At just 15 years old, Jake Finamore is leading a preservation movement for the Clarkson Estate in Bayville. Finamore, a Locust Valley High School sophomore, said that he has loved exploring nearby estates and Gilded Age mansions since he was a kid.
Finamore said his dad used to take him on trips to the Meudon Estate in Lattingtown, which sparked his interest in local architecture and history. In 2023, Finamore said he began researching nearby mansions, taking photos of the estates and asking the current owners for more information about the history.
“It became a whole thing, where I’m able to learn the history while mourning what’s gone,” he said.
While researching nearby mansions in Bayville, Finamore said he found out about Callendar House, which sits on the Clarkson Estate. He said the mansion was built by a financier in early 1906, has been used as a hospital and recovery center, and currently houses the United Cerebral Palsy Association of Nassau County.
Finamore said he was “fascinated” by the building and began researching the mansion’s “untold history”—which was initially named Winchester Hall—by reading old newspaper articles and contacting historical societies.
When he posted about the mansion on his social media site, which documents many of the estates he visits, Finamore said one commenter told him the current owners were planning on demolishing it.
After learning about the threat to the mansion’s standing, Finamore took to Facebook to share what he had learned—both about the home’s history and its possible demolition.
“This would be horrible, as Bayville has a history of tearing down beautiful homes,” Finamore wrote in one Facebook post. He said the village used to be “covered” in Gilded Age estates and has since taken almost all of them down.
Finamore said Callendar House is the last remaining Gilded Age mansion to stand the test of time in the village, with the last demolition of one having taken place in the 1980s.
“The end of the Gold Coast and the end of the Gilded Age is very much still in process,” Finamore said.
Finamore said the property is estimated to need $12 million in renovations, a price which he called “hefty.”
“This home really does need some love, after all,” he said. Finamore said there are still “options” for the home that don’t include demolition.
Bayville Mayor Steve Minicozzi said the home needs extensive renovations and noted that the village has not been made aware of any formal plans for the estate.
However, Finamore said this isn’t the first time that the mansion was in danger. He said there were three previous instances in which the home was abandoned, and in one instance, its floors had collapsed.
“It was saved and turned into this beautiful, lively structure again,” Finamore said. He said the mansion, like a cat, has had almost nine lives and “deserves saving.”
Finamore said the mansion reflects the village’s history.
“The fact that it’s still standing is one thing, but it’s a sign of a time that’s no longer,” he said.
