Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Oheka Castle: Long Island Architect
Sands Point Preserve: Long Island Architect
Falaise is a Normandy style home filled with antiques and open to the public for tours. It's here that Charles Lindbergh wrote his famous book "WE," while staying with the Guggenheim family at Falaise, and where he came for respite following the tragic kidnapping of his child.
Hempstead House was designed by Hunt & Hunt in the style of an English castle.
CastleGould was built to be a replica of Kilkenny Castle, but it was later used as stables and servant quarters.
Walk the grounds that overlook the Long Island Sound and step back in time to a period of Gold Coast splendor.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County: Long Island Architect
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Nassau County Museum of Art: Long Island Architect
Ranked among the nation’s most important suburban art museums, Nassau County Museum of Art (NCMA) is located about 25 miles east of New York City on the former Frick Estate, a spectacular 145-acre property in Roslyn Harbor in the heart of Long Island’s fabled Gold Coast. The main museum building, named in honor of art collectors and philanthropists Arnold and Joan Saltzman, is a three-story Georgian mansion that exemplifies Gold Coast architecture of the late 19th century.
In addition to the Arnold & Joan Saltzman Fine Art Building, Nassau County Museum of Art includes the Art Space for Children, the Sculpture Park, Formal Garden of historic importance, the Pinetum, an architecturally-significant restored trellis, rare specimen trees, marked walking trails, and the Art School where an extensive array of beginning to advanced art classes are held for adults and children.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Vanderbilt Museum & Planetarium: Long Island Architect
Friday, May 25, 2012
Old Westbury Gardens: Long Island Architect
Welcome to North America's most beautiful English-style country estate. Built for the family of philanthropist John S. Phipps in 1906. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The 160 acres include a walled perennial garden, classical statuary, rolling fields, a charming thatched cottage with garden, over 100 species of trees, sweeping lawns, rose gardens, lakes, boxwood gardens, winding paths, and demonstration gardens. Westbury House, a magnificent Charles II mansion, virtually unchanged from the time of the Phipps' residence, is filled with priceless original furnishings and fine arts. Indoor and outdoor concerts, Family Fridays, House and Gardens tours, Plant Shops, Gift shop, Picnics, Cafe in the woods. Open 10am-5pm, Wednesday-Monday, mid-April through the end of October, special dates in November and February, and for festive Holiday Celebrations in December in beautifully decorated Westbury House
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Gatsby's Gold Coast: Long Island Architect
Just a short ride from New York City on Long Island’s north shore lies
a place of uninhibited wealth and opulence immortalized in F. Scott
Fitzgerald’s book, The Great Gatsby. Many of the “Gold Coast”
mansions that grace this scenic coastal area, so-called due to the huge
concentration of fortunes here, are open for the public’s perusal and
enjoyment.
Come to Long Island’s Gold Coast and take a step back in time to the 1920s when neighbors at the upper echelon of high society strove to out-do each other in terms of lavish, castle-like mansions and gardens of European caliber. Visit Old Westbury Gardens, the Vanderbilt Estate, or the Frick Estate at the Nassau County Museum of Art. Over a half-dozen estates, once owned by some of the most famous people from New York, have been converted to public use. Many offer art galleries and tours, and others open to allow visitors to stroll the grounds and spectacular gardens to get a feel for what life was like for the privileged few.
Others such as Oheka castle, once the home of Otto Hermann Kahn, and the Glen Cove Mansion, once a Pratt family estate, are open to the public for events and overnight accommodations.
Come to Long Island’s Gold Coast and take a step back in time to the 1920s when neighbors at the upper echelon of high society strove to out-do each other in terms of lavish, castle-like mansions and gardens of European caliber. Visit Old Westbury Gardens, the Vanderbilt Estate, or the Frick Estate at the Nassau County Museum of Art. Over a half-dozen estates, once owned by some of the most famous people from New York, have been converted to public use. Many offer art galleries and tours, and others open to allow visitors to stroll the grounds and spectacular gardens to get a feel for what life was like for the privileged few.
Others such as Oheka castle, once the home of Otto Hermann Kahn, and the Glen Cove Mansion, once a Pratt family estate, are open to the public for events and overnight accommodations.
Central Islip Psychiatric Center: Long Island Architect: Landmark Series
The center was one of the four major hospital "farms" in central Long Island to house the sick from New York City; the others were Kings Park, Pilgrim State Hospital, and Edgewood State Hospital. In 1955 it housed 10,000 patients, making it the USA's second biggest psychiatric hospital to Pilgrim State Hospital, which was the largest psychiatric institution ever to exist in the United States.
It opened in 1889 to house the sick from Manhattan in what was called at the time the New Colony. Kings County Farm Colony opened in 1890 to house those from Brooklyn. Pilgrim opened in 1931 and Edgewood in 1946 (which acted as Pilgrim's Tubercular Division).
The state bought the land for US$25 per acre.
49 male and 40 female patients were admitted in 1889 for "O&O" (Occupation and Oxygen) and "R&R" (Rest and Relaxation) at a working farm. Patients cleared the land, constructed buildings, made the furniture and mattresses, sewed their clothing, grew crops and raised dairy cattle, pigs and chickens.
After New York State bought it, it was renamed the Manhattan State Hospital for the Insane (although the "for Insane" portion was frequently not included in articles).
The initial buildings grew to be a nearly mile-long interconnected series of buildings called the "chain of pearls."
Until the Great Depression patients would arrive by a special hospital train with bars on the windows on a siding off the Long Island Railroad.
More modern buildings were arranged closer together in the Sunburst building.
The hospital was renamed the Central Islip State Hospital and finally the Central Islip Psychiatric Center.
It closed in 1996 when the last patients were transferred to the Pilgrim Psychiatric Center.
Most of the buildings, including the String of Pearls, have been demolished. The 1953 power plant was torn down in 2006, the Corcoran treatment building was torn down in 2008.
As the hospital was being phased out, part of its grounds were used for Suffolk County, New York to locate its offices in the Cohalan County Court Complex in 1992.
The New York Institute of Technology has the biggest collection of buildings in the Sunburst Building. The Town Center at Central Islip shopping center covers much of it. Citibank Park, home of the Long Island Ducks is on it as the Alfonse M. D'Amato United States Courthouse which is the second largest federal courthouse in the U.S.
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Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Montauk Point Lighthouse: Long Island Architect: Landmark Series
Welcome to the Montauk Point Lighthouse, the oldest lighthouse in New York State. The Lighthouse was authorized by the Second Congress, under President George Washington, in 1792. Construction began on June 7, 1796 and was completed on November 5, 1796. This historic landmark has been part of Long Island's land and seascape for over 200 years and still serves as an active aid to navigation.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Long Island Schools : Long Island Architect
Long Island Schools are composed of many private, parochial and public
establishments. With roughly 230 private and parochial schools are
available to the residents of the Island, the enrollment is over 53,000
students, with approximately 4,873 teachers. The 127 public Long Island
school districts have an enrollment of over 476,000 student and approximately
36,000 teachers. Upon leaving the ranks of private or public school
system, Long Island also offers a variety of higher education opportunities
to its residents. Roughly 88% of the graduating classes each year
embark on the voyage into the higher education ranks, and in Long
Island, they have the option of seventeen different 4 year degree
colleges and universities, 8 two/three year junior colleges, and five
professional institutions. Just a few of the Long Island schools of
higher learning are: Hofstra University, Dowling College, New York
Institute of Technology, St. Joseph College, SUNY Stony Brook, and
Touro Law College, plus many, many others.
Long Island Public Schools:
Long Island Private Schools:
Long Island Public Schools:
| Total # of Districts: | 127 |
| Total # of Students: | 476,000 |
| Total # of Teachers: | 35,800 |
Long Island Private Schools:
| Total # of Schools: | 230 |
| Total # of Students: | 53,000 |
| Total # of Teachers: | 5,000 |
| Nassau county school statistics | |
| Total # Students: | 211,771 |
| Total # Teachers: | 16,544 |
| Student/teacher ratio: | 12.8 |
| Spending per student: | $16,943 |
| Average teacher salary: | $75,284 |
| Average years teaching: | 12 |
| Students getting reduced price lunch: | 18.1% |
| Students w/ limited English proficiency: | 5.6% |
| Student dropout rate: | 1.3% |
| Suffolk county school statistics | |
| Total # Students: | 264,322 |
| Total # Teachers: | 19,293 |
| Student/teacher ratio: | 13.7 |
| Spending per student: | $15,004 |
| Average teacher salary: | $66,087 |
| Average years teaching: | 10 |
| Students getting reduced price lunch: | 22.5% |
| Students w/ limited English proficiency: | 4.6% |
| Student dropout rate: | 2.4% |
Fire Island Lighthouse: Long Island Architect: Landmark Series
The
Fire Island Lighthouse Preservation Society (FILPS) was formed in 1982
in response to the possible demolition of the Fire Island Lighthouse.
The Society raised over $1.2 million to save and restore the Lighthouse.
On
May 25, 1986, the Lighthouse was returned to duty as an active aid to
navigation with a grand relighting ceremony. This May marks the 20th
anniversary of this event. On January 6, 2006 the light was privatized
when the US Coast Guard signed over operations to the Fire Island
Lighthouse Preservation Society. Volunteers will now maintain and
repair the light to ensure its continues to be an active aid to
navigation for Mariners.
In
December of 1996, FILPS took over the maintenance and operation of the
Lighthouse and Keeper's Quarters/Visitor Center, with the intention of
increasing visitor services and programs for schools and other
interested groups on a national and international basis.
Since its inception FILPS's directive has been to work with the National Park Service
to help preserve the nautical heritage of Fire Island and Long Island,
and to ensure that this monument remains an integral part of that
heritage.
Today, the Fire
Island Lighthouse Preservation Society continues its important work.
The Board of Directors, staff and volunteers work to maintain the
Lighthouse, archive its history, improve the displays, expand programs
and make your visit as enjoyable as possible.
The current lighthouse is a 180-foot (55 m) Stone tower that began operation in 1858 to replace the 74-foot (23 m) tower originally built in 1826. The United States Coast Guard decommissioned the light in 1974. In 1982 the Fire Island Lighthouse Preservation Society (FILPS) was formed to preserve the lighthouse. FILPS raised over $1.2 million to restore the tower and light. On May 25, 1986 the United States Coast Guard returned the Fire Island Lighthouse to an active aid to navigation. On February 22, 2006, the light became a private aid to navigation. It continues to be on the nautical charts, but is operated and maintained by the Fire Island Lighthouse Preservation Society and not the USCG. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 and a boundary increase for the national historic district occurred in 2010.
It is listed as Fire Island Light, number 695, in the USCG light lists.
When the lighthouse was built it was on the edge of Fire Island Inlet and marked the western end of Fire Island. However Fire Island has extended itself through accumulating sand so that the lighthouse is now nearly six miles from the western end of the island at Democrat Point.
The Archives Center at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History has a collection (#1055) of souvenir postcards of lighthouses and has digitized 272 of these and made them available online. These include postcards of Fire Island Light with links to customized nautical charts provided by National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.
The lighthouse was featured in the 2002 sci-fi action comedy Men in Black II. It was also featured in the 2008 romantic comedy What Happens in Vegas.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Long Island Towns: Long Island Architect
Long Island Towns
Long Island New York is comprised of two counties (Nassau County and Suffolk County), two cities (Long Beach and Glen Cove), numerous local towns, villages, hamlets, postal zones and designated places.- County: A county is a municipal corporation, a subdivision of the state, created to perform state functions; a "regional government. All counties are divided into cities, towns and Indian reservations.
- City: A city is a unique government entity with its own special charter. Cities are not sub-divided, except into neighborhoods which are informal geographic areas.
- Town: A town is a municipal corporation and encompasses all territory within the state except that within cities or Indian reservations. Towns can be sub-divided into villages and hamlets.
- Village: A village is a general purpose municipal corporation formed voluntarily by the residents of an area in one or more towns to provide themselves with municipal services. The pattern of village organization is similar to those of a city. A village is divided into neighborhoods, which are informal geographic areas.
- Hamlet: A hamlet is an unincorporated area in one or more towns that is governed at-large by the town(s) it is in. A hamlet is divided into neighborhoods, which are informal geographic areas.
- Postal Zone: A postal zone "City and "Town" is an administrative district established by the U.S. Postal Service to deliver the mail. Postal zone "City" and "Town" may or may not conform to municipal or community border. Thus, postal zone location does not always determine city, village or hamlet location.
- Designated Place: A designated place is a term derived from the term "Census Designated Place" or CDP in censuses beginning with 1980. It replaced the designation (U) or unincorporated. A designated place is similar to that of a hamlet.
Long Island has more towns and villages than Hollywood has movie stars, and it can get a little confusing even to those of us who are born and raised here. In Nassau County we have three towns: (Oyster Bay, Hempstead, North Hempstead) and two cities (Long Beach and Glen Cove). In Suffolk there are ten towns: Babylon, Brookhaven, East Hampton, Huntington, Islip, Riverhead, Smithtown, Shelter Island, Southampton and Southold. as well as two Indian reservations (Poospatuck and Shinnecock). In addition there are local hamlets and villages within these towns that are too numerous to mention here.
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Saturday, May 19, 2012
Captree State Park: Long Island Architect: Landmark Series
The State Park lies at the eastern tip of Jones Beach Island in the heart of the fishing grounds. Captree is a fisherman's haven and a picnicker's delight. It features a boat basin with open and charter boats available for fishing, as well as scuba diving, sightseeing and excursion boats. Captree State Park is known for its excellent Flounder and Fluke fishing and during fall, Blackfish and Sea Bass are common. Also, there are all sorts of boats available here on hire, for half day excursions or full day fishing trips.
Choose from party size boats, open boats, larger charter boats, six-packers or a dive boat. Visitors can fish from the piers, including two handicapped accessible piers or from the beach at Fire Island Inlet. Some boats stay in the bay, while others go into the ocean and all have experienced crew and excellent service As Captree State Park announces on its welcome board, it caters to the family fishing experience.
History: Since 1954, Captree State Park has been a fisherman's haven and a picnicker's delight. It is situated at the confluence of the State Boat Channel and encompasses 298 acres. Today, the park offers a boat launch ramp with parking for 64 boat trailers. Everyone can observe many species of gull, terns white pelicans, black skimmers, common loon and many species of duck and other sea faring birds. The natural area in this park provides an ideal location for one of the largest nesting areas of herring gulls along the Atlantic coast. Brown pelicans, the Pacific Loon, and red-necked Grebe have also been sighted here.
Facilities: Marina with open and charter fishing, excursion and scuba diving boats (reservations required); 2 fishing piers (open 24 hours; night permit required); boat launch ramp; bait and tackle and marine fuel station (closes Dec. 1); free pump-out station; restaurant (seasonal), snack bar, playground and picnic areas (accessible to handicapped).
Seasons/Hours: Open year round. Sunrise-sunset; boat basin open 5:30 a.m.-sunset (fishing pier open 24 hours; permit required).
Events: Snapper Derby, Fall Harvest & Seafood Festival, I Fish New York Salt Water Clinic, and South Shore Fishing Classic (dates not set).
Pets: Strictly, no pets allowed.
Information: Captree Boat Basin, (631) 669-0449; restaurant, (631) 587-3495/3404; Captree Boatman's Association, (631) 669-6464.
Friday, May 18, 2012
The Bull Smithtown: Long Island Architect: Landmark Series
The town was first settled around 1665. Local legend has it that after rescuing a Native American Chief's kidnapped daughter, Richard Smith was told that the Chief would grant title to all of the land Smith could encircle in one day - on a bull. Richard Smith chose to ride the bull on the longest day of the year (summer solstice) - to enable him to ride longer "in one day". The land he acquired in this way is said to approximate the current town's location. There is a large anatomically correct statue of Smith's bull, known as Whisper, at the fork of Jericho Turnpike (New York State Route 25) and St. Johnland Road (New York State Route 25A). Smithtown originally was known as "Smithfield."
The border between Smithtown and the Town of Huntington is partially defined by Bread and Cheese Hollow Road (Suffolk County Road 4), so named after Bread and Cheese hollow, which according to legend is where Smith stopped on his ride to have a lunch of bread and cheese. The road is reputed to follow part of his original ride.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Bald Hill Farmingville: Long Island Architect: Landmark Series
Bald Hill, located in the hamlet of Farmingville, New York, part of the Town of Brookhaven, is one of the highest areas of elevation on Long Island. The highest elevation in the Bald Hill area is 331 feet (101 m). Though local residents often claim it to be the highest point on Long Island, that honor actually belongs to Jayne's Hill in the Town of Huntington at 401 feet (122 m). Also, nearby Telescope Hill, about 0.8 miles (1.3 km) WSW, is slightly higher at 334 feet (102 m). Bald Hill in Brookhaven should also not be confused with Bald Hill in Riverhead.
The Bald Hill area is part of the Ronkonkoma Moraine, which runs east to west along the center of the Town of Brookhaven, and marks where the glacier which formed Long Island stopped its advance. hen first settled in the late 18th century, the area was called "Bald Hills." While the elevation and views are impressive for Long Island, George Washington found the hills to be merely "trifling" when he passed through in April 1790.
In 1897, the cross-Island Bicycle Path was opened and passed through the Bald Hill area.
In 1970-71, Patchogue-Mt. Sinai Road (County Route 83) was built through the Bald Hill area. Two overlooks were constructed in a widened median area with automobile access, and stone markers were placed for "Danger Hill" and "Breakneck Hill", the names given to the two hills by early settlers. A Vietnam Veterans memorial was opened on the southern lookout side in 1991 (elevation 321 feet).
The Brookhaven Town Hall and Sachem East High School are on the east side of the hill. The Glacier Ridge Preserve to the north of the structures has a network of 11 miles (18 km) of cross country bicycle trails.
From 1965-1980, Bald Hill was the site of a Town-owned skiing area known as the Bald Hill Ski Bowl.
The seeds for this project were planted in 1964, when Suffolk County builder Henry Taca approached the Town with plans to build houses on his 229 acres (0.93 km2) in the area, including the hilly Bald Hill tract. He turned over 64 acres (260,000 m2) of the Bald Hill property to the Town free of charge in 1965, and in return, he received Town approval for a "cluster housing" project known as Hawthorne Estates. Under the approval, he was allowed to build more houses on his remaining acreage than would otherwise be permitted.
The Bald Hill Ski Bowl officially opened on January 21, 1965, with a 710-foot (220 m) tow rope in operation on a wide main slope, which featured a 800-foot (240 m) run and 123-foot (37 m) vertical drop. At its opening, it was hoped that with the use of snow machines, the slopes and trails would be usable for an average of 70 days each winter. Initial prices were $3 for an all-day ticket, $2 for a half-day ticket after 1 P.M., and 25 cents for a single ski-tow trip. By January 1967, an 800-foot (240 m) T-bar lift had been installed to supplement three tow ropes ranging from 150 to 800 feet (240 m) in length, and there were now five ski trails on three slopes. A Swiss-chalet style lodge with a fireplace was also added.
In 1975, The New York Times reported that the ski area was now drawing 5,000 visitors each week. The facility was described as covering 106 acres (0.43 km2) and featuring a 1,400-foot (430 m) run for advanced skiers, a slope for "novices", and a "bunny run" for beginners. The cost for an all-day ticket was $2.25. All was not rosy, however. New "quiet" snow machines were in the process of being installed to quell complaints about noise from neighboring residents, and some members of the Town Board were complaining that the facility was costing too much and should perhaps be closed. Operating costs were reported to be $500,000 annually, with revenue of between $100,000 to $200,000, depending on the amount of snowfall.
Fortunes turned briefly for the better in the winter of 1976-1977, when generous snowfall (over 62 inches (1,600 mm) in Suffolk County) gave the Ski Bowl its first profitable year. But the warmer winter of 1979-80 proved to be a death blow. As of late January 1980, the ski bowl had only been open eight days for the season. Only 6,500 skiers showed up that winter, only 11 inches (280 mm) of snow fell, and revenues fell to $18,000. As the next winter approached, the Town searched for a private operator willing to take over the facility, an unlikely prospect in light of Long Island's weather and the site's historical unprofitability. With the facility's budget slashed by over 70%, and a vague plan to open only if natural snowfall was sufficient, Bald Hill's days as Long Island's largest public skiing facility were at an end.
The ski bowl site is now home of the Brookhaven Amphitheater. The ski lodge building remains as an art gallery, and sits to the right of the audience as they face the stage.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
The Giant Duck Flanders: Long Island Architect: Landmark Series
What’s a roadtrip if you can’t pose in front of an oversized something? A trip to the outer reaches of Long Island would not be complete for a roadside giant loving fan without a visit to the famous Big Duck in Flanders NY. Why it’s practically historical in its architectural significance. And kinda cute too!
Built in 1931 in Riverhead NY by a duck farmer in to sell ducks and duck eggs, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. This cement quacker which originally had model T headlights for eyes has been historically renovated and was moved around a couple of times since settling in its current location since 2007. But all that is only a small bit about the important history of this place.
Buildings that are shaped to look like something else can be called follies, mimetic, novelty or programmatic architecture. You know, giant teapots, tee-pees and the like. But an architectural term for these buildings is also a “duck” or “duck architecture”. This term was coined by famous architect Robert Venturi, and this big duck in Long Island is the reason he uses that term!
I wasn’t sure that the duck was open when we pulled up, as it was a bit dark inside, but we entered to find a friendly volunteer behind the counter selling “duckamabilia” and other souvenirs. I could not help but pick up a book on roadside delights, and posed for a rare photo in front of the duck myself!
The Big Duck, on Route 24 in Flanders, now serves as a tourist information center. A good time to visit the duck is during the annual Holiday Lighting of the Big Duck, which is held on the first Wednesday after Thanksgiving.
In 1931, duck farmer Martin Maurer
built this 20-ft. high, 30-ft. long, concrete-over-wooden frame "duck"
to use it as a Riverhead (Flanders) shop.
Maurer sold ducks and duck eggs from this location.
When the land was sold for development, the Giant Duck preservationists and the Friends for Long Island's Heritage petitioned to save the structure which had become a Long Island attraction.
The owners donated the Big Duck to Suffolk County in 1987.
In 1988 it moved from Flanders to Hampton Bays along Route 24 at the entrance of Sears-Bellow County Park.
It has now moved back to Flanders and rests near the original duck farm, on Flanders Road.
The
shop still operates -- now as a tourism center for the East end of Long
Island, selling souvenirs to tourists and New York City weekend
visitors.
Each year, on the
first Wednesday in December, the Suffolk County Parks Department
sponsors the Annual Holiday Lighting of the Big Duck.
This year, it will happen on December 3rd.
Visitors
join in singing carols and once Santa arrives, transported by the
Flanders Fire Department, the switch is activated and the Big Duck
lights up for all to see.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Grumman Memorial Park: Long Island Architect: Landmark Series
For much of the Cold War period Grumman was the largest corporate employer on Long Island. Grumman's products were considered so reliable and ruggedly built that the company was often referred to as the "Grumman Iron Works".
As the company grew, it moved to Valley Stream, New York, then Farmingdale, New York, finally to Bethpage, New York, with the testing and final assembly at the 6,000-acre (24 km2) Naval Weapons Station in Calverton, New York, all located on Long Island. At its peak in 1986 it employed 23,000 people on Long Island and occupied 6,000,000 square feet (560,000 m2) in structures on 105 acres (0.42 km2) it leased from the U.S. Navy in Bethpage.
The end of the Cold War, at the beginning of the 1990s, the reduced need for defense spending led to a wave of mergers as aerospace companies shrank in number; in 1994 Northrop bought Grumman for $2.1 billion to form Northrop Grumman, after Northrop topped a $1.9 billion offer from Martin Marietta.
The new company closed almost all of its facilities on Long Island with the Bethpage plant being converted to a residential and office complex (with its headquarters at 1111 Stewart Avenue becoming the corporate headquarters for Cablevision) and the Calverton plant being turned into an airport that is being developed by Riverhead, New York. A portion of the airport property has been used for the Grumman Memorial Park. Northrop Grumman's remaining business at the Bethpage campus is the Battle Management and Engagement Systems Division, which employs around 2,000 people.
Leroy Grumman and others worked for the Loening Aircraft Engineering Corporation in the 1920s, but when it was bought by Keystone Aircraft Corporation and the operations moved from New York City to Bristol, Pennsylvania, Grumman and his partners (Edmund Ward Poor, William Schwendler, Jake Swirbul, and Clint Towl) started their own company in an old Cox-Klemin Aircraft Co. factory in Baldwin on Long Island, New York. All of the early Grumman employees were former Loening employees. The company was named for Grumman because he was its largest investor.
The company filed as a business on December 5, 1929, and opened its doors on January 2, 1930. Keeping busy by welding aluminum tubing for truck frames, the company eagerly pursued contracts with the US Navy. Grumman designed the first practical floats with a retractable landing gear for the Navy, and this launched Grumman into the aviation market. The first Grumman aircraft was also for the Navy, the Grumman FF-1, a biplane with retractable landing gear.This was followed by a number of other successful designs
During World War II, Grumman became known for its Navy fighter aircraft, F4F Wildcat and F6F Hellcat, and for its torpedo bomber TBF Avenger. Grumman's first jet plane, the F9F Panther, became operational in 1949, but the company's big postwar successes came in the 1960s with the A-6 Intruder and E-2 Hawkeye and in the 1970s with the F-14 Tomcat. Grumman products were prominent in the film Top Gun and numerous World War II naval and Marine Corps aviation films.
Grumman was the chief contractor on the Apollo Lunar Module that landed men on the moon. They received the contract on November 7, 1962, and built 13 lunar modules. As the Apollo program neared its end, Grumman was one of the main competitors for the contract to design and build the Space Shuttle, but lost to Rockwell International. The company ended up involved in the shuttle program nonetheless, as a subcontractor to Rockwell, providing the wings and vertical stabilizer sections.
In 1969 the company changed its name to Grumman Aerospace Corporation, and in 1978 it sold the Grumman-American Division to Gulfstream Aerospace. The company built the Grumman Long Life Vehicle (LLV), a light transport mail truck designed for and used by the United States Postal Service. The LLV entered service in 1986.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Entrance to Jones Beach: Long Island Architect: Landmark Series
Jones Beach State Park (colloquially, "Jones Beach") is a state park of the U.S. state of New York. It is located in southern Nassau County, in the hamlet of Wantagh, on Jones Beach Island, a barrier island linked to Long Island by the Meadowbrook State Parkway, Wantagh State Parkway and Ocean Parkway (Long Island).
The park is renowned for its great beaches, 10 mi (16.1 km) in length, facing the open Atlantic Ocean and furnishes one of the most popular summer recreational locations for the New York metropolitan area. It is the most popular and heavily visited beach on the East Coast, with an estimated six million visitors per year.
Nikon at Jones Beach Theater, an outdoor arena in the park, is a popular musical concert venue. The park also has a 2 mi (3.2 km) long boardwalk. It once featured dining and catering facilities that were popular sites for private parties and weddings; these have been shut down.
ones Beach is accessible by car, boat, bicycle, and in the summer season by bus. Most visitors arrive by car via the Meadowbrook State Parkway or the Wantagh State Parkway. A significant portion of visitors take the LIRR to Freeport and then a bus to Jones Beach. Boaters often anchor on the bay side of Jones Beach (i.e. "Zachs Bay"), especially at night during a show such as the fireworks show on July 4.
A Greenway alongside the Wantagh State Parkway allows bicycling, skating or walking about 4 miles (6.4 km) from Cedar Creek County Park on Merrick Road into the State Park. A similar route to Long Beach is under consideration.
As of 2010, parking costs $10.00, though a NY State Empire Passport ($65 for the April 1 - March 31 season) can be used to park for free. The parking fees are charged from 6 am - 6 pm Sat-Sun-Hol, 8 am - 4 pm weekdays from Memorial Day through Columbus day. The six main public parking areas along the boardwalk can handle as many as 250,000 vehicles. The center parking fields are the busiest on summer weekends. Bicycle parking is free, but bike riding within the park is not allowed during the summer and bikes must be locked at the racks at the end of the Wantagh Parkway bike path.
Port Jefferson Harbor: Long Island Architect: Landmark Series
Port Jefferson Harbor is a natural deep water harbor on the North Shore of Long Island. Setauket Harbor branches off to the west from the Harbor. One notable geographic feature is Pirate's Cove, a small cove dredged in the early 20th century by the Seaboard Dredging Company. The original name was Seaboard Hole, but it was changed for the sake of appealing to tourists. Several large sand dunes (artificially created by the dredging) are found here.
The original settlers bought a tract of land from the Setauket Indians in the mid-17th century. The traditional name is referred to as Sowassett or Souwassett in Long Island histories, meaning "at the place of small pines", however there is evidence to suggest this and the neighboring Poquott were a corruption of Poquossett, meaning "where (water) it opens out or widens, i.e., drowns the land", seemingly confirmed by the later name of the area, "Drowned Meadow".
Suwassett was renamed in 1682 to "Drowned Meadow" after being settled by an Irish shoemaker from Queens named John Roe. It remained a small community of five homes through the 18th century but developed into a small ship building community by the 19th century. The community leaders, realizing this was a poor name for the ship building business, eventually changed its name to Port Jefferson in 1836 after President Thomas Jefferson. The town was once a major whaling port, especially in the 1880s.
The Village was named after Jefferson because he was the major source of funding for a project to prevent the flooding of the lower village from whence the original name originated—Drowned Meadow.
P.T. Barnum, the famous circus owner, owned a tract of land which ran through the village. His intention was to make Port Jefferson the home base for his circus. The townspeople put a stop to his plans, and he eventually sold his land. A street named "Barnum Ave." now runs though the area that was once his land, and one of Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry boats is named the "P.T. Barnum". A house he had constructed also still exists but is privately owned.
The Village of Port Jefferson was incorporated in 1964. A number of historic building were included in the Port Jefferson Village Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. Separately listed are the Bayles Shipyard and First National Bank of Port Jefferson building.
The Village of Port Jefferson's Main Street and East Main Street were featured as part of National Public Radio's "Mapping Main Street" project in Spring 2010. "Port Jeff" lays astride New York State Route 25A, locally long-known as North Country Road.
The areas of Uptown Port Jefferson and Port Jefferson Station have become increasingly popular areas for immigrants from Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico and El Salvador since the early 1990s.
Oakdale Windmill: Long Island Architect: Landmark Series
Robert Moses Causeway: Long Island Architect: Landmark Series
The Robert Moses Causeway, which was known as the Captree State Parkway
until 1963, forms part of the north-south parkway corridor from Sunken
Meadow State Park in Kings Park to Robert Moses State Park at the
western tip of Fire Island
The Robert Moses Causeway is an 8.10-mile (13.04 km)-long parkway in Suffolk County, New York. The parkway, originally known as the Captree Causeway, connects West Islip on Long Island to the barrier beach islands, such as Captree Island, Jones Beach Island, and the western tip of Fire Island, to the south. It is designated New York State Route 908J (NY 908J), an unsigned reference route. The road, like most parkways in New York State, is limited to non-commercial traffic, except south of NY 27A.
The Fire Island Inlet span of the Robert Moses Causeway connects to Robert Moses State Park
on the western tip of Fire Island. From here the road changes from a
two-lane undivided highway into a four-lane undivided highway as it
crosses over a cloverleaf interchange with Ocean Parkway, where it becomes a five-lane divided highway with three northbound lanes and two southbound lanes.
The parkway then traverses the State Boat Channel Bridge by way of a 665-foot (203 m)-long bascule bridge modeled after the Mill Basin Drawbridge in Mill Basin, Brooklyn.
The north foot of the bridge contains an unnumbered interchange to a
private road on Captree Island, where the rest of the road is
surrounded by protected land. On the section that crosses over the Great South Bay, via the Great South Bay Bridge, the New York City skyline can be faintly seen on a clear day. Originally a toll bridge, the remnants of the former toll plaza for the Great South Bay Bridge can be found on the north side in West Islip. At the cloverleaf interchange with NY 27A, the third northbound lane becomes the deceleration ramp, and from there the rest of the parkway is four lanes wide.
The parkway soon takes a slight northeastern turn and later rises to move over Union Boulevard (County Route 50 or CR 50), the Montauk Branch of the Long Island Rail Road, and Orinoco Drive with no access to either roads. Instead, another cloverleaf interchange is available at NY 27.
The road remains elevated as it crosses over Muncey Road, and then runs
along the west side of Casamento Park, before approaching its northern
terminus at the interchange with the Southern State Parkway. The north-to-eastbound ramp to the Southern State and Heckscher State parkways contains an interchange of its own with CR 57 (Bay Shore Road). The other ramps exist on a partial cloverleaf just west of Bay Shore Road's interchange with the Southern State.
The first sprawling trestle crossing from West Islip
to Captree Island was completed in 1951. The structure is 3,206.2
metres (2.0 mi) in length with a middle clearance for boats of 18.2
metres (59.7 ft).[2]
Originally, one lane was for southbound traffic and the other for
northbound traffic. In 1967, a new span was built next to the original
bridge, carrying three lanes of northbound traffic.[2] The original bridge was reconfigured to carry southbound traffic.
The Fire Island Inlet span was completed in 1964 and by 1985 a dual span
was supposed to be built in order to alleviate traffic, but it was
never done. When first proposed in 1938, the span was to be a
vertical-lift span with a design similar to that of the Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge.
Later, the design of the Fire Island Bridge was changed to conform with
that of the Great South Bay span, a 600-foot (180 m) steel-arch span
with a 60-foot (18 m) clearance.[3][4]
In 2004 the New York State Department of Transportation
began studies on the Fire Island Inlet span due to flaws in the cement
used for its construction. Currently repairs are being undertaken to
extend the life and safety of the bridge. These repairs—groundbreaking
for a new bridge—were expected to be finished in 2010.
It is assumed that the new bridge will be built to the west of the
current structure; the new span will be four lanes, two southbound and
two northbound. The new bridge is expected to retain the look of the old one, for aesthetic conformity with the other bridges of the bay.
After the new bridge is constructed, the original span will be removed.
Implosion is not thought to be the best method of deconstruction.
Instead it is more likely the bridge will be disassembled and removed
by crane.
Jones Beach Tower: Long Island Architect: Landmark Series
FOR 78 years, the Jones Beach water tower has been a Long Island landmark — standing 231 feet high in the center of a landscaped traffic circle at the approach to Jones Beach along the Wantagh Parkway and visible to beachgoers from miles away.
But the brick and limestone tower, which houses a 315,000-gallon tank to store water from three 1,000-foot-deep wells, is deteriorating.
George Gorman, deputy director for the Long Island region of the State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, said there are cracks in the bricks — some small, others 20 feet long. The tower has been barricaded by a fence and scaffolding since 2002 to protect employees, he said.
“An indentation on one side of the bricks looks as if something hit into it, and the steel frame that supports the tank is falling apart,” Mr. Gorman said.
Now, thanks to $3.2 million appropriated by the State Legislature, the water tower will get a face-lift, beginning this summer, which is expected to take from 18 months to two years. The money is part of $130 million in the state budget for repairs, maintenance and upgrades at state parks. Of the total, Long Island received $28 million.
Carol Ash, the state parks commissioner, said that this is the most money the parks have ever received for repairs and maintenance, and that projects were planned at every park. In choosing the projects, the first priorities were health and safety, she said.
“Our state parks have been hurting from an infrastructure point of view for a long time,” Ms. Ash said. “These projects are vital to keep the parks in working order and for the public to be able to enjoy all that they have to offer.”
Built in 1930, the water tower was modeled on the campanile of St. Mark’s Cathedral in Venice and supervised by Robert Moses, then the president of the Long Island State Parks Commission. In the center of a traffic circle that Mr. Moses planned as a terminus for the Wantagh State Parkway, he ordered the construction of an Italianate-style tower to serve as a central feature of the park.
The tower, which has never been open to the public, supplies the water for the entire park, including the Jones Beach Theater, swimming pools, restrooms and bathhouses.
The money earmarked for the tower will be used to replace its copper roof, the structural steel framing and portions of the brick and limestone. Work will be done by Minelli Construction, of Islandia. The work at Jones Beach also includes repairing the two-mile boardwalk, lighting the two softball fields and upgrading one restroom.
Jones Beach State Park, in the hamlet of Wantagh, was named after Maj. Thomas Jones of Massapequa, a Long Island landowner in the early 1700s. The park includes 10 miles of beaches, an outdoor theater, two pools, four basketball courts, a four-mile bike path, four fishing piers and 22 shuffleboard courts. More than eight million people a year visit the park.
State Senator Charles J. Fuschillo Jr., whose district includes Jones Beach, said that while it was a challenge to secure the money during such difficult economic times, “it was critical to preserve the historical nature of the Jones Beach water tower.”
“The bricks are literally falling down,” he said. “If we don’t restore it, the tower will fall apart.”
SOURCE: NYTIMES
The park was created during the administration of Robert Moses as President of the Long Island State Park Commission (for which he wrote the legislation in 1923) as part of the development of parkways on Long Island. Moses's first major public project, Jones Beach State Park, is considered to be one of the most beautiful parks in the world, free from housing developers and private clubs, and instead is open for the general public. Several homes on High Hill Beach were barged further down the island to West Gilgo Beach to make room for the park. When Moses's group first surveyed Jones Island, it was swampy and only two feet above sea level. The island would frequently become completely submerged during storms. To create the park, huge dredgers worked day and night to bring up sand from under the ocean, eventually bringing the island to twelve feet above sea level. Another problem that followed was the wind - the beach sand would blow horribly, making the workers miserable, and making the use of the beach as a recreational facility unlikely. The builders discovered that the secret to beach stability was the beach grass, whose roots would grow sideways and hold dunes in place, forming a barrier to the wind. In the summer of 1928 thousands of men worked on the beach planting the grass by hand. Built in the 1920s, many of its buildings and facilities feature Art Deco architecture. In the center of a traffic circle that he planned as a terminus for the Wantagh State Parkway, Moses ordered the construction of an Italianate-style water tower to serve as a central feature of the park. The park opened to the public on August 4, 1929, along with the causeway that provided automobile access from the mainland of Long Island. The causeway was the first section in what was to become the Wantagh State Parkway.
The primary buildings on the Jones Beach site are the two enormous bathhouses (west and east) and the 231-foot (70 m) water tower, all built to Moses's specifications. After rejecting a number of submissions by architects for the bathhouses, he selected the designs of the young and relatively inexperienced Herbert Magoon. Moses also picked out building materials - Ohio Sandstone and Barbizon Brick - two of the most expensive materials available
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