on me. Many of our long-time members know that both women were present in the garden almost every single day of the growing season. Mrs. Boegner would often come over in her golf cart in the late afternoon with her little dog in her lap to check on the gardens. She had the most incredible memory of the way things were during her childhood even when she was in her nineties. I can remember her telling me one afternoon that we needed to find some ‘Heavenly Blue’ Morning Glories to plant in the Cottage Garden because her mother always had them there. She was the link to the past that kept the gardens as true to the original design as they are now over decades of staff changes. That is what really sets apart from so many of our peer institutions - our authenticity.

Mary Phipps did not grow up on Long Island but was incredibly devoted to Old Westbury Gardens. I loved my walks around the garden with Mary. She had a keen eye and was wonderful at pointing out things we could improve upon without ever seeming critical. Mrs. Phipps was probably nine inches taller than me so she would often point out that I needed to prune the branches over the paths for people who are taller than 5’2! The restoration work that is ongoing on the east side of the property now was inspired by the many conversations we had and emails we exchanged over the years. Mrs. Phipps loved the formal gardens but also saw the wooded areas and trails as being of equal importance. Mary thought that visitors needed to use these areas for quiet reflection. She was way ahead of her time in the way she thought about the gardens as a place of contemplation and mindfulness.  She would be thrilled to see how many people are now extending their visit by taking a walk around the East Lake and she would likely remind me to keep the overhead clear of branches so nobody bumped their head! 

The challenge of restoring the food preparation areas relied on using historic floorplans and inventories of equipment and food items found in the archives. There are no photographs of what the spaces looked like except where they were anchored by the original stove, dressers, outlines of sinks or shelving. Everything from the stove, meat lockers, dishwashers to annunciators and specialty sinks were of the highest quality and frequently intended for use in restaurants or hotels. The original 1906 kitchen was on the main floor but with the extension of the Service Wing in 1911 we discovered that many built-ins and appliances were repurposed in the new space, a sign of Mr. Phipps’ oversight of expenditures made to Westbury House and the household. Food lists and invoices indicate the family’s preferences and the beginnings of prepared foods for the domestic staff – time savers that eventually led to their decline.  So far we haven’t found menus but we do have photographs of the family celebrating the holidays in the Dining Room. The restoration will continue as we continue to find more information. For example, we recently found an article about the opening of a Frozen Food Locker facility in 1945 to be located in Westbury with a note from Mr. Phipps asking if they could rent a space that would accommodate a steer. 

We recently completed the restoration of the Westbury House sloped roof and cornice. The challenge was replacing the original 1906 limestone slates with the same material – a criteria for a site listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The catch is we don’t use this material in the U.S. as it is mined in the British Midlands. The stone is valued for its golden hue, which serves as a beautiful palette to the landscape and changing seasons. The stone had been mined for hundreds of years under very labor intensive conditions which by the 1960’s proved economically impractical and the mines closed production. The stone comes from the tiny village of Collyweston and we were fortunate that Cambridge University needed a large quantity of slates for a restoration project. It was enough of an incentive for the mine to reopen and for the owner working with Historic England to develop a cost-effective method to produce slate. So after decades of dealing with roof leaks and damage to the third floor areas we were ready to address the project. A British crew of slaters were needed to do the installation as American slaters are unfamiliar with the process. There were numerous visits by the architectural team and general contractor to ensure that quality slates were being produced under the new protocol. The project commenced in late 2019 and was to resume in April of 2020 only to be delayed by the pandemic. The roof was completed in May 2021. 

How to Properly Care for Antiques and Treasures in Your Home

by Lorraine Gilligan, Director of Preservation at Old Westbury Gardens

Taking care of the historic family rooms in Westbury House and their contents ensures that visitors will have a memorable experience as they explore the formal and working areas. The curatorial and cleaning staff at Old Westbury Gardens are careful with the kinds of products they use, how they handle an item, and how they deal with environmental issues such as sunlight, pests, fluctuations in temperature and humidity, and water damage. Our motto in caring for historic furnishings, paintings, and objects is: ‘do no harm.’

 

If you have items you treasure –  for their quality, history or sentimental value – here are some tips to keep them in good condition:

 

By adopting these simple yet effective care tips for your own cherished belongings, you can safeguard the stories and memories embedded within them while ensuring their longevity.