Holiday House (Watch Hill)
Holiday House is an home, sitting on in the Watch Hill section of Westerly, Rhode Island, built in 1930 for the Harkness family, heirs to Standard Oil. Since 2013, it has been owned by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. Inspired by the house's history and its former owner, Rebekah Harkness, Swift released a song titled "The Last Great American Dynasty" from her eighth studio album "Folklore" (2020). Design. Holiday House was built in 1930 by "an eminent Philadelphia architect", in a "hulking Colonial style pile". The house sits on over of shoreline, containing 8 bedrooms , 10.5 bathrooms and 8 fireplaces. The reception rooms include a 36-foot long parlor, a 45-foot long sun room, and an octagon-shaped formal dining room with built-in china cabinets. The kitchen reportedly contains a warming drawer and wine cooler, with an adjoining sitting room. There are four bedrooms on the second floor with en-suite bathrooms, and an expansive master suite with two bathrooms. The suite contains a sitting room with a wet bar as well as a widow's walk terrace. Lower levels include a recreation room, a service kitchen, a five-car garage, and a  heated workshop. The estate also contains a swimming pool and a summer house. History. The Harkness family. Stephen Vanderburgh Harkness was a progenitor of the extended Harkness family. He and his step-brother, Henry Flagler, and John D. Rockefeller invested heavily in Rockefeller, Andrews & Flagler, the corporate forerunner to Standard Oil. Harkness became the second-largest shareholder, which made him extremely wealthy. Harkness was a silent partner, though he served on Standard Oil's Board of Directors until his 1888 death. A half-brother of Vanderburgh Harkness, Daniel M. Harkness, was a trustee of Standard Oil and a very rich  man (the equivalent of a billionaire in 2013 USD). The money was left to his son, William Lamon Harkness. William died in 1919, with $53,439,000, about 70% of which came from Standard Oil shares. In 2020 USD, the fortune would be worth $800,352,505.14. William and Rebekah Harkness. William fathered two children with Edith Hale: Louise Hale Harkness (1898–1978) who married David Sinton Ingalls, and William Hale Harkness. In 1947, William Hale married Rebekah Semple West, who was previously married to Dickinson Pierce, a descendant of Franklin Pierce, the 14th president of the United States. After William Hale Harkness  died in 1954, Rebekah remarried twice: first to Dr. Benjamin Harrison Kean, then to Niels H. Lauersen. Rebekah lived at Holiday House after it was built in 1930. She apparently was quite unpopular with her neighbors, doing unusual things such as cleaning her pool with champagne. Rebekah used her late husband's fortune to support charitable causes, such as supporting the Joffrey Ballet. She withdrew funding when the Ballet refused to rename in her honor, and created her own dance company: Harkness Ballet, hiring most of the Joffrey Ballet's dancers. The Harkness Ballet closed in 1975. Rebekah also funded  medical research. Taylor Swift. In 2013, American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift purchased Holiday House. From 2013 to 2017, Swift received widespread press coverage for hosting Independence Day parties on the estate, featuring numerous celebrity guests and lavish decorations often depicted on Instagram. In 2014, she faced controversy from local Watch Hill residents over a proposal to rebuild a seawall on her property, which would reportedly impede public access to the beach. Swift responded that she sought to repair damage from erosion, and the area of seawall was on her private beach, which had been used by the public for years  prior to her purchase. In 2015, then-Governor (and later Secretary of Commerce) Gina Raimondo proposed a "Taylor Swift tax" on second homes within the state worth over $1 million, which was criticized and was eventually withdrawn. Swift held "secret sessions" at Holiday House in 2014 and 2017, hosting listening parties for groups of fans prior to the release of her albums "1989" and "Reputation", respectively. During sessions for "Reputation", Swift recorded a live, piano version of a song from the album, "New Year's Day", which debuted on ABC in November 2017. In 2020, Swift released her eighth  studio album, "Folklore", featuring a song about the house and life of its previous owner, Rebekah Harkness, entitled "The Last Great American Dynasty". The song also details parallels between Harkness' and Swift's unfavorable press reception at various points due to their personal lives and residence. The song was praised by critics for its lyricism and storytelling.