Edgewater (Barrytown, New York)

The history of Edgewater dates back to December 23, 1819, when Bishop Hobart of New York City married "Lowndes Brown, esq. of Charleston S.C. to Miss Margaretta Livingston, daughter of John R. Livingston, esq." [6] The groom, Rawlins Lowndes Brown (1792–1852), was a graduate of Yale, class of 1806, and had been (as recently as September 1819 when he resigned his commission) Captain Lowndes Brown in charge of Company G stationed on Governors Island.[7]

In 1824, possibly as a belated wedding gift, John R. Livingston gave the 250-acre Edgewater property to his daughter and son-in-law, and the house may have been built about that time.[8]

The New York financier and aesthete Robert Donaldson Jr. (1800–1872) bought Edgewater in 1853.[9] Donaldson engaged the architect Alexander Jackson Davis (1803–1892) to add an octagonal library wing, and to clad the brick house with brownstone tinted stucco.[10] Davis also designed two gatehouses.[11] In 1902, the executor of the Donaldson estate sold the house to Elizabeth Chapman (1866-1937).[12]

Elizabeth Chapman (portrayed by John Singer Sargent) bought Edgewater in 1902.

Elizabeth Chapman was the second wife of the essayist John Jay Chapman. Born Elizabeth Astor Winthrop Chanler, the daughter of John Winthrop Chanler and Margaret Astor Ward, she grew up at Rokeby, a nearby house. Elizabeth Chapman probably never occupied Edgewater, or if she did, it was not for long—in 1906, she and her husband moved into a new house designed by the architect Charles A. Platt, built on the hill above Edgewater and known as Sylvania. However, her mother-in-law, Eleanor Jay Chapman (a great-granddaughter of Supreme Court Chief Justice John Jay) lived at Edgewater from 1910 until at least 1914.[13][14]

In 1917, Elizabeth Chapman sold the Edgewater property (not including either gate house) to her stepson Conrad Chapman (1896–1989) for $1.00. He probably never occupied the house either as he lived abroad during most of his time as Edgewater's freeholder.[15] In 1946, Conrad Chapman sold Edgewater to Laura M. Taylor for $1.00.

Robert Kirby Taylor and Laura Scantlin were married at Pittsburg in 1907,[16] and as of 1940, they were living at 444 East 58th Street in New York City, where Taylor worked as a "woolen merchant."[17] In November 1944, they were in Cold Spring, New York when their son's house was destroyed by fire.[18] Sometime later, they leased Edgewater where Robert Taylor died in June 1946.[19] One month later, Laura Taylor bought Edgewater, holding it until 1950 when she sold to the writer Gore Vidal.[20]

The writer Gore Vidal in 1948, two years before he bought Edgewater.

Gore Vidal bought Edgewater at the recommendation of his friend, Alice Astor Bouverie.[21] In 1960, he ran as the Democratic candidate for Congress for the 29th Congressional District of New York State, using Edgewater as his campaign headquarters. He lost to the Republican candidate J. Ernest Wharton, by a margin of 57 percent to 43 percent.[22] Among Vidal's supporters were Eleanor Roosevelt, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, all of whom spoke on his behalf.[23]

In November 1966, Vidal, now living in Italy, rented Edgewater to William vanden Heuvel, a lawyer, aide to Robert F. Kennedy, and husband of the writer Jean Stein.[24] In 1969, Vidal sold Edgewater to Richard Jenrette.

New York financier and preservationist Richard Jenrette bought Edgewater from Gore Vidal in 1969, by which time the house sat on 2.69 acres.[25] During his tenure, Jenrette completed a restoration of the house and bought back much of the acreage (although not the two gatehouses). He also commissioned two new buildings, a classical pavilion (1997) and poolhouse (1998), designed by the architect Michael Dwyer.[26] Jenrette died at Charleston, South Carolina on April 22, 2018.

Edgewater is currently owned by the Classical American Homes Preservation Trust, a foundation created by Richard Jenrette.