This photo of when “Magnolia” was near completion in 1937 was gifted to the current owners by Geddie Parker, granddaughter of founder Geraldine Bellinger.
ONLY TWO FAMILIES HAVE OWNED THIS GRAND ESTATE PRIOR TO 2016, BOTH WITH HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE AND FASCINATING STORIES……
Gebbie / Bellinger / Parker (ownership 1937-1980)
Marion Gebbie and Geraldine Bellinger were daughters of Harriet and Frank Gebbie, owner of the Mohawk Condensed Milk Company which had six plants throughout the country before the company was sold to Carnation in 1921. The girls grew up in St. Johnsville, NY. Later, Geraldine studied music (violin) in Rochester and Marion went to Wheaton College, graduating in 1901 with a degree in Arts and Sciences. Marion was also one the first women in New York to get their driver’s license and spent her time after graduation with her parents as their companion, caretaker and driver. Hariett died in 1912, Frank in 1928.
Geraldine married dairy farmer Earl Bellinger in 1908 who later became manager of the Sherman, NY Mohawk plant. When the plant closed in 1923 the Bellingers were so endeared in the community by their open-hearted generosity they decided to stay and, in 1924, started acquiring land in the Magnolia Springs/Whitney Bay area on the west side of the lake, 2.5 miles south of the famed Chautauqua Institution. All told, it took 10 years and 18 separate transactions to acquire what is believed to be about 45 acres of land which involved their original estate. The extended time period was due, in part, to the deaths of Frank Gebbie and Earl Bellinger in 1928 and 1930 respectively.
It is not known exactly when design actually started on the house, but drawings by famed architects Ellis Beck and Norman Tinkham suggest it was sometime after Earl’s death (as the blueprints were titled “Residence for Mrs. E. J. Bellinger”). We know that construction started no later than 1932 by an inscription dated 1/26/1933 found on some ductwork during the kitchen renovation. The house is not only interesting by its exquisite design and detail, but also from a mechanical perspective it was one of the most advanced for its time. For example, you will see that the house was designed with two boilers, two furnaces, and two central air conditioning units in the basement. (Air conditioning was only invented 30 years prior, and “central” air conditioning only existed in select larger structures at the time.) Also, the entire first floor of the house, including the patio, was built on a network of 4’x4′ precast concrete slabs joined over a steel beam substructure. This house was built to last. Copies of some of the plans can be seen in our “Original Gallery”.
The house was completed in 1937 at which time Marion, Geraldine and Geraldine’s daughter Janet took up residence.
During her lifetime, Geraldine Bellinger had a great love of music, art and gardening. She was an active trustee of the famed Chautauqua Institution, 2.5 miles up the road, from 1938 until 1961. A dorm-style lodging facility with comfortable accomodations for up to 250 people bears her name on the premises today.
Geraldine Bellinger died in 1963.
In her will she says, “I have a great affection for my home and the gardens surrounding it which are largely the result of my planning during the past thirty years …”. So true was that, she made provisions for their upkeep even after her passing. (A special “Flower Room” was included in the house original design next to the Study for preparing, cutting and arranging.) After her death, the estate, estimated to have been approximately 30 acres, was divided. The current Magnolia-on-the-Lake property sat within a 9-acre parcel which was transferred to grandson Bertram Parker and his wife Dianne. The entire parcel included the main house, gardens, caretaker’s cottage, garage and two other out-buildings.
Throughout their lives, Geraldine and Marion were incredibly philanthropic. Again in her will, Geraldine says, “However, in my lifetime, I have contributed to the support of certain charitable purposes in and about the City of Jamestown, New York, also to the Berry Schools of Mt. Berry, Georgia, and Chautauqua Institution, Chautauqua, New York, and I have also been keenly interested in providing the means to worthy students for their college education. I am also keenly interested in medical and scientific research to alleviate human suffering and ills and, in particular, defective hearing in children…”.
In a coordinated plan with her sister Marion who predeceased her in 1949, 1/3 of the remaining estate was bequeathed for the creation of a foundation, in honor of their parents, to carry on the philanthropic work so important to both of them. Today, the Gebbie Foundation, with over $70M in assets, is a key contributor to the revitilization of nearby Jamestown through investments in community and economic development initiatives, such as The National Comedy Center.
Burnett Bartley Jr. (ownership 1980-2016)
Burnett purchased the entire 9-acre parcel in 1980 and lovingly renamed the estate “Fairwinds”.
Beside from being an extremely successful businessman, Burnett was a true American war hero and an adventurer of the first rank. Having received two Purple Hearts and the French Legion of Honor among many other accolades for his service in the Army during World War II, he set numerous hydroplane speed boat records, was an avid sailor, hunter and fisherman. He also built his own floatplane on this property, which he flew many times on the lake. It was later donated to the Lawson Center in nearby Bemus Point by his beloved wife Wendy where it still hangs as an exhibit, along with a video of Burnett in action. He so enjoyed family gatherings at Fairwinds that he would host Olympics-style competitions which required “registration” by the family members in various events. Burnett died April 3, 2013 at his home in Fox Chapel, PA, but is buried, along with his first wife Mary Lou, in the Magnolia Cemetery which abuts the property. Being on the market as a whole for some time, the 9-acre property was finally divided and sold as three separate parcels in 2016. The main house sits on 2.9-acres along with the original gardens and 270′ of lake frontage.
These articles give tribute to this amazing man, and a good sense of the incredible life he led:
Roger & Maria Jacobs
The current owners are not famous…..yet. But with a love of architecture, aesthetics and an appreciation of the level of detailed craftsmanship involved in creating such a unique and beautiful structure, we have renamed the estate “Magnolia-on-the-Lake” as an ode to the past, and created this website to share its rich and significant history with the world. We are truly honored to be its new stewards, but the thing we love most about this beautiful home is being able to share the joy with our family and friends.