Little Ipswich

Woodbury Road, Syosett, New York

Completed in 1928, for Chalmers Wood Jr. (1883-1952) and his second wife, the interior designer Ruby Ross Wood (1881-1950). Mrs Woods requested that the architects, Delano & Aldrich, modelled it after the Adam-designed gatehouse to Kimbolton Castle in England. Delano liked the house so much he chose it as the backdrop for his official portrait. The Woods named the house for Chalmers' childhood home in Massachusetts where his mother's family (the Appletons) had lived since 1637....

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This house is best associated with...

Chalmers Wood Jr.

Stockbroker, of New York & "Little Ipswich" Syosset, N.Y.

1883-1952

Ruby Ross Wood

Ruby Ross (Pope) Wood, Interior Designer, of New York

1881-1950

Chalmers survived his wife by two years. After his death in 1952, the house became the summer home of Count Giorgio Uzielli (1903-1984), a New York stockbroker from a notable Florentine banking family related by marriage to the Rothschilds. He renamed it "The Lakehouse" though locally it was still referred to as Little Ipswich. After the Count died in 1984 the house stood empty, gradually falling into disrepair and becoming victim to vandalism. In 1995, Little Ipswich was demolished and its 28-acres were sold for development. Today, 21 houses known as the Pironi Estates stand on the grounds.