Artemesia

01/07/2021

A beautiful sketch of the ponds and artificial river system running from below the lower terrace of the Artemesia residence. This advanced mechanical system ran with recirculated water powered by a 5-horsepower pump located in the gate house, and ran on 3-phase electrical power.

11/01/2020

In honor of Halloween, here's a commercial filmed at Artemesia featuring the Addams Family. There were a series of four of these.

One of a series of four Italian commercials featuring the Addams Family filmed at Artemesia in 2007.

05/31/2020

https://timesofoman.com/article/3015385/world/tests-begin-for-covid-19-miracle-cure-herb-artemisia

Interesting coincidence but I wouldn't count on it panning out.

Scientists at Germany's Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam are among a group of researchers from Germany and Denmark collaborating with the US company ArtemiLife to explore whether the Artemisia plant can be used against the novel coronavirus.

05/30/2019

Remember the song "Candy Shop" by 50 Cent? The #1 song in America at the time, the Candy Shop video was filmed in January, 2005 at Artemesia.

The shots in the living room incidentally serve to document the lovely but frayed original silk wall tapestry that was in place from 1919 until its replacement and archival storage in 2016. Nearly all of the interior footage, from the first shot of the massive front door onward, is from Artemesia: the mahogany-paneled entry hall, the living room/salon/music room, and the billiard room downstairs. (The dance number with girls in red vinyl and the bathtub scene were shot elsewhere.)

Although cast and crew were initially kept in between shots in luxury trailers and outside rest areas, Curtis Jackson, the rapper known as 50 Cent, appealed personally to Leonard Fenton, Artemesia's long-time owner, for a private room for the artist Olivia to relax in. According to Mr. Fenton, Mr. Jackson told him Olivia was shy and needed a quiet space on her own.

Within hours the upstairs bedroom was filled with partying "associates" and assorted hangers-on. When he knocked on the door to see what all the noise was about, Mr. Fenton remembers being confronted by a "very large and very hostile genteleman" who told him to "get lost." Not a difficult task in a house the size of Artemesia.

Wikipedia: "The music video was directed by Jessy Terrero on January 11–12, 2005, and filmed in Hollywood, California.[2][23] Due to rapper Trick Daddy's music video for "Sugar (Gimme Some)" already having candy references, 50 Cent said, "we tried to do something a little different" and not follow the same route.[2] The video features Olivia as the lead dancer and several models including Chessika Cartwright (as a dominatrix),[24] Stephanie "Lyric" Evans (as a nurse),[25] It features cameo appearances from Lil Scrappy, former WWE Diva and TNA Knockout Kristal Marshall, former Deal Or No Deal model Leyla Milani, G-Unit member Lloyd Banks, and Young Buck. It was nominated for Best Male Video at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, but lost to Kanye West's "Jesus Walks".[26] On February 2, 2005, the video debuted on MTV's Total Request Live at number nine and remained on the chart for 46 days.[27] It also reached number one on the MuchMusic video charts.[28]"

This is "50 Cent Feat. Olivia - Candy Shop" by Black Music Videos on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

04/10/2019

The mechanical room at Artemesia is located in the north west corner of the basement, behind a heavy steel door that automatically self-closes in the event of fire or explosion.

On the right is the 1913 Ruud #10 tankless instantaneous water heater that supplied hot water throughout all seven bathrooms in the house. With no tank to limit water supply, there was an unlimited on-demand amount of hot water 24/7. The #10 was the largest size Ruud made and was intended to fit high schools, apartment buildings, and...Artemesia.

The boiler on the left powered the house's steam heat system. It was designed to use coal, wood, or gas fuel, but only gas was ever used at Artemesia. The entire boiler was covered in asbestos, reputed to be the latest and greatest insulating material.

The steam heat system was completely renovated in the 1990s and the pipes insulated with closed-cell foam insulation tubes. Men in silver suits and respirators removed and disposed of the asbestos insulation. The boiler was replaced with a new high-efficiency Weil-McLain gas boiler and modern safety devices and runs on just a few ounces of steam pressure.

The original boiler was cleaned, painted, and retained in place as a historical artifact, as was the Ruud #10 water heater.

01/30/2019

This bobcat made Artemesia his hunting grounds for about 2 years. They move too quickly most of the time to get a good shot, but I got lucky this time.

10/07/2018

The lower pond and waterfall at Artemesia around 2015, before the water plants grew to cover much of the water surface. The lower pond was the terminus of the extensive water features designed and constructed in 1913 by famed planner and landscape designer, Aurele Vermeulen. Water originated in the fishpond behind the house adjacent to the breakfast room, then the runoff was captured by a recirculation system that stored it in a huge cistern hidden under the lower front terrace. From there, massive valves opened to allow the flow into the upper waterfall and upper pond, down the streambed, and into the lower waterfall and pond. A five horsepower three-phase pump located in the gate house brought the water back up to be stored once again in the hidden cistern, 17 feet deep. The entire system was investigated, waterproofed, and restored to its original condition over several years by the long-term owner and restorer of Artemesia, Leonard Fenton.

09/09/2018

Photos taken in the hours before the turnover of possession of Artemesia.

09/09/2018

The music room.

09/09/2018

The ballroom, empty.

09/09/2018

Artemesia's master bedroom, bare.