FALAISE
Falaise is closed for the season.Check back for spring opening date.

Access by guided tour only.

HOURS: Thursdays- Sundays

Tours Leave at 12:00 Noon, 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00 PM from Castlegould

ADMISSION: $5.00. Purchase tickets at the Preserve Entrance Booth.

No indoor photography allowed.

Please leave backpacks in your car.

Not suitable for children under age ten.

Falaise is one of the few intact historic houses remaining on Long Island’s Gold Coast. The Gold Coast period was a time of opulence, when prominent families built great mansions and large estates on Long Island. Falaise was built for Harry F. Guggenheim and his wife Caroline Morton in 1923. The architecture is French eclectic. The design is based on a 13th century Norman manor house.

Distinctive features of the house include an enclosed cobblestone courtyard, thickly mortared brick walls, steeply pitched roofs of heavy tile, and a round tower. The medieval atmosphere is continued inside the house by the arches, thick wood beams, textured plastered walls, and carved stone mantels.

Falaise is furnished with antiques, many from the 16th and 17th century. There are wood carvings, sculptures, Renaissance paintings and several important pieces of modern art.

Harry Guggenheim had a strong commitment to public service. He was Ambassador to Cuba during the Hoover administration. A Navy pilot, he served in both world wars. He had a lifelong interest in aviation. Charles Lindbergh was a close friend and frequent visitor to Falaise. Harry was also instrumental in getting funding for the research of rocket pioneer Robert Goddard.

In 1939, Harry Guggenheim and Alicia Patterson were married. Shortly afterward, they founded Newsday, Long Island’s daily newspaper.

Harry Guggenheim was an avid horseracing fan. He raised and raced thoroughbred horses, and he helped establish the New York Racing Association. His trophies, awards, and racing memorabilia are on display at Falaise.