In the spotlight with the publication of The Great Gatsby, the North Shore’s Gold Coast boasted perhaps the greatest concentration of wealth in the country during the first half of the 20th century. In its heyday, over 1,200 grand homes lined the shoreline from Eaton’s Neck to Great Neck and as far south as Old Westbury.
With inspiration from around the globe, as well as the development of many new American styles, an architectural renaissance occurred, bringing together the greatest artisans, architects, landscape architects, and designers to create an exclusive enclave that flourished until World War II. Captains of industry, founding families, and even royalty called Long Island home.
Everyone from Morgan, Woolworth, Vanderbilt, Hearst, Field, and Phipps to the Duke of Windsor resided here. Lavish parties celebrated weddings, Lindbergh’s transatlantic flight, and other events. Today, approximately one-third of these houses still survive in various states, providing a glimpse of what was the Gold Coast.
Highlights of Long Island’s Gold Coast:
• Life on the North Shore
• The houses
• Changing times to present
Fascinated by the unique architecture of Long Island, Paul J. Mateyunas has made it his career to help restore, preserve, and educate about the houses and culture of the Gold Coast. An advisor to a number of properties and an architecture writer since 2001, Mateyunas has a collection of more than 20,000 images documenting the North Shore.
Available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at www.arcadiapublishing.com or
(888)-313-2665.
Arcadia Publishing is the leading publisher of local and regional history in the United States. Our mission is to make history accessible and meaningful through the publication of books on the heritage of America’s people and places. Have we done a book on your town? Visit www.arcadiapublishing.com.
# # #
With more than 7,500 local history titles published to date, Arcadia Publishing is the leading publisher of local and regional history in the United States. Widely recognized sepia books feature hundreds of vintage historical images.
