The Plandome mansion belonging to a prominent North Shore lawyer is on the market for $8.75 million, according to Douglas Elliman Real Estate.
The 4,459-square-foot property belonged to Robert MacCrate, an attorney who served as special counsel to former New York Gov. Nelson D. Rockefeller, said Maggie Keats, broker for the property.
It was built around 1927 and has many original features, including patterned glass windows and two hand-carved marble staircases, she said.
“This house is so beautifully done,” Keats said. “It’s got westerly views and a rolling lawn all the way down to the seawall and dock. It’s unusual to get such broad, expansive waterfront in all of Manhasset. It’s a spectacular home and property that absolutely epitomizes Gold Coast splendor.”
MacCrate lived in the home located at 40 The Terrace until his death in April at the age of 94. The home was kept in his family for nearly 50 years, Keats said.
MacCrate is well-known for serving as special counsel to the U.S. Army during the investigation of the My Lai massacre in Vietnam. The incident involved the killing of more than 300 Vietnamese civilians by U.S. Army troops in 1968.
The goal of MacCrate’s investigation was to determine what exactly was done by the Army unit and to look for evidence of a cover-up.
Twenty-six soldiers were charged with war crimes, but only the platoon leader was convicted.
MacCrate was also president of the American Bar Association from 1987 to 1988.
His father was John MacCrate, a U.S. Congressman and justice of the New York Supreme Court.
In addition to the home’s connection to Robert MacCrate, Keats said, there is some lore surrounding the original owner of the property in the 1920s.
She said the house may have been built by a New York City business tycoon for his Ziegfeld Follies mistress, whom he would visit on his way home to Sands Point.
