In Sands Point, a village at the tip of Cow Neck Peninsula, there lies a 216-acre park and conservancy that dates even further back to 1900, when the land was purchased by Howard Gould, the son of the railroad tycoon Jay Gould.
Over 100 years later, the four separate homes built on this property — Castle Gould, Hempstead House, Falaise, and Mille Fleurs — are still in pristine condition. Three have been converted to museums, and much of the land has been cut through with hiking trails.
I visited in June 2024 to take an informative self-guided tour of two of the homes, and I felt like I was traveling back in time to the era of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Jay Gatsby's neighborhood, West Egg.
On a June afternoon, I made the drive to Sands Point, a village on Long Island. It costs $15 per car or $4 per person to walk into Sands Point Preserve.The entryway of Sands Point.
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Here's where Sands Point lies on the map. The other circled locations are other mansions from the same era across Long Island.Sands Point Preserve.
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After I parked, I was greeted with a map of the preserve, including the locations of its four mansions and multiple hiking trails.A map of Sands Point Preserve.
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The first structure I saw was the oldest on the property: Castle Gould, completed in 1904.Castle Gould is huge, especially compared to me.
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Castle Gould, which spans 100,000 square feet, is based on the medieval Irish castle Kilkenny, which was built starting in 1192.The full exterior of Castle Gould.
Financier Howard Gould commissioned it to please his wife, the actor Katherine Clemmons, according to the preserve.An entrance to Castle Gould.
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The medieval vibes continue inside. This room serves as a lobby — in Gould's time, the entire castle served as a stable and carriage house.The foyer of Castle Gould.
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Much of Castle Gould isn't available to tour, but the Great Hall, seen here, can be used for private events.The Great Hall inside of Castle Gould.
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You might wonder why Castle Gould was just used as a carriage house. That's because Gould's wife, Katherine, didn't like the finished product.The back of Castle Gould.
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Source: Sands Point Preserve
So, the family constructed another mansion just across the lawn in 1912.The Great Lawn.
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That home is called Hempstead House. It's smaller but still measures an incredible 50,000 square feet. It has 40 rooms.Hempstead House.
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Gould and Clemmons never actually lived here together. They divorced in 1909, with Gould accusing his wife of having an affair with Buffalo Bill Cody.The side and landscaping of Hempstead House.
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Gould finished the estate but sold it in 1917 so he could move abroad.The red-carpeted entrance of Hempstead House.
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He sold it to Daniel and Florence Guggenheim — yes, those Guggenheims. His brother, Benjamin, died on the Titanic. Another brother, Solomon, founded the NYC museum of the same name.Daniel Guggenheim circa 1913.
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Hempstead House is only available for tours on Wednesdays in July and August. I'll be coming back to get a better look at the interior.A side view of Hempstead House.
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I was able to see one room through the door and was already impressed by the design.A room inside of Hempstead House.
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But the Rose Garden behind Hempstead House is open to any visitors.The Rose Garden.
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Now, instead of roses, there are dozens of native flowers to help facilitate pollination.Some of the plants at the Rose Garden.
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The home also has a view of the Long Island Sound, seen here in the distance.The Long Island Sound from Hempstead House.
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The third mansion at Sands Point is Falaise, which was built on 90 acres of land Daniel gave to his son, Harry, upon his wedding to Caroline Morton in 1923.The Long Island Sound from the cliffs outside Hempstead House.
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Harry had a fascinating life. He was an avid aviator and friends with legendary pilot Charles Lindbergh. Harry also founded the Long Island newspaper Newsday with his wife in 1940.Harry Guggenheim and Charles Lindbergh.
His home, Falaise, is available to see via private tours offered on weekends from May through October.One of the many well-manicured lawns at Sands Point.
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"Falaise" means cliffside in French, an apt name for the cliffside mansion.A pond at Sands Point.
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Daniel and Florence Guggenheim lived in Hempstead House until he died in 1930.Hempstead House.
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Upon his death, Florence moved to the fourth and smallest mansion on the property, Mille Fleurs, French for "1,000 flowers." It's private to this day.Some of the woods.
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In 1940, during World War II, Florence reopened Hempstead House for refugee children.Daniel and Florence Guggenheim playing golf in 1922.
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Source: Sands Point Preserve
By 1946, 162 acres of the land had been gifted to the US Navy, which operated the Naval Training Device Center there through 1967.Nassau County Executive Eugene Nickerson, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, Bill Moyers, Harry F. Guggenheim, and Senator Jacob Javits in 1967.
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In 1971, Harry Guggenheim died, leaving his personal 90 acres to Nassau County. That same year, the county acquired the unused Naval land. Together, this reformed the estate.Harry Guggenheim at the Guggenheim Museum in 1959.
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Source: Sands Point Preserve
Now, you can tour two of the four mansions, hike, and even go to the beach.The beach.
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To the west, you can see Westchester County in the distance.Westchester.
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To the east: the Long Island town of Glen Cove.Glen Cove.
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Even without the mansions, Sands Point Preserve would be a beautiful park. But with them, you can feel like you're stepping back into the time of Gatsby and the Roaring '20s.It's also a great place to take photos.
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