The South Shore hamlet of Oakdale, Long Island has always enjoyed a certain amount of prestige, its proximity to water, excellent school district, and convenience to lush parks providing ample reason for residents to take pride in their neighborhood. In present day, those in the know on Long Island associate Oakdale less with its past Gold Coast glamour but rather, with peaceful residential blocks with swaying fountain grass and the renowned restaurants and views of beautiful Idle Hour.
But what exactly IS Idle Hour?
A subdivision of an area that is already recognized as desirable, Idle Hour is the crème of the crema that is Oakdale. Nestled into the channels driven into the wetlands are coveted waterfront properties in a variety of styles -- Victorians amidst drab 1970s colonials, Mediterranean style stucco manors interspersed on blocks with L-shaped ranches, beach-style contemporaries and quaint cottages and farmhouses. There’s a type of house for almost all tastes in Idle Hour, a neighborhood that’s a far cry from the cookie cutter areas out-of-towners associate with Long Island suburbs like Levittown.
However, one very distinct school of architecture found in Idle Hour has incredible significance here – the Tudor. It is this style that Idle Hour was founded on, and it is this style that was the primary architectural influence of the founders of this whimsically named area, the Vanderbilts.
William K. Vanderbilt was the railroad royal that lent the exclusive neighborhood its name, building a 110-room main manor house on an extensive 862-acre estate, which was acquired in 1876. Construction for, what was hoped to be “the most beautiful private home in the world” was completed in 1878. The result was obviously named Idle Hour, and its Tudor touches were designed to complement as well as compete with the equally impressive Bayard Cutting home across the way on the other side of the Connetquot River.
The first mansion was tragically burnt down in 1899, but was replaced by a manor with even more luxuriant taste and touches by the son of the original architect. However, this one was built with a practical eye towards protection from disaster, and so, along with outbuildings that have since been converted into rustic, high-end residences, continues to stand in Oakdale, in the subdivision that still carries the grandeur and prestige of the original estate that bore the name of Idle Hour.
The main house can be visited on Dowling College's campus off Idle Hour Boulevard.
Comments