Cold Spring Harbor Lab buys former Harmony Heights property for $4M 

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Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory has purchased the former Harmony Heights Residence property in Oyster Bay Cove for $4 million. 

The 14,076 square-foot building is on 12.13 acres at 57 Sandy Hill Road and was used to house students from the Harmony Heights School for nearly 50 years. The three-story, Tudor-style building has 16 bedrooms, nine full bathrooms and two half bathrooms. 

The property, once known as the Wrexleigh Estate, was originally designed by Stephenson & Wheeler for attorney John Anson Garver around 1913. It features a butler’s pantry, gym, and library with French doors leading to a covered patio, according to Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty listing information. The property also includes a brick carriage house, four-stall barn and a greenhouse.   

The estate was transformed into a residence for Harmony Heights students in the 1970s and was used to house students from grades eight through 12 that were enrolled in the nonprofit’s residential program. 

Founded in 1974, Harmony Heights is a therapeutic day school serving girls with emotional needs that can’t be adequately served in a standard high school setting, according to its website. Though it closed the Oyster Bay Cove residence in Dec. 2022, Harmony Heights Day School continues to operate in East Norwich.  

“Although it is extremely difficult, even today, for our staff to deal with the closing of our Residential Program, we are thankful for all of the students and families we had the opportunity to help. We provided individual and group therapy to our students and family therapy and parent support groups to our families,” Kathryn Nastri, executive director emeritus of Harmony Heights, said via email. “Students participated in community service projects throughout Oyster Bay while living at the Residence, and they had access to a therapy garden area, greenhouse, and horses on our beautiful sprawling property. We are so thankful that we are able to continue our work in our Day School Program in East Norwich and our mission to provide hope and healing remains strong. Staff and students understand what challenges are, but hope continues to happen at Harmony Heights.” 

A Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory spokesperson declined to comment on what the Oyster Bay Cove property will be used for, though a source said it’s likely to be used to house laboratory staff. 

Peggy Moriarty of Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty represented the buyer, while her Daniel Gale colleagues Kim Luneburg and Julia Blaker represented the seller, Harmony Heights, in the sales transaction.