Beacon Towers was a

Gilded Age In History of the United States, United States history, the Gilded Age is the period from about the late 1870s to the late 1890s, which occurred between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive Era. It was named by 1920s historians after Mar ...

mansion on Sands Point in the village of Sands Point on the North Shore of

Long Island, New York Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

. It was built from 1917 to 1918 for

Alva Belmont Alva Erskine Belmont (née Smith; January 17, 1853 – January 26, 1933), known as Alva Vanderbilt from 1875 to 1896, was an American multi-millionaire socialite and women's suffrage activist. She was noted for her energy, intelligence, strong ...

, the ex-wife of

William Kissam Vanderbilt William Kissam Vanderbilt I (December 12, 1849 – July 22, 1920) was an American heir, businessman, philanthropist, and horse breeder. Born into the Vanderbilt family, he managed his family's railroad investments. Early life William Kissam Vand ...

and the widow, since 1908, of

Oliver Belmont Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont (November 12, 1858 – June 10, 1908) was an American banker, socialite, and politician who served one term as a United States Representative from New York (state), New York from 1901 to 1903. Belmont was a member o ...

History

The mansion was designed by Hunt & Hunt, the partnership of

Richard Morris Hunt Richard Morris Hunt (October 31, 1827 – July 31, 1895) was an American architect of the nineteenth century and an eminent figure in the history of architecture of the United States. He helped shape New York City with his designs for the 1902 ...

's sons Richard and Joseph. It was the last Long Island house designed by the firm. Architectural historians have described the mansion as a pure Gothic fantasy, although it did owe some of its design elements to the

alcázar An ''alcázar'', from Arabic ''al-Qasr'', is a type of Islamic castle or palace in Spain built during Al-Andalus, Muslim rule between the 8th and 15th centuries. They functioned as homes and regional capitals for governmental figures throughout ...

s of Spain and to depictions of castles in medieval illuminated manuscripts. The interior contained about 60 primary rooms and upwards of 140 in total. The entire structure was coated in smooth, gleaming white stucco. In February 1924, Belmont purchased the adjoining Sands Point Light property at auction for $100,000 ($ million in present value) to add more privacy to her estate.

Acquired by Hearst

Three years later, the estate was sold to

William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst (; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American newspaper publisher and politician who developed the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His extravagant methods of yellow jou ...

. While Hearst owned the estate, renovations were made; the roof was raised and dormers were added, windows were expanded or removed, and the entryway was remodeled, changing the entrance to a recessed doorway. Hearst then sold it in 1942 and it was demolished in 1945. A new development was later built on the site, but scattered structural remains and the original gatehouse survived.

In popular culture

Literary scholars believe the mansion helped inspire F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel ''

The Great Gatsby ''The Great Gatsby'' () is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with Jay Gatsby, a mysterious mi ...

'', which describes the house of

Jay Gatsby Jay Gatsby () (originally named James Gatz) is the titular fictional character of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel ''The Great Gatsby''. The character is an enigmatic ''nouveau riche'' millionaire who lives in a Long Island mansion where he oft ...

as Beacon Towers reportedly also inspired the design of Gatsby's mansion in

Baz Luhrmann Mark Anthony "Baz" Luhrmann (born 17 September 1962) is an Australian film director, producer, writer, and actor whose various projects extend from film and television into opera, theatre, music, and the recording industries. He is regarded by ...

's 2013 film adaptation of the novel.

References

External links

{{Gold Coast mansions Castles in New York (state) Demolished buildings and structures in New York (state) Mansions of Gold Coast, Long Island Gothic Revival architecture in New York (state) Hearst family residences Belmont family residences Houses completed in 1918 Houses in Nassau County, New York Gilded Age mansions