I visited a century-old New York mansion that was modeled after a medieval French castle. Take a closer look.
September 28, 20240
The preserve only gives tours of Falaise on weekends from May to October.
Falaise was modeled after a French castle in Normandy. It was one of Harry Guggenheim’s three homes — he also had a townhouse in Manhattan and a home in South Carolina.
When it was completed in 1924, it was not a modern home, as it was inspired by a 13th-century mansion.
At Falaise, the area is used for vehicles, like famed aviator Charles Lindbergh’s car, which is still parked in the driveway.
To the left of the home was a set of stairs leading to the yard.
The yard used to have a rose garden, but when Guggenheim’s doctor told him he needed more exercise, he added a pool.
But I was still able to get a good view of the pool, the back of the house, and the lush gardens from behind the gate.
Inside, the home is relatively modest and quite dark. Most of the windows are narrow and small — for medieval French castles, windows were seen as a weakness against potential invaders.
The main draw of taking a tour of Falaise, though, is seeing the view from its namesake cliffs. On a clear day like the one I visited, I could see across the Long Island Sound to Westchester.
Falaise is different from the other mansions at Sands Point. Castle Gould took inspiration from an Irish castle, while Hempstead House is also gigantic home.
Falaise, like the other mansions, is worth a visit for anyone interested in the turn of the century, especially if you’re interested in aviation as well.