Apr 05, 2023
Hartford Hall
Completed in 1928, for John A. Hartford (1872-1951) and his wife Pauline Corwin (1872-1948) when it was called "Buena Vista Farm". Hartford was the son of the owner of A&P grocery stores that under him and his brother swelled to 16,000 stores with $1-billion in yearly sales. Buena Vista was designed with 29-rooms by Mann & MacNeille on a 310-acre estate that served as a summer and holiday home away from the Hartford's 8-room suite at the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan. Today it is Westchester Community College's "Hartford Hall" but while on first glance it may give the impression of being a comfortable house built for a pair of ageing millionaires, it was in fact a concession to Hartford's 'marital' indiscretions, and a fresh start for an old couple.... In 1915, after 22-years of marriage, John started an affair with a model who came to their original home here at Valhalla. Eventually Pauline took off alone for a world tour and at the end of it filed for divorce. In secret, John then married his bit on the side, but walked out after just six months of marriage and in the space of just three years he found himself divorced for a second time. After disappointing the press by settling the issue of alimony out of court, he obtained a passport for the first time in his life and sailed to Pauline in Paris where he eventually won back her heart and they were remarried in April 1925. As might be expected, John had agreed to several concessions and building a new house at Valhalla was one of them; and, although the childless, publicity-shy Hartfords weren't big on ostentation, John ensured that Buena Vista lacked nothing that would detract from his wife's happiness. There were gold fixtures in the tiled bathrooms, each of which followed a different color scheme: gold, turquoise and lavender. A broad staircase sweeps up to a custom-built stained-glass window. Walls are either panelled in oak, poplar and walnut, but on the second floor landing murals depicted Greek temples and Gothic castles. Reception rooms included a private movie theater, library and solarium and several rooms concealed built-in safes and secret panels that slid open at the touch of a button. The estate itself included two staff houses, three greenhouses, a blacksmith's shop, polo field and 9-hole golf course. They had long bred horses here so perhaps the most spectacular outbuilding was the 80-x-200-foot indoor riding ring - with a private tanning salon. Today, only one of the greenhouses survive, but so too did John and Pauline's second round of marriage. John outlived Pauline by three years and died in 1951 when Buena Vista became the property of the John A. Hartford Foundation. From 1953, its remaining 300-acres became home to Westchester Community College, a part of the State University of New York, and their house was renamed "Hartford Hall" and continues to serve today as an administration building for the college president.
Hartford Hall
Completed in 1928, for John A. Hartford (1872-1951) and his wife Pauline Corwin (1872-1948) when it was called "Buena Vista Farm". Hartford was the son of the owner of A&P grocery stores that under him and his brother swelled to 16,000 stores with $1-billion in yearly sales. Buena Vista was designed with 29-rooms by Mann & MacNeille on a 310-acre estate that served as a summer and holiday home away from the Hartford's 8-room suite at the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan. Today it is Westchester Community College's "Hartford Hall" but while on first glance it may give the impression of being a comfortable house built for a pair of ageing millionaires, it was in fact a concession to Hartford's 'marital' indiscretions, and a fresh start for an old couple.... In 1915, after 22-years of marriage, John started an affair with a model who came to their original home here at Valhalla. Eventually Pauline took off alone for a world tour and at the end of it filed for divorce. In secret, John then married his bit on the side, but walked out after just six months of marriage and in the space of just three years he found himself divorced for a second time. After disappointing the press by settling the issue of alimony out of court, he obtained a passport for the first time in his life and sailed to Pauline in Paris where he eventually won back her heart and they were remarried in April 1925. As might be expected, John had agreed to several concessions and building a new house at Valhalla was one of them; and, although the childless, publicity-shy Hartfords weren't big on ostentation, John ensured that Buena Vista lacked nothing that would detract from his wife's happiness. There were gold fixtures in the tiled bathrooms, each of which followed a different color scheme: gold, turquoise and lavender. A broad staircase sweeps up to a custom-built stained-glass window. Walls are either panelled in oak, poplar and walnut, but on the second floor landing murals depicted Greek temples and Gothic castles. Reception rooms included a private movie theater, library and solarium and several rooms concealed built-in safes and secret panels that slid open at the touch of a button. The estate itself included two staff houses, three greenhouses, a blacksmith's shop, polo field and 9-hole golf course. They had long bred horses here so perhaps the most spectacular outbuilding was the 80-x-200-foot indoor riding ring - with a private tanning salon. Today, only one of the greenhouses survive, but so too did John and Pauline's second round of marriage. John outlived Pauline by three years and died in 1951 when Buena Vista became the property of the John A. Hartford Foundation. From 1953, its remaining 300-acres became home to Westchester Community College, a part of the State University of New York, and their house was renamed "Hartford Hall" and continues to serve today as an administration building for the college president.
Apr 05, 2023
Posted Date
Apr 04, 2023
Historical Record Date
Apr 05, 2023
Source Name
House Histree
