.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
Accompanied by Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives confirming production of the present watch with engraved monogram H.S.S. on the back cover in 1904 and its subsequent sale on 24 September 1908. Furthermore delivered with a Patek Philippe wooden presentation box.
"The Beauty of the House is Order. The Blessing of the House is Contentment. The Crown of the House is Godliness. The Glory of the House is Hospitality" (Inscription on one of Haleiwa's Italian marble fireplaces)
Horace Scudder Sears (1855-1923)
The period between the Civil War and World War I has been described as the Age of Elegance, a time when "the Millionaire was the American hero", a statement which perfectly matched Horace Sears.
Son of the Reverend Dr. Edmund Hamilton Sears, the philanthrope Horace Sears was a man of great wealth and artistic taste who had made his fortune in textile manufacturing. Developed between 1898 and 1903, his mansion "Haleiwa" (Hawaiian expression for "beautiful place" or "perfect home") was the most ornate estate ever built in Weston, Massachusetts, making all other houses looking small in comparison. The building was designed by Joseph Everett Chandler, renowned for his work in the Colonial Revival style, the Italian gardens by the landscape architect Arthur Shurtleff (later Shurcliff).
"Italy Delightfully Blended with New England"
The design of the Sears Estate was inspired by Italian Renaissance country villas and gardens which captured the imagination of educated Americans in the early 1890s. The gardens, "Land of Frill and Fantasy", were considered one of the most beautiful properties in eastern Massachusetts. To describe the palatial "Haleiwa" and its sumptuous interior, including a theatre wing and a library with more than 7000 volumes, only superlatives like "breathtaking" and "fit for a king" would be used.
A 1902 Boston Sunday Herald article, headlined "Weston has become the Lenox of the East", read "Horace Scudder Sears is building a magnificent house, Italian in style of architecture, which is usually shown to every newcomer. Indeed ... it occupies such a commanding position that he can hardly fail to notice it. It is located on Central Avenue but, turn as one will, for a radius of a mile it peeps out from many vistas, its red tile roof reflecting in the sunlight".
Much involved in public service in Weston, Horace Sears was a strong supporter of all civic improvements. He devoted particular attention to education, the public library and First Parish Church. A cultivated man known for his extensive book collection, he was elected trustee of the Weston Public Library in 1887, a position which he held for 34 years.
When Sears died in 1923 at the age of 68, his estate was valued at more than US$ 2.5 million, the mansion and surrounding 35 acres (14.2 hectares or 142,000 square meters, the size of 13 soccer fields) at nearly US$ 94,000, corresponding to almost US$ 30,000,000 today. He left generous legacies to relatives and friends, each employee of this firm Wellington Sears & Co., to the town of Weston and the First Parish Church.
Horace Sears' generosity and civic leadership left lasting legacy not only in Weston: treasurer of the West Point Manufacturing Company, a textile mill, for over 35 years, Sears also bequeathed US$ 25,000 to the Langdale Citizens, which was used to build "Sears Memorial Hall" in the City of Valley, Alabama.
We are indebted to the Weston Public Library for their valuable help in researching Horace S. Sears.
"The Beauty of the House is Order. The Blessing of the House is Contentment. The Crown of the House is Godliness. The Glory of the House is Hospitality" (Inscription on one of Haleiwa's Italian marble fireplaces)
Horace Scudder Sears (1855-1923)
The period between the Civil War and World War I has been described as the Age of Elegance, a time when "the Millionaire was the American hero", a statement which perfectly matched Horace Sears.
Son of the Reverend Dr. Edmund Hamilton Sears, the philanthrope Horace Sears was a man of great wealth and artistic taste who had made his fortune in textile manufacturing. Developed between 1898 and 1903, his mansion "Haleiwa" (Hawaiian expression for "beautiful place" or "perfect home") was the most ornate estate ever built in Weston, Massachusetts, making all other houses looking small in comparison. The building was designed by Joseph Everett Chandler, renowned for his work in the Colonial Revival style, the Italian gardens by the landscape architect Arthur Shurtleff (later Shurcliff).
"Italy Delightfully Blended with New England"
The design of the Sears Estate was inspired by Italian Renaissance country villas and gardens which captured the imagination of educated Americans in the early 1890s. The gardens, "Land of Frill and Fantasy", were considered one of the most beautiful properties in eastern Massachusetts. To describe the palatial "Haleiwa" and its sumptuous interior, including a theatre wing and a library with more than 7000 volumes, only superlatives like "breathtaking" and "fit for a king" would be used.
A 1902 Boston Sunday Herald article, headlined "Weston has become the Lenox of the East", read "Horace Scudder Sears is building a magnificent house, Italian in style of architecture, which is usually shown to every newcomer. Indeed ... it occupies such a commanding position that he can hardly fail to notice it. It is located on Central Avenue but, turn as one will, for a radius of a mile it peeps out from many vistas, its red tile roof reflecting in the sunlight".
Much involved in public service in Weston, Horace Sears was a strong supporter of all civic improvements. He devoted particular attention to education, the public library and First Parish Church. A cultivated man known for his extensive book collection, he was elected trustee of the Weston Public Library in 1887, a position which he held for 34 years.
When Sears died in 1923 at the age of 68, his estate was valued at more than US$ 2.5 million, the mansion and surrounding 35 acres (14.2 hectares or 142,000 square meters, the size of 13 soccer fields) at nearly US$ 94,000, corresponding to almost US$ 30,000,000 today. He left generous legacies to relatives and friends, each employee of this firm Wellington Sears & Co., to the town of Weston and the First Parish Church.
Horace Sears' generosity and civic leadership left lasting legacy not only in Weston: treasurer of the West Point Manufacturing Company, a textile mill, for over 35 years, Sears also bequeathed US$ 25,000 to the Langdale Citizens, which was used to build "Sears Memorial Hall" in the City of Valley, Alabama.
We are indebted to the Weston Public Library for their valuable help in researching Horace S. Sears.