Jackie Gleason’s Round House (Apr, 1960)
That’s a really neat looking house.
Jackie Gleason’s Round House
THE MANY TALENTS and accomplishments of Jackie Gleason would put him out of the ordinary class of home builders. And Round Rock Hill, his new home on the outskirts of Peekskill, N. Y., is just that—out of the ordinary. Built on top of a hill in the center of nine acres of dense woodland, the house provides the comedian-composer-actor with “a pattern for living and working” — it contains his office and a broadcasting studio as well as his home.
Everything about the home is round. There’s an eight-foot round bed with a built-in television set in the ceiling above it; a round shower room in glass and tile; round and semicircular rugs and furniture. Even the stairways curve to match the curve of the outside walls. In the center of the round living room is a huge triple fireplace. The studio room focuses on a grand piano.
The house is built on three levels across the 175-foot front elevation. Glass walls everywhere look out over the wooded hills.
And then by 1964 he built his last home in Florida near where he filmed his TV show “from beautiful Miami Beach”
The Great One has an active My Space page!
(I’m sending him a link to this page)
I fail to see the point of that guy’s My Space page anyway.
I know he is best-known for “The Honeymooners,” but to this lover of seventies cheese, Gleason will always be Sheriff Buford T. Justice, chasing Burt Reynolds in “Smokey and the Bandit.” Saw that movie four times in the theaters way back in ’77.
“There is no way, no way, you came from my loins.”
Wow! If I ever get the money, I’m building a replica Jackie Gleason’s Round House in the Seattle area.
Jackie Gleason was a genius. I wonder if there are blueprints out there. Or
information on who the architect was…
Does anyone know what happened to this house?
Is it still standing?
I cannot find ANY references to it on any of the Peekskill, N.Y. websites – like it never existed.
You’d think that it would be some kind of noteworthy landmark if it was still around ?!?
The House is STILL THERE! I became obsessed and found the house the house using Satellite images from Google Maps. Here’s how you can find it – search for this address: Rock Hill Drive, Cortlandt Manor, NY. Then, scroll down and to the left. You will see the house just north of the intersection of Washington Street and Furnace Dock Road.
code guy » Wow, that’s a good find cg! For everyone else, here is a direct link
There was a lot more to the man than I would have imagined. I had heard that he composed one piece of music, which I have always liked. Now I will look for ways to collect any I come across.
The house is still there, I have had the pleasure of being inside the house for my previous job. The piano is still there, pool tables, bars, the teak wood outside for the decks. A man way before his time. All of the marble from one quarry in Italy, this has is just fabulous~ And then the wine cellar with the wine still there! Unbelievable!
The Round House is called White Gates and is standing in Croton -on-Hudson NY outside of Peekskill. Jackie’s later production company was called “Peekskill Enterprises.”
hi my father lives in peekskill.i,ve seen this house back in 1978 in the winter.this house has a heated aheated driveway.amazing.i grew up in yonkers.now i live in boston.going back to n.y. in sept.hope to visit it and take pictures.mike…
I grew up right down the street from this house.
Also Arron Copland was right next door.
This area Furnace dock rd and Washington st is one of the most beautiful areas.
Too bad they have over developed it.
The round house was not call white gates.
White gates was Allen Funts house, just down the street which one of my friends father purchased, it has white gates at the entrance and the parties we use to hold there.
that another blog.
Yes, it is no called White Gates as Mr. Grove mentioned. Allen Funt lived in White Gates and I believe now that the opera singer Jesse Norman may live there. That is on Mt. Airy Road, which is off Furnace Dock.
In answer to the poster who says “I cannot find ANY references to it on any of the Peekskill, N.Y. websites – like it never existed,” one reason for that is when Gleason lived there that area was still called Peekskill. It is now Cortlandt Manor and has an entirely different zip. The home sits right outside of Croton on Furnace Dock Rd., near the intersection of that road and Washington Street which leads into Peekskill.
I lived in the area for many years and as a big Gleason fan always wondered where the home was and always received a million different answers. You can’t see it from the street, so I finally asked the Peekskill town historian at the time who let me know. It was so close to where I used to live I could have tripped over it.
It is also still a residence and I’m sure the owners want privacy which is why you don’t see many references to it. That being said, I once saw a short piece on AMC describing the house and showing films of it.
The roof always leaked and Milton Berle said the house had “17 bars and one toilet.”
Wow!
You guys have presented some great info!
Many thanks!
I, also, was able to confirm that the Round House is currently in private hands,
NOT open to the public.
The current owners, evidently, are NOT desirous of notoriety (as is their right),
BUT, they sure own one hell-of-a-house !!!!!!!!
(I wonder if they hear etherial cocktail music late at night when the moon is full?)
Wow…what great info. Thanks to all who cleared up the mystery of the exactly location of the Gleason house. As a kid I used to spend my summers at a place just 2 miles from the Round House and would sometimes see it from the road. My Dad would always say “There’s where Jackie Gleason lives.” I’ve wondered all my life where exactly it was. Thank you guys so much.
These photos of the “Round House” bring me back to the many photos taken by my father while he worked on the house’s construction, putting in all the glass. Everything in the house was round. The best feature, which was not mentioned, was the custom made shower. It was round and huge for obvious reasons and there were literally hundreds of water spray heads all around the tiled shower. Turn on the water and it hits you from every direction for a quick wash. Gleason gave my dad a golf ball with his tag line; “And away we go” or something like that. As a peekskill kid I used it to hit balls along the Parkway and lost it; what did I know. First time my dad cursed at me, but at least he didn’t say, “To the moon”.
Great info about a timeless house. Funny how the pictures of Gleason’s iconic house depict a design that would be very popular today. Where’s Architectural Digest or Dwell? For those who are interested, the guest house (or what I assume is the guest house) is for rent. Interesting pictures of the guest house, grounds and dilapidated tennis court. Check out ‘Furnace Dock Road’ in Cortlandt Manor, NY (as mentioned above) on Zillow.com
I”ve asked my mother to please leave me her Nutbrown Nut Chopper in her will – and her Nutbrown Walnut Cracker as well.
The former is am odd-shaped jar with a screw on lid. Attached to the lid is a winding key, a series of chopping blades, and a stainless steel mask. Put some shelled walnuts in the jar, screw on the cap, inverty, and crank the key – nicely chopped nuts, just where you want them.
The nutcracker is an odd quadruple-hinge design that will take a walnut up to the size of a medium egg, and crack it cleanly, often preserving the shell halves for the artsy-crafty folks. It can crush a red pecan without damaging the nutmeat. It’s probably 70 years old now, and has that solid feel that a well-made semi-automatic pistol has, or a Curta Calculator.
@Miguel,
Thanks for that info. I found a link to the rental:
http://www.trulia.com/r…
Too bad I can’t afford it! However it does give some pics of the guest house.
One more point:
I believe that Gleason actually lived in the house that’s for rent and used the Round House for his parties and drinking. I could be wrong, but I recall reading that someplace. Well, if anyone has $3500 I guess they can rent it!
Growing up in Peekskill at the time, my mother tells how a friend of hers lived next door to the Jackie Gleason’s Round House and when he would have a large nosie party he would always invite the neighbors so they wouldn’t be in any position to complain.
I was talking about Jackie Gleason’s round house at dinner tonight .. I didn’t know it was famous … just that i never forgot it! So i googled it. i did a commercial there (for some flexable wristwatch band) and have a great picture with the singers and him. Anyone who knows the inside of the house will know exactly where we were standing. The singers were contracted by Dick Williams, Andy’s brother. I don’t see anyway to attach it. Let me know if you’d like to see it. You can see it on my site http://www.annephillips… in the History in Photos section Anne Phillips
I worked on the Party House back in the summer of 1977. Dr Ronald Topal DDS owned the property then. He rented out the stone 2 story house to the guitarist Earl Slick (David Bowie). Topal had a practice in NYC and was staying in the “Catilevered” or round house during the weekends. I stayed in the circular building near the entrance which they called the art storage shed. Hung out with Earl Slick, his drummer and girlfriend during the blackout, power went back on the next morning.
Great houses, and garage, what memories. Topal was my orthodontist, and I was just 17. He had me belt sand all the varnish on the UFO house and put on 3 coats of marine grade varnish.
The house was really beautiful and interesting.
There is a round house in Port Bolivar Tx, the local story is a retired Dentist copied some of Jackie’s designs. The home had fell into disrepair and recently was purchased and brought back to new condition. My dad was crazy about Jackie and I grew up watching and listening to his music and shows. Next time I’m down there fishing will post pictures, Google earth Frenchmans cut in Port Bolivar and check out the intercoastal water way you will see the 3 circle home on the point.