Lands End: The Sands Point Gatsby Connection

[Note: Many more photos are linked to at the end of this article]

Growing up in Port Washington, we always heard about a big house in Sands Point, which everyone referred to as “the Gatsby House”. From the road the fabled house couldn’t be seen, though everyone knew that the sign reading “Lands End” marked the spot.

Sitting on a small bluff called Prospect Point, the majestic structure was visible for miles to boaters on Long Island Sound. Designed by some long forgotten architect in1902, the massive columned structure was made famous by newspaper baron Herbert Bayard Swope, who threw lavish parties, often lasting for days. Guests and party-goers came from the top strata of Hollywood, Broadway, business and politics. One of these guests, F. Scott Fitzgerald, was said to have attended a great many of these parties, often staying for days to write. It was said that he drew upon these experiences when writing The Great Gatsby and that Sands Point was his fabled "East Egg" which contrasted to the "West Egg" in nearby Kings Point. The fact that the Swope property was on the eastern side of Sands Point and not able to actually see Kings Point to the west, was said to be Fitzgerald taking literary license. Various journalists and historians have since taken turns proving and disproving these urban rumors, which swirl around Port Washington to this day.

The house and 13 acre property passed to several new owners throughout the 20th century, slowly falling into disrepair in the 1990’s. At one point, Lands End was put on the market for $50 million dollars, but there was little interest. A few years ago, after many years of wrangling, a developer purchased the property with plans to subdivide Land’s End into five separate properties, and the huge Colonial Revival house with 25 rooms, was slated to be torn down.

As the president of the local historical society, I contacted the owner a few months before the demolition and was kindly granted a few hours to photograph the interior and exterior of the property, documenting it for posterity as well as curiosity. Having photographed the unrestored outer buildings at Ellis Island a year earlier, I was accustomed to peeling paint, fallen plaster, blistered wood and broken windows, the stuff great photographs can be made from. What I found at Lands End however was a rather unremarkable and lonely interior. Once upon a time the huge empty rooms could have told stories of their infamous past, but somehow, even the rooms seem to have forgotten the parties and their famous guests. There was only an occasional whisper to be heard from the remnants of hand-painted wallpaper, staircase balustrades and remarkable views from the smudged windows.

In the end, I created about 50 photographs that are representative of the remains of Lands End, reflecting more of the eclectic tastes of the recent owners rather than those from the Swope, Fitzgerald and Gatsby eras. Still, it’s fascinating to peek inside and imagine glitzy parties, chic celebrities sipping champagne with the fabulously wealthy throughout the 1920's.

A few of the photographs are presented here, with the full portfolio linked here:
http://www.chrisbain.com/album/gallery.html#folder=Lands%20End

Photographs copyright Christopher Bain; All rights reserved;
Please visit Port Washington's own historical society, the Cow Neck Peninsula Historical Society, at https://www.chrisbain.com/landsend and join us! Come to the Dodge Homestead Spring Fling/Open House on Saturday afternoon, May 18th, from 1-5. It's free!