From the turn of the century, well into the roaring 20s, this was the place where New York elites would build their lavish private estates. And if you’ve ever seen The Great Gatsby, you’ll know it was a land of opulent affairs, and one that served as the backdrop to this legendary tale.
Today, we are taking you to the North Shore. An area known for its extreme wealth, its jazz-era decadence, and palatial European-style estates.
Located on the northern coast of New York’s Long Island, directly off the Long Island Sound, the North Shore exploded into affluence at the turn of the 20th century. Hence, earning it a more fashionable reputation as the Gold Coast.
Of the 500 or so grand mansions that were built during this prosperous era, only a third of them still stand today. And if you’ve got a few minutes to spare, you’re welcome to join us on our tour of the most extravagant, most remarkable mansions in this most majestic section of Long Island.
As we make stops in filthy rich towns like Brookville, Old Westbury, Sands Point, and the like, you’ll be taken back to a bygone world where opulence, prominence, and elegance seemed to be all that mattered.
So without further ado, here are the Top 15 Gold Coast mansions of Long Island!
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Top 15 GOLD COAST MANSIONS of Long Island
17 Comments
Great selection. All interesting in their own unique way. Thanks for the video. Have a wonderfully Merry Christmas.
I definitely need one on tuxedo park and Hudson valley
Eagle nest is in Suffolk County
I would love to tour Old Westbury Gardens.
So wonderful none have been demolished
Let's do the Pratt family members next time.
I live on Long Island and have been to all of these mansions and they are absolutely amazing! I believe they were all built before income tax.
Is there a mansion that inspired Great Gatsby house 🏠?
Did I just see Gotham 's Wayne Manor? 🙂
I love it when Americans come to the UK to view our stately homes when you have all this wonderful history in your own country.
Nearly all seem to be in the hands of non profit organizations. I wonder how much that costs Long Island in property taxes lol.
Great video I love that area and it's history
People think the Hamptons is the rich area but the original area is gold coast
Have you done a video of the mainline in Philly ? That area is like gold coast
Love Old Westbury Gardens. It was used in "Love Story" and "North by Northwest " !
No money like old money , that's for sure…
I live very close to many of these and I've only visited a few. Maybe I'll have to check them out
Good video
I grew up on LI and have visited most of these places even Oneka when it was abandoned. My favorite one to visit is the Planting Fields. The gardens and greenhouses are magnificent and the grounds are fun to explore. I have seen the JPMorgan house in Glen Cove be demolished before my eyes, it was sad. My grandfather was the chauffer to the Goulds back in the day and my father used to play on the grounds when he was a kid. There are a few more old mansions that you didn't cover that are easy to visit because they are public. Thanks for the video, it brings back memories.
I've hiked and toured in most of these mansions which led me to do much research on the subject. One that was not mentioned is Ormston House in Lattingtown that is 100% intact with its original acreage. This stone castle is a monastery now and perfectly maintained. It's amazing that since the early 2000's I've seen at least 3 beautiful old mansions get demolished. The property is just too valuable today. Back in the day the rich Manhattanites had their summer homes north of the city. Once the Queensboro bridge was built, word began to spread about Long Island's north shore and easy accessibility. The property was reasonably cheap, so these tycoons often bought many acres of land around their summer homes. By the time WWII came, even these tycoons could not afford to maintain these estates. They divided and sold the property, and had the mansions used for things like schools. Some actually built a smaller home on their own property! Today these old established coastal north shore neighborhoods, like the Hamptons much further east, are segregated by extremely high property taxes and home costs.