The house started life in 1930, designed by the society architect Maurice Fatio, as the residence of Joseph Widener, and has recently been completely reconstructed (with substantial additions and outbuildings) by New York architects Fairfax and Sammons. Symm & Co. provided all the joinery for the staircase in the new tower, and its sister company Within the Symm Group, APS Masonry made the dressings from coral stone shipped from the Dominican Republic.