TURN

I was a little late to this new show but I highly recommend it to anyone interested in old Long Island history.  TURN, airing on AMC on Sundays at 9PM, focuses on George Washington's Culper Spy Ring during the Revolutionary War and Season 1 is set mostly in Setauket, Long Island where Abraham Woodhull resided (and who is the main character).  Woodhull would be known as Samuel Culper Sr. and if the show is renewed for Season 2 will also heavily focus on Oyster Bay's Robert Townsend, known as Samuel Culper Jr., and who resided at Raynham Hall.  Also present (and quite entertaining) is Captain John Graves Simcoe (later Lt. Col.).  While it is a television show and thus takes a bit of liberty with historical accuracy it is still quite entertaining nonetheless.

The Northside School

North Side Elementary School  in East Williston as it looked when it appeared in the second decade of the 20th century.  See the comments for further history.  I attended North Side as a kid from 1989-1993.  Click HERE to see the school as it looks today.

The Colbert Report Meets The Great Gatsby

The Colbert Report
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Well this one made my day. The Colbert Report takes a humorous look at The Great Gatsby with Carey Mulligan including some green screen teleportation to Old Westbury Gardens and a photograph I took of the wall at 'Spring Hill'. And there's even an appearance by LeVar Burton reprising his role from Reading Rainbow (a childhood staple of mine in the '80s).  It begins around the 5:00 mark.

Here Comes The Great Gatsby

 One week from this Friday, May 10th, we will finally see the release of Baz Lurhmann's version of The Great Gatsby starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby, Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan and Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway.  Though filmed in Australia, Lurhmann relied on historic Long Island photos (including those from Old Long Island) to create his versions of the Gatsby and Buchanan houses for the movie.  Click HERE for an Architectural Digest article on the set design, including a mention that 'Westbury House' was the basis for the Buchanan residence.  They also mention 'La Selva' (really?) as one of those used for inspiration as well as 'Beacon Towers' and 'Oheka'.  Click HERE to watch the trailer for the movie and HERE for my post on the movie from last summer.  Good or bad it will most certainly be entertaining.

Really?

The headline on Yahoo is 'The fanciest McDonald's in the U.S.' and it links to an article on the McDonald's that exists inside the 18th century Denton House residence in New Hyde Park.  I suppose old Long Island possessing the fanciest McDonald's is a far better claim than having the ugliest, though it still sounds weird.  Click HERE to see Denton House on google street view.

Meadowbrook Polo

An international polo match sometime during the 1920s at the Meadowbrook Polo Field in Westbury.  Click HERE and HERE for more on the Meadowbrook Polo Club.

What We Lost in 2011...

As we close out 2011 I thought this would be a good time to take a look back at what we lost this past year...

In April 'Lands End', the John Scott Browning estate built c. 1911 in Sands Point was demolished and the property subdivided for a development known as 'Seagate', click HERE for more on 'Lands End'.

In the last few weeks 'Dark Hollow', the Oliver Jennings residence designed by Mott Schmidt and Mogens Tvede c. 1930 in Cold Spring Harbor was demolished for reasons unknown. Click HERE to see 'Dark Hollow' on bing.

'Les Bois', the George Moffett estate designed by Mott Schmidt c. 1927 in Old Brookville came down in the last few months for reasons unknown. Click HERE for more on 'Les Bois'.

The F. Skiddy Von Stade estate designed by Cross & Cross c. 1914 with alterations by Peabody, Wilson & Brown c. 1930 in Old Westbury is set to be demolished at any time now with the property currently being subdivided for a development known as 'Hidden Pond'. Click HERE for more on the Von Stade estate.

Feel free to share thoughts, opinions or other places we lost this past year.

Old Long Island Turns 4!

Today marks the fourth anniversary of the creation of Old Long Island. After all this time there have been 1,244 posts, over 355 estates featured, thousands more pictures uploaded, over 220,000 visitors and over 1.4 million page views. I want to thank everyone who has ever shared a picture or a comment and helped keep this place alive and moving forward after all this time. And as I've said in previous years, I hope I have enough material to keep this place going for four more years. Above, a Christmas and New Years card from 'Wheatly', the E.D. Morgan III estate designed by McKim, Mead & White between 1890-1900 in Old Westbury. Happy holidays! Photo from the Elizabeth Morgan Jay Etnier Hollins archives.

'Restoring an Old Long Island Farmhouse'

Five architects from five cities offer suggestions for restoring an old Long Island farmhouse built in 1776, from Country Life magazine, 1922.

Church of the Advent WWI Honor Roll

"Westbury men" returning from World War I pictured on Post Avenue near the railroad bridge. Below, the Church of the Advent's Honor Roll recognizing the members of the church who served in the Armed Forces during the first World War. Many of the names will be recognizable to readers of OLI. Click HERE for more on the Church of the Advent in Westbury.

Images from Church of the Advent: The First Fifty Years by Frederic Underwood, Ph.D.

'Film-Shoot Homes Generate Buzz and Buyers'

From this weekend's New York Times Real Estate section, an article on a couple of Long Island's film friendly residences. Above and below is Debbie Regan's 1907 Old Westbury colonial on Wheatley Road, featured prominently in the article. It was most recently used for the filming of 'The Oranges' starring Hugh Laurie. Ever since I was a little kid I remember this house being used for tv shows and movies. Frank W. Woolworth's 'Winfield Hall' by C.P.H. Gilbert in Glen Cove is currently being used for the filming of 'Mildred Pierce', an HBO miniseries with Kate Winslet that will premiere next February.

Polo Map of Nassau County

A map of all the polo fields in Nassau County from the June 1929 issue of Polo Magazine.

Picture of the Day

An old postcard of Roosevelt Raceway in Westbury. Click HERE for more on the Roosevelt Raceway.

SPLIA & Long Island's Endangered Properties

The Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities (SPLIA) is the regional advocate for historic environments on Long Island. This year the Society is launching its first Endangered Properties List to increase the visibility of threatened historic resources and stimulate greater support for their preservation and reuse.

Please join in this effort to protect what matters. If you know of a threatened historic resource, nominate it today. A nomination form (in Microsoft Word format) can be accessed from SPLIA's website HERE, or you can enlarge and print the nomination form directly from the images below. The deadline for nominations is October 15th, 2009.

Bayville Bridge

The Bayville Bridge, the fourth incarnation of the bridge built in 1938.  Below is a good powerpoint history of the bridge I found on google.  Click HERE to see the Bayville Bridge on google earth.

Bayville Bridge

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Macy's at Roosevelt Field

Macy's at Roosevelt Field, 1957.

Mitchel Field Tommy Gun Training

Soldiers training with Thompson submachine guns at Mitchel Field in Garden City in 1942.

Picture of the Day

An old LILCO store, 1953.

Roosevelt Raceway

The Roosevelt Raceway, a harness racing track that operated from 1940 until 1988 in Westbury. The track was sold in 1984 and eventually deteriorated to the point it was closed. The site became host to a flea market and was eventually demolished. Click HERE for more on the Roosevelt Raceway's history.

Picture of the Day

Theodore Roosevelt aboard the 'Mayflower' reviewing a naval parade off the coast of Long Island in 1903. During his presidency the Long Island Sound saw numerous naval parades like the one above.