The Elmcroft Estate, also called the Norwich House, is a historic 14.06 acres estate in
Upper Brookville, New York, U.S.
History
The three-story
Georgian style
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover, George I, George II, Ge ...
mansion was built by Little & Brown
between 1917-1920
for industrialist Frank C.B. Page, president of
E. W. Bliss Company
The E. W. Bliss Company was a manufacturer of machine tools founded by Eliphalet Williams Bliss. The company was based in Brooklyn, New York and relocated to Hastings, Michigan in 1919.
History
In 1857, Bliss formed a partnership with John Mays. ...
, and his wife Henrietta Jackson.
When completed it covered 18,929 square feet and had 38 rooms - 11 of which were bathrooms.
The estate also contains a stable-garage, guest cottage, and superintendent cottage.
Landscaping was designed by A. Chandler Manning, Esq. and done by Lewis & Valentine Company.
From 1938 it was the residence of
Nathan L. Miller, who served as the governor of New York from 1921 to 1922.
Around 1938 Miller added an indoor swimming pool to the residence.
From 1945 onwards Miller was not occupying the estate, leading to a real estate firm purchasing the estate.
On September 18, 1952,
the estate was purchased for $80,000 by the
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
as a country retreat for members of their
UN mission,
with title of the property made out to
Jacob A. Malik.
On December 30, 2016, Russian access to the site was curtailed in the wake of the alleged
Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections
The Russian government conducted Foreign electoral intervention, foreign electoral interference in the 2016 United States elections with the goals of sabotaging the Hillary Clinton 2016 presidential campaign, presidential campaign of Hillar ...
as part of
a number of sanctions taken by the United States government against Russian diplomatic personnel.
As of early 2025 the US and Russian governments are in talks to opening the estate again.
Events
In 1964, cosmonaut
Yuri Gagarin
Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin; Gagarin's first name is sometimes transliterated as ''Yuriy'', ''Youri'', or ''Yury''. (9 March 1934 – 27 March 1968) was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut who, aboard the first successful Human spaceflight, crewed sp ...
- the first person in space - planted a
birch tree
A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech-oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 30 to ...
on the estate.
Gallery
File:Elmcroft first page brochure.jpg, Entrance court
File:Elmcroft Estate landscaping.png, Landscaping from April 1921
File:Elmcroft Estate owned by Russia.png, Russia's ownership of estate
See also
*
*
List of diplomatic missions of Russia
This is a list of diplomatic missions of Russia. These missions are subordinate to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Russia), Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Russia, Russian Federation has one of the largest networks of embassies and cons ...
*
List of ambassadors of Russia to the United States
The Russian ambassador to the United States is the official representative of the president of the Russian Federation and the Russian government to the president of the United States and the United States government. The ambassador's official tit ...
*
Killenworth
Killenworth is a historic mansion in Glen Cove, New York constructed for George Dupont Pratt in 1912. It was purchased by the Soviet Union in 1946 to become the country retreat of the Soviet, and later Russian, delegation to the United Nations. I ...
*
Pioneer Point
References
External links
Wikimapia info on Elmcroft EstateAerial photo of Elmcroft Estate from 1953
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elmcroft Estate
1910s architecture in the United States
1920s architecture in the United States
Houses completed in 1920
Mansions of Gold Coast, Long Island
Oyster Bay (town), New York
Russia–United States relations
Russian ambassadorial residences
Soviet Union–United States relations