Cedarmere-Clayton Estates
Why it's listed
Two neighboring estates on Hempstead Harbor in Roslyn Harbor, Long Island, make up this district. Cedarmere, on seven acres, was the country retreat of poet and newspaper editor William Cullen Bryant, who bought an older farmstead in 1843 and spent decades enlarging it. Its main house shows a neo-Colonial look with gambrel roofs and a wraparound porch, and its 1850 Gothic Revival mill and pond landscape, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, remain. Across Bryant Avenue lies Clayton, a 165-acre estate where the Bryce family built a brick Georgian Revival mansion designed by Ogden Codman, Jr. After Henry Clay Frick bought the property in 1919, architects Charles Allom, Guy Lowell and Henry Milliken reworked buildings, and Marian Coffin redesigned the gardens. Together the estates contain seven contributing buildings and nine contributing structures. They show how a quiet farming village became a community of wealthy country retreats over ninety years, and they connect to many notable figures in American art and letters.
Significance in brief: The two estates were developed by three prominent families and show Roslyn Harbor's growth into an exclusive residential enclave. Cedarmere is tied to poet and editor William Cullen Bryant and a circle of leading American writers, artists and architects, with grounds designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. Clayton has a Georgian Revival mansion by Ogden Codman, Jr., later work by Allom, Lowell and Milliken, and gardens by Marian Coffin.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 86002634, listed September 29, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Bryant Ave. and Northern Blvd., Roslyn Harbor |
|---|---|
| County | Nassau County |
| Listed | September 29, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86002634 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | early 1840's-early 1930's |
| Architect / builder | Various, including Ogden Codman, Jr.; Sir Charles Allom; Guy Lowell; Henry Milliken (Milliken and Nevin); Frederick S. Copley; landscape architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Marian Coffin |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival (Cedarmere house); Gothic Revival (mill); Georgian Revival (Clayton mansion and gatehouse) |
| Areas of significance | Landscape Architecture, Literature, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as occupied and in use as a museum, owned by the County of Nassau. The condition is marked as deteriorated, with an original site and altered. |
| Acreage | 172 |
| Coordinates | 40.81003, -73.64113 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 86002634.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q1052546
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.