If you recently got married and had a nice bit of change to spend, what would you spend it on? For William & Mai Coe in 1913, the answer was simple: purchase a 400-acre estate on Long Island’s “Gold Coast,” have the grounds designed by world-famous landscape architects, fill it with rare species of trees and plants, and then build a 65-room mansion for the cherry-on-top. Fortunately, it’s still all preserved over a century later, and ready to be explored.
Join New York Adventure Club for a virtual exploration of Planting Fields, a sprawling Gilded Age estate in Oyster Bay built between 1918 and 1924 for insurance magnate William Robertson Coe, and his wife, Standard Oil heiress Mai Rogers Coe.
Led by docent Elizabeth Abrams, our unique experience around the historic 409-acre estate will include:
- The history and story of the Coe Family, from their accumulation of vast sums of wealth to the ambitious transformation of their grounds into a botanical marvel
- A discussion around the Planting Fields grounds (designed by Guy Lowell, A. Robeson Sargent, and the Olmsted Brothers Firm), teeming with historic formal gardens, greenhouses, and rare species of trees & plants
- A digital walkthrough of Coe Hall, a 65-room Tudor Revival mansion featuring evidence of Mai’s patronage of living artists including commissioned murals by American artists Robert Winthrop Chanler and Everett Shinn, ironwork by Samuel Yellin, and interior design by famed tastemaker Elsie De Wolf
- Rare archival photos by Mattie Edwards Hewitt that reveal the evolution of the buildings and gardens of the estate
Afterward, we’ll have a Q&A with Elizabeth — any and all questions about Planting Fields are welcomed and encouraged!
Can’t make it live? Don’t worry, you’ll have access to the full replay for one week! $10. Register at www.AdventureClub.com
