Sagtikos Manor Loses Money for Preservation

The Sagtikos Manor Historical Society has lost its lawsuit seeking $81 million to preserve and maintain the centuries-old Gardiner family mansion where both British General Henry Clinton and General George Washington once slept. 

In 2012 the historical society filed a lawsuit against the Hampton Bays based Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation seeking funds to maintain the manor, which dates back to 1697.  The suit alleged that Robert D.L. Gardiner, the last of the Gardiner family to use the house, would have wanted the foundation money to go toward preservation of the estate.  Although a lower court sided with the society, the New York appellate court overturned the decision, and opposed putting funds towards Sagtikos Manor.  Some believe this decision could have potentially far-reaching repercussions in the state’s regulation of charitable foundations. 

See Spencer Rumsey, Sagtikos Manor Group Loses Bid to Sway How Trust Spends Millions to Save Long Island History, Long Island Press, May 8, 2015.