I’ve recently been scouting around the Syosset area of Long Island, and have frequently found myself driving north on 106.
And, every time I do, I’ve noticed these gates – clearly the entrance to an estate of some kind:
But why was there a chain across the front?
Curiosity finally got the best of me and I pulled over to have a closer look.
Looking through the gate, it was pretty clear no one had used the entrance in quite a while, as the road beyond was cracked and overgrown, disappearing into the forest.
Also, you could see the outline of two torches that used to adorn the pillars:
So what was the story? Not wanting to trespass, I did some research later on and discovered that the dilapidated road through those gates would have once brought visitors here:
This is Knollwood Estate, a Gold Coast-era mansion built for steel tycoon Charles Hudson between 1906 – 1920.
The mansion had 60 rooms and was set on a 260-acre property. These pictures were taken in 1911 for Architecture magazine.
However, people more commonly refer to the property as King Zog’s estate. Who was King Zog?
Ahmet Muhtar Bej Zogolli, or Zog I, was the ruler of Albania from 1922 to 1939. After being ousted by Mussolini, Zog and his family fled to England. Plans were made to relocate to the United States, and in 1951, Knollwood was purchased for their new home, at a cost of $102,800.
Though Zog originally planned to use the estate as a satellite of Albania, complete with Albanian subjects at his disposal, he never moved in, and Knollwood fell into disrepair. Vandals soon descended on the property in search of treasure supposedly hidden by Zog in its walls, and the conditioned worsened. It was sold in 1955, and finally torn down in 1959.
Well, mostly torn down – today, the ruins of the Knollwood Estate lie in the Muttonwood Preserve. I decided to hike out to find them.
Er, it took a little longer than expected, as the trails are really poorly marked, and I kept getting lost in the woods. But after a bit of backtracking and bushwacking, I managed to find the path leading to the estate.
This is Knollwood in 1911:
This is Knollwood today:
The most substantial remaining structure is the grand-double staircase…
…which the mansion once sat atop:
Vines now grow down the sides, which actually feels appropriate for its former splendor:
Two alcoves are positioned on either side, visible in the above historical pictures:
The stairs meet at what I think was once a fountain…
Vandals have not been kind:
I love how angry the face is – almost like she’s infuriated at the state of the property:
The lower half – almost looks like candle wax (oh, how I wish I had stumbled upon a bunch of Long Island Satanists worshipping around a candlelit altar here):
The stairs are completely covered over by dirt. I tried digging down to see if any steps remain, but couldn’t get very far without a shovel:
The opposite staircase, littered with chunks of the estate:
I headed upstairs to where the mansion would have been…
…but found only overgrowth:
There’s a clearing a little ways in, but they did a pretty good job of removing all traces of its existence:
Still, I love the curious remnants that persist, like this stone line running around the property. The more I kept digging around it, the more it continued:
Originally, the patio was made of brick:
Photo from the Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities – click for many more via OldLongIsland.com
Brickwork can still be found below the dirt:
One of the few remaining balustrades:
A pillar, open at the side where a balustrade would have connected.
Today, the view off the balcony is not particularly impressive:
But had you been standing here a hundred years ago, you would have seen three tiers of lush gardens stretching out, as pictured in this 1950s aerial shot:
Photo from the Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities – click for many more via OldLongIsland.com
Fragments of these gardens can still be found. For example, a marble basin was positioned about midway down the center lawn:
Photo from the Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities – click for many more via OldLongIsland.com
The platform for the basin is still in place (the actual basin was moved to the Nassau House mansion):
Continuing on, you come to a staircase flanked by two columned structures:
These can be seen in the aerial shot, dividing the two gardens:
The staircase is still largely intact:
The eastern structure:
Sadly, much of it is crumbling:
It looks as though something was originally positioned in the center:
The western structure is in far worse shape, with chunks of cement literally dangling:
But one neat surprise remains: the original tilework, now mostly covered by dirt:
Another one of those “I wonder what this once was” bits…
A marble corner…but to what?
An old plant potter, hidden in the brush:
I found one last structure at the farthest end of the property:
The top consists of an unidentified something resting on a circle of bricks:
The structure is sunk in the ground…
…and actually is pretty large inside – perhaps a storehouse of some kind?
Just beside it, I found this row of bricks. I started digging in the dirt, and the bricks kept going, and going, and going…
And as it turns out, Knollwood has a lot more hidden than just ruins. In 2001, some men were out orienteering when they noticed something shiny sticking out of the ground. It turned out to be a human bone, and the full skeleton of a 5’3″ woman was soon unearthed, curled into a fetal position.
Visiting the ruins of the Knollwood Estate is a great way to spend your Sunday. If you want to take the long route, grab a map at the Nature Center off of Muttontown Lane. If it’s cold and you want to take the quick route, park at the equestrian area off of 106. At the back of the parking lot, you’ll find a trail beside an information kiosk. Head down the trail, and you’ll quickly come to a second trail heading off to the left. Follow this for a little ways, eventually crossing a broken paved road, and you’ll come to Knollwood…in theory. Chances are, you’ll get a little lost, but with enough persistence you’ll stumble on the almost-residence of King Zog I.
For more info/pictures on Knollwood, or other Long Island Estates, be sure to check out OldLongIsland.com!
-SCOUT
I am so pleased you did an article on this estate! I actually live about 5 minutes from that location so I could relate to this posting. Some news about that gate, that gate from your first picture was actually just recently restored. Before that it was in terrible shape. They had plans to add the torches to the gate and have it lit up at night. Not sure if they still have plans for that..
I love when you post stuff like this. Great job
Great article. As I read, I was hoping that the estate was still there, maybe in bad shape, but could be restored. Alas…
It reminds me of the Jack London Wolf House out here in CA. Except, the high walls still remain, everything else burned away.
Good read! I love this sort of blogging.
Awesome post. I’m sure searching it out and photographing it made for a very eerie (yet very cool) experience.
Nice post! Looks so scary and lonely.
This article is FABULOUS! Thank you for sharing. As I was reading the history and scrolling through the pictures of then and now, I couldn’t help but get goosebumps over and over. I had visions of a beautiful shoot set against those ruined backdrop. Oh, now if I can just convince clients to get adventurous with me on the trek. Thank you again for bringing us along on your adventures and discoveries!
Nice post, you never disappoint
Excellent Long Island story! The photos only give a taste of what it must have been like in its prime. The interiors mus have been amazing as well.
awsome articule
I wonder how much they want for it !
I love this stuff. Nice going.
I LOVE that your site exists!! I’m a tour guide & history junkie, myself. Even if all these places don’t get highlighted in a movie, I’m so glad that there’s someone out there documenting & re-trailblazing these visions from the past. Do you ever do fundraising events or parties? Good luck w/ your movie!!!
Hey ScoutingNY…thanks for the link!
Here’s a direct one to all the posts I’ve done on the estate:
http://www.oldlongisland.com/search/label/Knollwood
Awesome story, sad to see the buildings long gone. Great read though, thank you!
Perhaps this was the residence used in the B.C. comic strip. ZOT!!! and the house disappears. I find it interesting that so much survives after all these years. I don’t see any Do Not Trespass signs on the front drive. You could have saved yourself a lot of walking by hopping over the chain link fence and going up the drive.
Love this! Have you ever scoped out the ruins of the Tiffany Estate, Laurelton Hall, on Oyster Bay? I haven’t, but have heard that parts are still visible: http://www.morsemuseum.org/louis-comfort-tiffany/laurelton-hall.
Laurelton Hall:
http://www.oldlongisland.com/search/label/Laurelton%20Hall
What an interesting piece of detective work. Long ago I became a fan of the comings and goings of King Zog and his son King Lex of Albania. They seemed to be one of the most outlandish examples of royalty that once inhabited a European kingdom.
Your article left one important question dangling though. How can a property of that size and location still be left undeveloped on Long Island?
It has been left undeveloped because it’s owned by Nassau County and is preserved as parkland (and you are allowed to ride horses through it). After all the Zog nonsense it was purchased by Lansdell Christie who owned the estate across the road. By then the house has been badly vandalized and Christie had it torn down in 1959 while leaving the property relatively untouched (though he did move a few of the garden ornaments over to his residence).
ScoutingNY found it at a good time. They recently restored the gates and from the photos it appears they have done some brush removal. I have been on parts of the property that were practically impassible without a machete.
Would it not be possible just to restore the fabulous gardens to their former glory?
Fascinating bit of history. I remember driving past this area the last time I was out in the US.
Zog’s son, Crown Prince Leka, was a well-know jetsetter in addition to being the claimant to the Albanian throne. Assuming he qualifies as “famous,” he also had another title: at a reputed height of seven feet, he held the title of Tallest Famous Person in the World Who Was Famous for Reasons Unrelated to Height (i.e. no athletes or actors). He had an edge of a couple inches over Michael Crichton and John Kenneth Galbraith.
Leka died in late 2011. I don’t know who the new titleholder might be. Possibly 6’8″ Tony Robbins.
Very ineresting to me since my wife is Albanian
I grew up in Syosset/Jericho, and never knew about this estate! I probably passed those gates on 106 hundreds of times. Thanks so much for showing me something new about my hometown.
Did you see the walled garden while you were there? Slightly NW (I think) of the house ruins)
https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=210637110363518489268.0004d76f763569f20271d&msa=0&ll=40.827466,-73.53512&spn=0.011398,0.019741
(turn on satelitte view to see structure)
Can’t believe some salvage outfit hasn’t harvested all those beautiful bricks and cement ornamentals to sell on ebay! Great story – thanks as always!
This was awesome! Thanks for sharing–love your great documentation. What a fun excursion this must have been!
This post was heartbreaking, Scout. I always have to brace myself for the worst when you show one of those “Here’s what it looked like in its prime…” that scrolls down to “Here’s what it looks like now.”
This one didn’t disappoint.
Great story, check out LI oddities. They explored this site a few years ago and have some more details.
Your website is awesome. Thank you for posting so many images of the Estate before/after and digging through historical information to put together this post. It’s heartbreaking to see what has happened to so many majestic homes.
Very nice post. It’s amazing that it looked so nice in the early 1950′s aerial shot, and was torn down only a few years later. Why would you sbuy such an impressive property, ojnly to tear it down? The mind reels….
Outstanding post. Anyone who would like to know what this place was like a long time ago, although after the big house was torn down, can read about it in my book about growing up next door to Countess von Bismarck in Bayville.
Mona von Bismarck, the former Mrs. Harrison Williams, was the most beautiful, best dressed, and richest woman in the world.
The novel is called “Oak Point,” and I will email a free copy to any readers of this blog – offer good only until publication. Read more at the FB group “Mona the book” above – please join the group to get a copy.
There is also a pinterest page dedicated to Mona and the book for those who would like to see more photos: http://pinterest.com/younged/oak-point-countess-mona-von-bismarck-cristobal-bal/
Where did it all go?
PS: Click on my name to be directed to the Facebook group~
I grew up in the area and used to go running on those trails with my high school track team. I remember climbing those steps and using bits of the stone as an obstacle coures, and we would make up stories about what had happened there. I’m so happy to find out the story of the real house is as decadent as the one I made up in my head! Thanks!
I believe it is muttontown, not muttonwood.
I grew up in East Norwich in the sixties and seventies, and often would hike through Muttontown Preserve. In fact, our scouting troop would actually camp out near there. At other times, my friends and I would often check out the Zog ruins back then, thinking they were from some ancient civilization, not knowing that it was once a grand North Shore estate. We always called them the “Zog ruins” not knowing who Zog was, although many years later, with the invention of the internet, I found out. Your pictures look exactly like my memories of the place, so I think the intervening decades have been relatively kind to the place. I clearly remember the fountain’s face, the double stairs, the side alcoves and the stone out-buildings. I love the historical photos you dug up; would have been great to see it all in its prime. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.