Ryan, William J., Estate

Overlooking Stony Brook Harbor in Nissequogue, this 126.6-acre property began as the country estate of William J. Ryan, publisher of the Literary Digest and a polo enthusiast. Architect Bradley Delehanty designed the two-story brick house in 1930, with a five-bay center block, hipped slate roof, and symmetrical hyphens leading to gabled end pavilions. The brick is painted white, and classical touches include Palladian windows and a marble doorway with Ionic columns. Inside, a marble-floored stairhall and Georgian-style paneling survive. Ryan lived here until his death in 1966, after which most of the land was acquired by a golf club that still uses the house as its clubhouse. The estate is notable as the last large country house built on the harbor, ending an era of waterfront estates that began in 1878. The golf course keeps much of the open, naturalistic landscape laid out around 1930, although tennis courts, a garage and maintenance buildings are modern additions.