Photography by Charles Mayer courtesy of ASLA.
Not everyone in the arty, affluent village of Hastings-on-Hudson, New York was thrilled to hear the news when billionaire financier David E. Shaw bought three properties, demolished the houses on them, and built as a replacement a 38,000-square-foot, $75-million estate for his family.
But we hope they agree that the 4.5-acre property’s new garden is spectacular.
Spared the wrecking ball, a willow oak tree (Quercus phellos) and fern leaf beech tree (Fagus sylvatica Asplenifolia) are “stately specimens” that border a path of irregularly shaped pavers.
Basalt pavers in polygon shapes are set into turf, creating a permeable walkway.
Site Plan
In addition to a 38,000-square-foot main house, the cliffside site has a tennis court and pool house, a 3,179-square-foot underground garage, and a guest house.
The basalt path weaves through a grove of ginkgo trees and down a sloping lawn, ending at the pool house.
Among the specimen trees preserved during construction were three ginkgos.
Placed at irregular distances and angles, basalt risers and turf treads form a stairway and “zig-zag through the ginkgo grove and down a turf slope to the pool house,” says the landscape architect.
On a textured concrete retaining wall, five wisteria vines salvaged from the property’s previous gardens now grow against trellises.
“No two stones are like,” notes the landscape architect.
“Linear basalt risers set with ends that tie into the turf slope as if they’re pinning and stabilizing the hillside – protecting it from the forces of attrition,” notes the landscape architect.
The view from inside the pool house frames a view of deciduous trees turning a fiery yellow and orange in autumn.
The estate’s property tax bill?