Why Long Island, New York ?

Last month I wrote two posts on the reasons for selecting certain travel destinations. Some were selected because of stamps, postcards, art exhibit, books, movie, etc. There is another reason which I did not mention then, and that is: selecting a destination because of an article that I read online. I read it in March last year and this made me decide to visit the North Shore of Long Island, New York. We have been to New York City many times and have seen most of the sights there. The last few times we decided to visit the surrounding boroughs like the Bronx and Brooklyn but had not thought about Long Island, until I read an interesting article last March. Why did we decide to visit the North Shore of Long Island? I’ll explain below.



On the old postcard above you can see the North Shore which starts at the bottom left of the card. It is on the north coast of Long Island bordering Long Island Sound. Long Island Sound is the estuary of the Atlantic Ocean between the state of Connecticut and Long Island in the state of New York. The photo at the top of this post was taken in Great Neck, Long Island.

Long Island Sound by Thomas Moran, American, 1837-1926

Long Island is close to the center of New York City and has been an affluent area for many years. The area was nicknamed “The Gold Coast” because of the opulent estates built there between the 1890s and 1950s by wealthy New York City business tycoons. The Vanderbilt's, J. P Morgan, David Guggenheim, F. W. Woolworth and President Theodore Roosevelt had large mansions with acres of formal gardens on the North Shore.

From October 1922 to May 1924 F. Scott Fitzgerald lived in Great Neck, one of the towns there. There he found inspiration for his celebrated novel, The Great Gatsby, in the glitzy soirees given in the large estates around him and the estate across the water in Sands Point.



Articles I read in early March last year announced that the Long Island mansion that was thought to have inspired The Great Gatsby was going to be demolished to make way for several McMansions – 5 huge custom homes starting at $10 million each. The 25-room colonial property, called Lands End, was built in 1902 on 13-acres facing Long Island Sound in Sands Point. Lavish parties were hosted there in the 1920s and 30s with such high-profile guests as Winston Churchill, the Marx Brothers, Ethel Barrymore, Albert Einstein, Dorothy Parker, the Wright Brothers, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, writer Oscar Wilde and hundreds more. The 24,000 square foot house had original hand-painted wall paper, marble, parquet floors, Palladian windows, two private beaches, two tennis courts, a 75-foot swimming pool, a greenhouse, horse stables, French gardens and more. Below are pictures of the estate found on a 1970s real estate brochure.




I was truly astounded that such an illustrious part of America’s history would go under the wrecking ball. I read more about it and found out that the current owner had let the house deteriorate for many years and had decided not to spend the $2 million to renovate it. It was more beneficial for him to have the house demolished and sell the land. I was also surprised that no one, including the state or the government would step in to save it. It was in such a beautiful and unique setting along the Long Island Sound.

North Shore, Long Island by William Moore Davis, American 1829-1920

The land could have been made into a gorgeous park and the mansion used for many art venues, or at the very least, it would have made a fantastic convalescent home. But, of course, parceling the property and developing it for millionaires would bring more money… (it is well known that in the pursuit of financial gains many such mansions have been demolished after suffering intentional neglect.)

So this is why we decided to travel to Long Island – to see some mansions before they might be razed. We went to Long Island last September and I’ll have more posts on our trip later. Last April though I read an article on the Los Angeles Times that a planned demolition had taken place at Lands End that week. A photographer was sent to take some last pictures – here they are below courtesy of the LA Times.



A photographer, Jen Ross, who is also a blogger, took many pictures of Lands End at Sands Point and allowed me to show some of them here.



Please go to Jen’s site and click under the main picture on “start slideshow” – her pictures are exceptional and help us witness the demise of this once elegant and grand house. Please click here for Jen Ross Photography. Below is a last view of Lands End (courtesy LA Times.)



Hundreds of mansions have been lost on the Gold Coast – at least 100 of them in the last fifty years. These opulent houses were built by top-notch architects with the best material available. They are now being replaced by tacky houses or more malls and highways. Below are postcards of a couple of mansions which were razed as well - the George Rose estate in Westbury and the Stanley Mortimer estate in Roslyn (partner of Standard Oil.)



I am surprised that some of these houses are not being saved by the US government as part of the nation’s historical heritage. It is a total shame to demolish authentic period houses and replace them with flashy and ostentatious houses which are tasteless or in a variety of styles. I grew up in Paris where we are respectful and proud of our “patrimoine.” It is a hard word to translate – in a broader sense it means “heritage” – to cherish the culture, the environment, the monuments, art and the music of the country. French people pay taxes to keep it up. Where would all the castles, museums and cathedrals be if they had been left to deteriorate and then their land had been sold to the highest bidder? Here are some examples of the French patrimoine: the cathedral of Chartres, the castle of Chambord and the Maison Carrée in Nimes.



By the way the Maison Carrée in Nimes (south of France) which was a Roman Temple built in 1 BC has been in continuous use ever since. In the 18th century Thomas Jefferson copied its architecture in the construction of the Virginia State Capitol (it is fortunate that this temple has been preserved…)

Virginia State Capitol painted in 1860, attributed to Howard W. Montague

Here in the US, I read that the National Trust for Historic Preservation had a “Save America’s Treasures” program and tried to find out more about it and about the funding of culture and the arts. It was not easy, but I found out that the US budget for the arts and humanities was about $6 per capita per year back in 1996. In 2010 it was down to 54 cents per capita per year and in 2012 it is now 44 cents! Arts funding has been steadily blocked by Conservative Republicans. Last year the total budget for the arts and humanities was $167.5M and in 2012 it shrank to $146.3M (or the salary of 3 NBA/NFL players or a fraction of the cost of a new sports stadium.)

Among industrialized countries the US has a historical low rate of overall taxes. It is ranked dead last in arts funding (as a point of comparison France gives $20+ per capita to the arts yearly.) But then I saw that in the 2012 US budget 59% went to defense (42% of the worlds military spending is done by the US) 6% on education and 2% on justice (which may explain why with 5 percent of the world’s population the US has almost a quarter of the world’s prisoners…) At least since millionaires are taxed at a 60-year low rate they may still employ artists to paint their portraits as was the case during the “gilded age” of the Gold Coast?

Portrait of Lady Helen Vincent by John Singer Sargent, American 1856-1925

It is devastating to see that the arts and historic preservation are sacrificed here. In 2009 some 10,000 arts organizations nationwide disappeared. I wonder what the number is now. Music and art classes are disappearing from schools, too. The arts are essential to our society. It is so sad that America is losing a vital part of its culture and history because of narrow views. If it is because of money – the arts and historic monuments bring tourists which help the economy. I checked the last figures – in 2010 France was no.1 with 76.80 million international tourist arrivals – the US was no. 2 with 59.70 million international tourist arrivals – but keeping in mind that France is not even as large as the state of Texas shown below in red.

I did find the “Save America’s Treasures” program which states that it “makes critical investments in the preservation of our nation’s most significant and endangered cultural treasures, which illustrate, interpret, and embody the great events, ideas, and individuals that contribute to America’s history and culture.” Rep. Kevin Brady (Republican from Texas) a GOP deputy whip introduced a bill that would cut millions across the board on Historic Preservation funding and eliminate the Save America’s Treasures program. I just found information on this program and it says : ” The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Save America’s Treasures office has closed. The U.S. Congress did not renew funding.”

“Au Revoir” (Goodbye) by George Barbier, French 1882-1932