Strathmore (Manhasset, New York)

Much of what is now the southern part of Strathmore was once part of the estate of Frank A. Munsey.[2] Following his death, he bequeathed the land to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which ultimately developed some of the land as Munsey Park and sold the area south of Northern Boulevard to the Vanderbilt family, and the land remained in Vanderbilt family ownership for roughly a decade; their mansion, which had previously been owned by Louis Sherry, is now the Strathmore–Vanderbilt Country Club.[3][4] The residents in the Strathmore–Vanderbilt subdivision have deeded memberships to the country club.[5]

In February 1944, a massive fire broke out in the shopping area of Strathmore Village (now the Americana Manhasset).[6] The fire severely damaged 15 shops, along with the Levitt & Sons real estate office which was built only 2 years prior.[6] The cost of the damage was estimated to be roughly $250,000 (1944 USD).[6]

In the 1990s, residents in Strathmore grew concerned over the fate of the former Manhasset Club (which was originally known as the Village Bath Club).[7][8] More than 1,000 residents petitioned for the club to be purchased by the Manhasset Parks District to keep it operating as a public park.[7][8] After that failed, residents attempted to have the Town of North Hempstead landmark the club's main building, which was designed to resemble a California hunting lodge designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.[7][8] The North Hempstead Landmarks Commission ultimately denied their requests, claiming that the building was not a landmark.[9] Ultimately the building (and the rest of the 2.5-acre property) was soon demolished and replaced with new homes.[10]

Between 1949 and 1950, the residents of southern part of Strathmore proposed incorporating their three subdivisions as a single village, which would have been known as the "Incorporated Village of Strathmore".[11][12] These plans were unsuccessful, as voters rejected the plan 742-to-248. More than half of the voters would have had to approve of the plan in order for Strathmore to be incorporated.[11][12][13][14]

In the 1950s, the New York State Department of Public Works proposed constructing a Manhasst Bypass (also known as the Miracle Mile Bypass) from East Shore Road to Manhasset Woods Road, crossing Whitney Pond and Shelter Rock Road, and its easternmost portions would have sliced diagonally through the southwestern part of South Strathmore.[15][16][17][18][19] The bypass would have carried New York State Route 25A, shifting its alignment slightly south of its current one.[15][16][17][18][19]

The proposal would have created a four-lane or six-lane bypass of the western half of the Miracle Mile, and would have cost roughly $5,000,000-$8,000,000 (1956 USD).[15][16] Roughly 10 homes in South Strathmore would have been acquired through eminent domain – in addition to the taking of portions of property from two churches as well as from the Munsey Park School in neighboring Munsey Park.[17][20] It also would have severed one of the South Strathmore subdivision's major entrances/exits.[15][20]

This caused many Strathmore residents to protest its construction, and ultimately the proposal was mothballed by politicians in Albany.[15][20]

The Strathmore Road entrance to North Strathmore, showing the Onderdonk House in the background.

The area which is now North Strathmore was formerly owned by Horatio Gates Onderdonk, who was of the prominent Long Island family of the same name.[21][22] It was sold to Levitt & Sons in 1933; the firm soon would begin developing the area.[4]

In the late 1940s, there was a controversial, failed proposal to build a 3-acre park in the North Strathmore area.[23][24][25][26] It was argued that all of Greater Manhasset would be paying for a park which only North Strathmore residents would be able to use.[24] The $45,000 (1949 USD) bond referendum was ultimately voted down, and subsequently the Manhasset Park District would never build the park.[23][24][25][26]

The former Onderdonk mansion, which was turned into the neighborhood's centerpiece by Levitt, underwent an extensive rehabilitation in the 1980s.[27]