Long Island’s Gold Coast is located in the rolling hills of the region’s Northernmost boundary.
The hills are home to prime real estate that was once called home by some of America’s wealthiest individuals during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Many of these Long Island mansions and estates still remain, available for tour to provide a glimpse into the past.
If you are visiting Long Island for the first time, this is a recommended tourist attraction.
In this article, we will list nine of these mansions that you can go visit.
Caumsett State Park – Formerly Known as Marshall Field III Estate
Marshall Field III was a businessman best known for being the heir of the Marshall Field Department Store and founder of the Chicago Sun.
In 1925, he built a 1400-acre estate overlooking the Long Island Sound in Lloyd Harbor. It was one of the large gold coast mansions on the North Shore.
He named the mansion “Caumsett”, which means “place by the sharp rock”; the original name of the area given by the Matinecock Tribe.
Today, the mansion rests within Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve, a New York State Park since 1961.
The mansion grounds can be visited on foot through the many walking paths and trails on the property.
Learn more about Caumsett State Park – https://www.caumsettfoundation.org/park-history
Coindre Hall
Coindre Hall is a 40-room, 80,000-square-foot mansion in Huntington, New York.
It was built in 1912 for George Mckesson Brown, known for the Mckesson Pharmaceutical company.
The mansion is designed in a marvelous french chateau style. It has beautiful views casting down toward Huntington bay.
Today, the location is a popular wedding venue owned by the Lessing company. You can purchase a complete wedding package at the mansion starting at nearly $15,000!
Learn more about Coindre Hall – http://lipulse.com/2016/08/25/coindre-hall/
Greentree
This mansion was created in 1904 in Manhasset, New York.
It was built by businessman and philanthropist William Payne Whitney for his wife, Helen Julia May.
The estate is on a 400-acres of land and was once composed of 5 area farms.
Today, the property GreenTree estate was divided and gifted to several organizations. North Shore University Hospital and the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock occupy a small portion of the land.
The house resides in the area owned by the GreenTree foundation and found a purpose as a conference center for world human rights issues and international justice.
It was most notably home to the Manhassett Negotiations in 2007, a series of talks ordered by the United Nations Security Council to help resolve the Western Sahara Conflict.
Learn more about Greentree – http://www.oldlongisland.com/2012/02/greentree.html
Hempstead House
The Hempstead House is one of four mansions found on the Gould – Guggenheim Estate in Port Washington, New York.
The mansion was built in 1912 and features three floors, 40 rooms, and 50,000 square feet of space.
Howard Gould purchased the land in 1901 and started constructing the mansion as a gift to his wife.
Gould separated from his wife in 1909, but construction of the mansion continued.
Howard continued the construction and sold the estate to Daniel Guggenheim in 1917 when Gould decided to move his life to Europe.
Daniel Guggenheim died in 1930 & control of the estate was passed to his wife, Florence Guggenheim.
Florence opened the Hempstead House for children refugees fleeing World War Two in Europe.
In 1942, Florence provided the estate to the Institute of Aeronautical Sciences.
The United States Navy purchased the land from the Institute in 1964.
U.S Navy then sold the property to Nassau County in 1970
Today, the Hempstead House served as a backdrop for concerts and lectures. It is also available for tours.
Learn more about the Hempstead House – http://sandspointpreserveconservancy.org/about/hempstead-house/
Oheka Castle
Oheka Castle is the largest home on Long Island and the second-largest home in the United States.
The Castle features 109 rooms and 32 guest rooms and spans over 100,000 square feet of space.
The home was developed by Otto Hermann Kahn between 1914 and 1919.
It is constructed on top of an artificial hill to provide views over Cold Spring Harbor.
The estate is 443 acres of land. There were tennis courts, an 18-hole golf course, stables, and even an airplane landing strip.
Today, Oheka Castle serves as a luxury hotel.
It has been in numerous films and music videos, like Taylor Swift’s Blank Space.
You can rent Oheka Castle for events like weddings & they also offer mansion tours.
Learn more about Oheka Castle – https://www.oheka.com/history.htm
Old Westbury Gardens
Old Westbury Gardens was constructed in 1906 for the wife of John S Phipps, Margarita Grace Phipps.
John Phipps was an American Businessman who was a director of Hanover Bank, U.S Steel Corp, and W.R Grace & Co.
The estate is 200 acres of land with ponds, lakes, flowers, woodlands, and botanical gardens.
The mansion today is open for tours and serves host for car shows, exhibitions, concerts, and botanical art and garden classes.
Learn more about Old Westbury Gardens – https://www.oldwestburygardens.org/about/#mission-history
The Forker House – United States Merchant Marine Academy
The Forker House was built in 1916 in Kings Point on Long Island.
In 1923, the Forker house was sold to Walter P Chrysler, an American car manufacturing pioneer.
After his death in 1940, the Forker House Property was sold to the United States War Shipping Department in 1941, and formed into the United States Merchant Marine Academy. The Forker House was renamed Wiley Hall.
The United States Merchant Marine Academy trains its students to become officers in the United States Merchant Marine.
The United States Merchant Marine is responsible for the control and execution of economic shipping here in the U.S.
You can request a group tour of the United States Merchant Marine Academy Grounds or do a self-guided tour.
Learn more about Forker House – http://www.oldlongisland.com/2009/07/when-forker-house-was-for-sale.html
Eagle’s Nest – Vanderbilt Museum
Eagle’s Nest is located in Centerpoint, New York, and was built in 1910 as a summer cottage for William K Vanderbilt.
Vanderbilt was the great-grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt who was a shipping and railroad pioneer in the late 1800s. William inherited his wealth as an avid traveler, yachtsman, and motor sportsman.
The Eagle Nest mansion was constructed on 43 acres of land overlooking Huntington Bay.
It was designed in a Spanish Revival style by Warren and Wetmore, who also built New York’s Grand Central Station.
Eagle Nest today is known as the Vanderbilt Museum.
Vanderbilt donated the property to Suffolk County in 1950 to showcase his findings and artifacts from his world travel as well as a glimpse into the life of a Vanderbilt.
In the 1970s, a planetarium was added that allows visitors to see celestial bodies like stars, planets, and other galaxies.
You can tour the Vanderbilt Museum grounds. The museum also provides a live history tour where the staff acts like socialities from the Gold Coast Era based on the journal entries of William Vanderbilt.
The estate is also open to being rented for events and weddings.
Learn more about the Vanderbilt Museum – https://www.vanderbiltmuseum.org/
The Braes – Webb Institute
The Braes Mansion can be found in Glen Cove, New York.
It is 40,000 square feet making it one of the top 100 largest houses in the United States.
The mansion was built for Herbert Lee Pratt who accumulated his wealth from being the head of Standard Oil.
Herbert was an avid art collector.
He was an elected trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He collected portraits and miniatures. Pratt had the dining room at the Braes along with 80 portraits shipped to his alma mater Amherst College near Buffalo, New York.
In 1947, the Braes mansion was purchased by the Webb Institute of Naval Architecture and continues to run as a college that focuses on engineering and ship design.
Learn more about the Braes Mansion – https://househistree.com/houses/the-braes
