Today at 9:15 am, Lands End, the Bayard Swope Estate at Sands Point met it's end.
It is being demolished today and will most likely be a pile of rubble by this evening. This house has long been thought to be one of the Gatsby mansions and a model for Daisy Buchanan's house in F. Scott Fitzgeralds, " The Great Gatsby". It was often considered to be one of the many mansions, that Fitzgerald was inspired by.
I parked at the Sands Point Park and Preserve, the former Gould/ Guggenheim estate and walked down to the beach past the main house. The tide was high and the walk was long and cold, but got to the beach in front of the house just as the wreckers started to eat away at the front of the house. I would have liked to stay longer to document the destruction, but the tide was coming in. If anyone is interested in watching the rest of the demolition, you can go to the Sands Point Park & Preserve and pay the $5.00 admission fee and go watch the rest. The tide may be high and the weather is bad today, but if anyone takes any photos, please send them along.
Please check when the gates close at the Preserve.
This Iconic Gold Coast mansion, stood for over 100 years and according to some accounts was built in 1911, which make this its 100th anniversary. Often attributed to architect Stanford White, it has never been proven. If it was built in 1911, then it is not, since Stanford White died in 1906. While it was a unique piece of architecture, the only thing that it had in common with any Stanford White building was that it was white with big columns, which is pretty classic for most mansions of this style. The massing was very unlike any other houses ever designed by White and bore no resemblance to any other works of his or his firm, McKim, Mead & White. From its over scaled heavy topped chimneys, to its slightly angled plan, which from a design point of view, embraced the site perfectly. Today Long Island has lost one of its last remaining jewels and sailing landmarks. During a sunny day or overcast day it rose above its site prominently, The Parthenon of the " Gold Coast'.
More to come!
Click HERE to see the story about," Lands End" on the CBS News Sunday Morning, The End of an Era for the Gatsby House.
Click HERE for a great story about Lands End on The Esoteric Curiosa
