NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID HUNTINGTON, N.Y. PERMIT NO. 14 P.O. BOX 660, OYSTER BAY, NY 11771 PLANTING FIELDS FOUNDATION / PLANTING FIELDS ARBORETUM, OYSTER BAY, NEW YORK / SPRING 2014 NEWSLETTER FabulousINTERIORS BY ELSIE DE WOLFE & CHARLES DUVEEN,1915-1945 Exhibition at Coe Hall Opens March 29th Magnolias at Planting Fields PHOTO BY BILL BARASH Tea House by Elsie de Wolfe, Planting Fields 1915 DEAR MEMBERS, WE WARMLY WELCOME FOUR NEW TRUSTEES Last year was notably memorable for the future of Planting Fields because ground was TO PLANTING FIELDS FOUNDATION broken for the new Sensory Garden. Trustee, Peter Tilles, made a magnificent donation of $400,000 to build the garden and he and other trustees have raised an additional $375,000, mostly from generous local supporters to ensure that the project is completed. MARY CIULLO has spent close to 25 Economics in 1986 from the boards of non-profits such as the New York State Department of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation has years volunteering her time within University of Virginia, where he met Nassau County Museum of Art and committed $400,000. Thank you to everyone for their support. the community. She was actively Susan, a 1985 University of Virginia Foundation House. John and his involved with the Green Vale School, graduate, former CBS News “48 wife, Louise M. Parent, reside in Also in 2013 the Foundation was awarded a major grant in the amount of $250,000 from served as the President of the Hours” producer, and native of New York City and in Mill Neck. the Environmental Protection Fund for the restoration of the Camellia House where work Parents’ Association, was a trustee Portsmouth, Virginia. John’s interests include the visual is expected to start in 2014. From the New York State Council on the Arts we received and officer of the Green Vale School arts and architectural history. $11,700 to help support our school programs in the park. Last year we increased the and served in many capacities JOHN P. CASALY is a retired number of students in those programs by 25%. Furthermore, New York State Department including two Strategic Planning lawyer who started his legal career ANDREAS MAXIMILLIAN of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation was awarded $700,000 in funding through BOARD OF TRUSTEES Committees. Mary is a former at Donovan Leisure Newtown & STENBECK is currently the the Green Innovation Grant Program for the installation of pervious pavement, and bio- Michael D. Coe member of the Parents’ Committee Irvine and was later a partner in Chairman of Verdere Sarl, a Chairman retention structures in our visitors parking lot. for Villanova University and was a Jones Hirsch Connors & Bull, both Swedish investment company, a Hal Davidson trustee and officer of the Maurer in New York City. He is a graduate principal at Basset Investment President It is largely free editorial coverage in newspapers that draws visitors to events at Planting Foundation for Breast Health of Columbia College and Harvard Group, LLC, a private investment Sarah Coe Fields. Our recent press has been remarkably good. For this year’s annual Camellia House Education for many years. She Law School. John has been involved group who provides capital to Vice President Weekend we were featured in Newsday three times in one week, each with one or more resides in Glen Head with her with many non-profit organizations startup e-commerce and Peter Tilles color photographs, and the event was a huge success. Newsday is consistently generous Vice President husband, Robert and has four through the New York City Bar technology driven entrepreneurial with articles about Planting Fields. In November last year the New York Times published a children, C.B., Katharine, Peter and Public Service Network, which businesses, and is a board member Peter Tiberio Sunday Metropolitan section feature article about the Arboretum’s centennial year and Treasurer Brian and two grandchildren. Mary works with both charitable at Modern Holdings, LLC, a private the hundred works of art and artifacts that had been added to the collection at Coe Hall. Margaret Hayes is currently a member of the Knights institutions and volunteers to equity investment fund. Max We have had a Times feature every year over the last five years. The Anton Newspapers, the Secretary and Ladies of the Holy Sepulchre. identify and fill pro bono positions attended New York University Locust Valley Leader and the Oyster Bay Guardian are also phenomenal Planting Fields and mentor volunteer relationships. where he concentrated in G. Morgan Browne boosters. Thank you to all of the editors and writers on those newspapers. In February Hannah Burns JEFFREY LEE MOORE and his He has held a number of volunteer economics and history. He is co- PBS broadcast a documentary in their Treasures of New York series “Gold Coast John Casaly wife, Susan, started visiting Locust positions in New York City and on chair of the North Shore Land Mansions”, where Planting Fields was one of the featured estates. For us this is Gib Chapman Valley from New York City in 1995 Long Island and has served on the Alliance Heritage Committee. Mary Ciullo tremendous promotion. Ronald F. Foley and moved out full time in 2007, Robert Foschi with their three young children and For 2014 we have a full roster of events, including four new exhibitions, concerts, lectures, Richard W. Gibney two dogs. Growing up in Louisiana Anne Coe Hayes* musicals in the park, and this year a new program of poetry readings presented in and Texas, Jeff developed a love of Constance Haydock conjunction with the Poetry Society of America. Some of these events are listed in this the outdoors and nature and spent Bruce Herlich newsletter and more will be announced for the summer and fall. I look forward to seeing Jeffrey Lee Moore many summers on his you at Planting Fields. Andreas M. Stenbeck Grandfather’s farm outside Elk Count Ernesto Vitetti* City, Oklahoma. He also has an Jennifer A. Wiggins With Warm Regards, *Emeritus interest in architectural history, Ex Officio which he first studied in high Henry B. Joyce school in New Orleans. Jeff is a Executive Director, Managing Director of Steadfast Planting Fields Foundation Henry B. Joyce Financial, a $5 billion hedge fund Executive Director Vincent A. Simeone based in New York City. He earned Director, Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park an MBA in 1991 from Harvard Business School and a BA in A magnolia in flower at Planting Fields PHOTO: ED FOOTE 2 3 A NEW EXHIBITION OPENS AT COE HALL SATURDAY MARCH 29TH INTERIORSFabulous BY ELSIE DE WOLFE & CHARLES DUVEEN 1915 - 1945 Right: Detail of Everett Shinn’s 1915 mural in the Tea House at Planting Fields BY HENRY B. JOYCE the furnishing of the many original furniture and fittings. Its hired Shinn to paint murals for Elsie de Wolfe (1865-1950), the most In 1915 Elsie de Wolfe consulted Elizabethan style interiors, a much gorgeous murals in the French several private commissions in and successful, famous and influential on the interior design of the bigger job than de Wolfe’s. rococo style by Everett Shinn around New York City. Surviving American interior designer of her age, Italian Garden’s Tea House, (signed and dated 1915) glow with in the Tea House today are its six commissioned by Mai Coe. Five Apart from old photographs very brilliant colors against the blue- original wrought iron electric light and Charles Duveen (1871-1940), years later de Wolfe was involved little of Elsie de Wolfe’s work green trellis ceiling, and the room’s fixtures made to look like owner of the established antiques and with the decoration of Mrs. Coe’s survives, which makes the Tea furniture is exquisitely painted by bouquets of flowers painted in interior design company known as bedroom and bathroom-dressing House extremely rare and Shinn with garlands of flowers. He naturalistic colors. They evoke the Charles of London, both worked at room at Coe Hall as it was being historically important because its also painted a charming silhouette famous Sèvres porcelain flowers finished in 1920 by architects trellis interior, utterly distinctive of portrait of Mai Coe on the crest rail made in the 1760s for Madame de Planting Fields for Mr. and Mrs. Walker & Gillette. At the same her French eighteenth century of one of the seat backs. Between Pompadour. The Tea House room William R. Coe. time Charles of London oversaw revival style, survives with all its about 1910 and 1915 de Wolfe had is a masterpiece of de Wolfe’s 4 I 5 most creative interior design. and enhanced by painted walls and profession. It was de Wolfe who the second floor of Henry Clay Despite its diminutive scale it is furniture, essentially her work is a made the use of beautifully printed Frick’s new mansion on 5th Ave one of Planting Fields’ great re-interpretation of the Paris-based and colored floral chintzes and (now The Frick Collection) in the treasures. This year between tradition of informal, luxurious toiles de rigueur for curtains and French eighteenth century style March 29 and Sept 30 the Tea small rooms—the boudoir upholstery and she promoted the (both commissions have been House will be open every day convention—that had originally use of white painted interiors to altered). In contrast, Charles 12:30-2:00pm, free admission. been designed more for the use of enhance the effects of light. Very Duveen, brother of the famous art women than men, starting in the early in her career de Wolfe received dealer Lord Duveen of Millbank, is The exhibition explores the rarefied late seventeenth century.