Long Island HOME - Winter 2022

L O N G

I S L A N D

HOME REAL ESTATE • DESIGN • LIFEST YLE Winter 2022

NEW YEAR New Everything

22 Ideas and Inspirations for Living in 2022

Plus

• Step Inside a : Gilded Age Mansion

• Dream Listings Revealed

InsideLIHome.com

• Marvelous in Montauk & More

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2 | LI HOME Magazine | WINTER 2022

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4 | LI HOME Magazine | WINTER 2022

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WINTER 2022 | LI HOME Magazine | 5

INSIDE

L O N G

I S L A N D

HOME

Welcoome

HOME

Issue 2 Winter 2022

Red Door (Front Door Version)

STAFF

page

12

Editorial Team Karen Bloom Kate Nalepinski Publisher Stuart Richner

• My L.I. Home 16 • Real Talk 22 • How To 46 & 48 .... ....

Vice President Sales Rhonda Glickman Director of New Business Development Eric Feil Creative Director and Designer Jeffrey A. Negrin

....

L O N G

I S L A N D

HOME REAL ESTATE • DESIGN • LIFEST YLE Winter 2022

Escapes

NEW YEAR New Everything

22 Ideas and Inspirations for Living in 2022

Gold Coast Gatsby and the Gilded Age

page

52

Plus

• Step Inside a : Gilded Age Mansion

Home Sweet Home HOME Is Where Is the

page

58 6 | LI HOME Magazine | WINTER 2022

• Dream Listings Revealed

• Marvelous in Montauk & More

InsideLIHome.com

Long Island HOME Magazine is published by Richner Communications, Inc. and is distributed

by USPS to households and businesses on Long Island. Distribution is supplemented via hotels, restaurants, real estate and professional offices, and similar locations.

No part of Long Island HOME Magazine may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior written consent from the publisher.

The views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher, editor or staff of Long Island HOME Magazine.

Cover photo from www.123rf.com Long Island HOME Magazine 2 Endo Boulevard, Garden City, N.Y. 11530 Voice: (516) 569-4000 • Fax: (516) 569-4942 © 2021 Richner Communications, Inc.

CONSISTENTLY RANKED ONE OF LONG ISLAND’S TOP REAL ESTATE TEAMS.*

The Colombos-Dooley Team THE FOUNDING AGENTS OF COMPASS LONG ISLAND LUXURY DIVISION-COUNCIL MEMBERS “Experience isn’t expensive, it’s priceless...”

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The Colombos-Dooley Team is a team of real estate agents affiliated with Compass. Compass is a licensed real estate broker and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. 1695 Northern Blvd, Manhasset NY, 11030. 516.617.4751 *Source: 2021, 2020, 2019 Real Trends | Tom Ferry | America’s Best, Ranking Medium Team by Volume - Based on 2020, 2019, 2018 Sales Volume.

WINTER 2022 | LI HOME Magazine | 7

WEST ISLIP, NY

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8 | LI HOME Magazine | WINTER 2022

MANHASSET, NY

7 Stone Hill Drive $4,999,000 | 5 Bed | 5 Bath | 1 Half Bath Spectacular Stone Hill residence. Completely renovated home with gracious entry foyer, formal living & dining rooms, and gourmet eat-in kitchen. Private landscaped yard and in-ground pool.

The Colombos-Dooley Team Represented by: Nicholas Colombos Licensed RE Salesperson nick.colombos@compass.com M: 917.453.9333

Angela Dooley Licensed RE Salesperson angela.dooley@compass.com M: 516.315.7781

The Colombos-Dooley Team is a team of real estate agents affiliated with Compass. Compass is a licensed real estate broker and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, changes in price, condition, sale, or withdrawal without notice. No statement is made as to the accuracy of any description. All measurements and square footages are approximate. This is not intended to solicit property already listed. Nothing herein shall be construed as legal, accounting or other professional advice outside the realm of real estate brokerage.

WINTER 2022 | LI HOME Magazine | 9

INSIDE

Talking ’Bout a

Resolution Home and lifestyle experts inspire 22 New Year’s promises and projects for 2022

page

30

Into the

Wood

A Long Island venture recrafts the notion of the family table

page

42

Hidden HOME Towns

History and Hollywood in Port Washington

page

50

10 | LI HOME Magazine | WINTER 2022

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RED

(Front Door Version)

You don’t need to be an ardent Taylor Swift fan or any kind of genius to see the beauty of a red front door. Although the latter might not hurt.

During his time at Princeton, as folklore has it, Albert Einstein painted his front door red so he could remember which home was his. It seems to have worked, and it surely gave the house a bit more curb appeal in the process. But one wonders if Einstein knew of the long tradition in which he was immersing himself.

Red has long represented safety, sanctuary, something spiritual, and as such has given red front doors significance beyond just curb appeal and an Instagram hashtag. There is a biblical connection to the story of the first Passover and doors smeared red with lamb’s blood fending off the Angel of Death from the homes of enslaved Israelites.

Some scholars believe red doors, on churches and homes, represents for some the blood shed by Jesus, and there is a school of thought that the red Wittenburg Cathedral in Germany on which Martin Luther placed his 95 Theses has inspired Protestant homes to put that same color on their homes.

Around the world, through the centuries, red has taken on other symbolic significance as well. In Chinese culture, positive energy, luck, joy, health, vitality and other positive elements flow from the color red, which is one of the reasons a red front door is part of the Feng Shui philosophy.

A red door was thought ward off evil spirits from entering homes in Ireland, and during the Victorian Era were a sign of rebellion in that country — a stark contrast to the black doors that had been dictated by the government to honor the death of Queen Victoria. In Scotland, that red door actually meant a homeowner was in the black, a celebratory shout-out of having paid off the mortgage.

In early American times, a red door was a sign that travelers were welcome and could enter a residence to find room and board. Slaves on the Underground Railroad during the Civil War looked for red doors along their route north as a sign that the homes would provide safety and shelter. Over the next century and a half, homeowners have embraced the myriad meanings, historical touchpoints and simple beauty of the red door, offering a reminder of the depth of meaning that may reside beneath the simplest of things, and an invitation to step inside…

12 | LI HOME Magazine | WINTER 2022 10

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WINTER 2022 | LI HOME Magazine | 15

To the

Lighthouse

By Eric Feil

The buzzwords of real estate listings are the stuff of a particular poetry. Historic home. One-of-a-kind property. Endless water views. Exclusive East End. Well, it doesn’t get any more historic or East End than here, and the water views from this one-of-a-kind place, well, let’s just say they redefine the term. Call it The End. Call it the oldest lighthouse in New York State. Montauk Lighthouse keeper Joe Gaviola calls it home.

“The air is clean, it’s fresh, it’s salty. It’s nature at its rugged best and most beautiful. To see the sunrise in the morning and then these sunsets, it’s just fabulous,” Gaviola raves, sitting inside the keeper’s quarters on a crisp, sunny day. “To look out and see the Atlantic Ocean, Block Island Sound, the Long Island Sound, all from your property? I appreciate it, I feel honored.”

And as the inhabitant of Long Island’s easternmost residence, one of only a handful of people who’ve call the lighthouse home since George Washington commissioned it, part of a rare legacy. continued on page 18

Photo: A. Feil

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“I’m here for a short period of time in the history of this place since 1796,” he says. “The keeper’s role is a lot different than the days of the old guys who carried whale oil and kerosene to the top of the lighthouse. It’s more of a supervising the site, an ambassadorship, raising funds, looking after the property, which is so important to all of Long Island.”

Ambassador seems an ideal role for the affable Gaviola, who joined the Montauk Historical Society board in the 1990s and has been instrumental in recent efforts to helping drive the $1.5 million restoration of the lighthouse tower. “It’s the most extensive restoration since 1860,” says Gaviola, who works in finance as his day job. “The tower was built in 1796, in 1860 they increased the height of it a little bit to get a different lens up in there, so here we are, 160 years later, and we undertook the task.”

Given the historic nature and the unique weather conditions the tower has endured over the centuries, “there was no encyclopedia to look at to see where to even start the project,” Gaviola says. After conducting studies to address specific needs and create a process to preserve and restore the historic integrity, the project that began in 2018 should be complete in 2022. That’s four years, but some things cannot be rushed.

“We are a National Historic Landmark, so we really have to be careful what we do there,” he adds. “We’re the oldest lighthouse in New York, fourth oldest in the country. We’re the symbol of Long Island.”

That sense of stewardship runs deep through the Montauk community and the Historical Society, which began leasing the property from the Coast Guard in 1987 as it was cutting budgets and staffing while electrifying and automating lights all across America.

“We did such a good job that the federal government agreed to sell it to us in 1994 for what I call a dollar and a dream,” Gaviola says. “But with that came all the maintenance of it. We don’t get a penny from any governmental agency. This is still an active federal aid to navigation, so the two things the Coast Guard is still responsible for are the light itself and the fog signal.

Everything else, we pay for.”

That includes upgrades and restoration to the spaces in

Barbara Lassen/Barbara Lynne Photography

which Gaviola lives, sleeps and works.

“The community has been so wonderful that we are looking to expand it to this 1860 building that I’m in, in the keeper’s residence. We’re re-shingling, re-roofing, and making it look like the original Coast Guard station. We’re in the process of doing that right now.”

The original Douglas fir floors underfoot and age-old wood beams above, the cozy brick fireplaces filling the expanse in between — the quarters are a picture of charm. When he first moved in, however, the residence hadn’t had an upgrade since the Coast Guard had it in 1962.

“The cabinetry, the Formica, rugs here forever, and we needed to bring it up to electrical code, plumbing code, all kinds of things,” Gaviola says. “So basically for a year I lived in a trailer, and then in the basement when it got cold. I had 20 suits hanging on a copper pipe. And there’s no bathroom down there. So the first year was challenging.”

It was certainly different from his first Montauk home. Gaviola grew up in Dix Hills, and “in 1967 we made our first trip out here as a family, and my whole family fell in love with it,” he tells. “We loved to fish, and Montauk was really different

back then. My family built a summer home here in 1974, on the lake — it was a New York Times House of the Week, a beautiful home.”

He started working at the famed Gosman’s around age 15, then on the charter boats — even while in college at the University of Rhode Island.

He came back on weekends to work on the fishing boats and go surfcasting in the shadow of the lighthouse, eventually becoming a world-class shark fisherman as well. “Even to this day I’m reminded of those wonderful days, fishing off the lighthouse with my father. I’ve always loved it.”

So when Marge Winski, who had been the keeper since 1987, started to hint a few years ago that that she was thinking of retiring and moving to Maine, Gaviola saw fate extending a hand.

“I said to the board, ‘If Marge leaves, I’d be honored to go in there,” he recalls. “My children were gone, I was divorced and single, and I got it in my head that this was a wonderful next step. So I did it, then Covid hits. I went to work for Bank of America Merrill Lynch at the end of February 2020, and my office was in Southampton. I think I was there two weeks when we closed our offices and were sent home. But I couldn’t imagine a better work-fromhome office than being right here.”

Before Winski left, Gaviola continued on next page

WINTER 2022 | LI HOME Magazine | 19

continued from previous page

asked her if she had any experiences to share, any advice. “And she said, ‘Yes, never go in the attic or the basement after dark.’ I said, What? And she said, ‘Well, we have a ghost, her name is Abigail, and I would never go in the attic or the basement after dark.’

“So yes, we have a ghost. We have a painting of her downstairs, and I get teased by everyone: Have you seen Abigail? I’ve had a couple experiences where I’ve heard voices and I can’t figure it out, or things have happened where you kind of go and dive your head under the pillow. Now, there’s no such thing as ghosts, but you’re up here by yourself and these things run through your head.”

Barbara Lassen/Barbara Lynne Photography

More frightening, perhaps, is what Gaviola has actually seen at the top of the tower, inside the dome during hurricanes and blizzards. “It is scary,” he admits. “It’s so loud as the wind comes whipping by this turret, you can hardly hear yourself speak. You’re surrounded by glass, and you get this feeling — even though the glass has been there forever — that if one of those panes blows in and hits you, you’re in Connecticut.”

He chuckles at this. “It’s not for everyone.

The weather, the elements. I love that, but it can be tough, brutal in winter, and it is isolated.”

That is not to say, however, that Gaviola is always alone. Hardly. The lighthouse gets some 100,000 visitors a year on property, and about 1.4 million drive by annually.

“Something that surprised me is how many people, 365 days a year, at all hours, are coming here to take pictures of the lighthouse. It’s unbelievable. It never ends.

For some reason they’re attracted to the end, or the beginning — whichever way you want to call it here.”

He pauses on a thought, one he’s clearly had before but that somehow seems new when he speaks it. “So not only is it special for me, it’s special to everyone.”

Courtesy Joe Gaviola/Montauk Historical Society 20 | LI HOME Magazine | WINTER 2022

Learn and see more from The End at montauklighthouse.org.

WINTER 2022 | LI HOME Magazine | 21

to Dream

Perchance

Real Talk

The dream home. Countless buyers search for it, have an image of it in their heads so clear, they can almost open the front door and step inside. The very concept has inspired classic movies and hit TV shows and best-selling

22 | LI HOME Magazine | WINTER 2022

books. It also inspires experts in the real estate business, those who love and appreciate special properties that have their own unique story to tell, to share what makes their notion of a dream listing come true.

Molly Deegan Branch Real Estate Group My dream listing is any house that I can do a deal on within a week — it doesn’t matter what the price is. It doesn’t matter if it’s an estate, if it’s a saltbox cottage — I don’t care what it is. I’d like to have something that generates interest, that I can move very quickly, and where I can get buyer and seller from Point A to Point B. I really don’t care about the price. It’s just having something, grabbing it and moving it. That also contributes to my perception of success to others, that I can move product. That’s my dream listing right there.

Nicholas Colombos and Angela Dooley The Colombos-Dooley Team, Compass Real Estate Colombos: For us the dream home is a reality. We have one now we are currently representing. It’s 26 Cricket Lane in Kings Point. It’s a waterfront, about one and a half acres, 1.46 to be exact, 8,300 square feet, new construction built in 2020 with a walk-out lower level. The finishes are impeccable, impeccable. They had the help of Rockwell Developers with the house. And it’s an incredible, incredible waterfront.

Dooley: You have Manhattan views, you have Connecticut views. It’s a very, very special property. It’s a very, very exclusive area. It’s going to take that special buyer to really appreciate this house. It’s built incredibly, the property is incredible, but it’s really about the views. You’re at the highest point in Kings Point. It is a dream listing. continued on page 24

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Home Experts

continued from page 22

24 | LI HOME Magazine | WINTER 2022

Kevin Leatherman Leatherman Homes A Nassau County dream home is most certainly subjective — depending on perspective, marital status, familial status and, of course, architectural style. For some people it is an enchanting South Shore paradise enthralled with scenic appeal. For another it could be a private gated luxury townhouse on the North Shore with all the amenities. Maybe it is a charming old-style cottage on a secluded lot, or simply a picturesque classic colonial with a lush green lawn and a white picket fence with an infinity pool located in a pleasant suburb within an elite school system.

For others still it may be an artsy style home in Sea Cliff with museworthy views that spark a creative fire. A “dream listing” has to appeal to the buyer’s vision in a way that captivates their hearts with desire. When they see the listing, it should inspire the inclination that this is where they are meant to be in the hope that their daydreaming fantasy can actually become a reality!

Sara Feldman and Rozana Zemlyansky V.I. Properties Team, Compass Real Estate Feldman: My dream listing would be a seller who takes pride in their home, who maintains their home, who’s open to suggestion and who understands the market.

Zemlyansky: Working with somebody who takes pride in their home, you feel that energy. And somebody who will do what we call risk-reduction protocols, doing everything preemptively so there are no surprises at the end.

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Magnificent amenities that include an indoor pool and outdoor pool with a waterfall and multiple Jacuzzis. There is an oversized deck, private terraces, guest pool house, saunas, private gym, elevator, movie theater, tennis court and a private helipad. With direct access to the beach, it stands on a secure cliff atop a private peninsula and overlooks an extraordinary open view of the Long Island Sound.

Karen Elefante Compass Real Estate

It’s a Colonial with an open layout and high ceilings. A large living room with a stone wood-burning fireplace, a formal dining room with wainscoting. An oversized kitchen with an island, granite countertops, white cabinets and stainless appliances. A large den extension in the rear of house, a master suite with a palatial bathroom, three additional bedrooms with hall bathroom. There is an attic for storage and a full finished basement. There are hardwood floors throughout and a central air system, new windows and roof, and 200 amp electrical service. The property is 60x150 on a great tree-lined street. This house is one of a kind!

Alan Schnurman Saunders & Associates

The house sits high above the Great South Bay with endless views and sunsets that just take your breath away. It is a new modern flat-roof contemporary with floor-to-ceiling windows throughout. It includes an open-view kitchen, a great room with a gas fireplace, multiple bedrooms for the extended family, and two home offices to work and study in. The lower level includes a gym with a sauna, a widescreen movie theater, walk-in wine room and a large play area. The client turns to me and says, “I’ll take it.” And of course that is when I wake up.

Real Estate WINTER 2022 | LI HOME Magazine | 25

Rooms We Love

“

“

A room should never allow the eye to settle in one place. It should smile at you and create fantasy.

26 | LI HOME Magazine | WINTER 2022

— Juan Montoya

Photo by Barbara Lassen

Home | Condo/Co-op | Auto | Renters Flood | Boat | Life Financial Planning | Commercial | Umbrella Peter Catalano, Exclusive Agent Personal Financial Representative 855-428-4001 PCatalano@allstate.com

Since 1999, no one knows Long Island like our growing team of experts.

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Choose V.I. Properties, a team that makes you truly feel like a VIP. Natalya Mikinberg Lic RE Associate Broker/ Founder of VIP

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Talking ’Bout a RESOLUTION Home and lifestyle experts inspire 22 New Year’s promises and projects for 2022

A new year, a fresh start. If you are among the 75 percent of Americans making a New Year’s resolution, putting the focus on an aspect of your home is not only a great way to infuse your goal with a sense of purpose, but it might actually help inspire you to stick with it and accomplish some much-needed tasks in the process! Experts in all things home have gathered together to inform us, inspire us and give us the know-how and confidence to say — c’mon, say it with us: In 2022 we resolve to…

Reporting by Kate Nalepinski

30 | LI HOME Magazine | WINTER 2022

Resolutions (con’t)

Pick the

Perfect Houseplant

HeATThings Up

Winter is fireplace season on Long Island, and with it comes the burning desire for flickering flames, the sounds and scents of crackling logs, and the warmth that a fire brings to both body and soul. But what type of fire gets you fired up is as heated a debate as dogs vs. cats, chocolate vs. vanilla, summer vs. winter—the beauty being, you really can’t lose, no matter which side you choose when it comes to deciding between gas-burning and wood-burning options.

“It really is a matter of personal choice and taste, and both are popular,” says Dennis Lawrence, owner of Taylor’s Hearth & Leisure in Franklin Square. The ultimate decision for each homeowner seems to come down to cleanliness and convenience versus the classic cozy qualities of yore.

“The advantages of gas are, they’re neater, they’re cleaner, there are no ashes, there’s no soot,” Lawrence says. “There’s a simple remote control to turn it on an off. Gas radiates more heat into the room — with the blowers and the fans, it’s more heat-

producing. And it’s easier to maintain.

“With wood,” he continues, “you get the crackling, and the smell of the wood is nice. But any wood-burning fireplace really doesn’t generate heat into the room. Most of the heat is just getting sucked up the chimney. In most wood-burning fireplaces, the chimney just acts like a vacuum, and it just pulls all the heat out of that space.

For those who are committed to the old school charms, there are modern options to help deal with those energy-loss issues.

“They have wood-burning inserts if you want to continue burning wood but make it more efficient.,” Lawrence notes. “It’s a unit that would slide into your existing fireplace, and you run a liner up the chimney. They’re all cast iron and they radiate heat into the room, and they have blowers that push the heat into the room.

So you can still keep it wood-burning but make it more efficient.”

“The benefits of houseplants are endless. In addition to cleaning the air of harmful toxins, they can help to improve your mood, reduce stress and provide you with better sleep,” offer the experts at Hick’s Nurseries in Westbury. “Fill every room of your home with houseplants and their restorative qualities will improve your life.”

In the bedroom, they recommend a Peace Lily or Snake Plant, while the home office can benefit from a ZZ Plant or Dracaena.

Try a Rubber Plant or Fiddle-Leaf Fig in the living room, and Pothos or Succulents are ideal in the kitchen.

WINTER 2022 | LI HOME Magazine | 31

Resolutions (con’t)

Make the

New Year a Hue Year

Master the

Décor

Whether you’re planning a new build, upgrading your current house or focusing on a specific room, hardwood floors add a timeless beauty. Of course, choosing the right hardwood requires some expert insights.

“Many hardwood species have bold, characteristic textures and patterns,” says Glenn Altarac, owner of Floor Décor & Design in Rockville Centre. “For example, the rustic flair of oak floors is ideal for adding a dash of Old World charm to your home. Still others, like maple, have a refined, elegant grain style and are more contemporary.”

In addition to the pattern and texture, the

on the

Floor

type of hardwood you choose will have an impact on the feel not just beneath your feet, but all around. “Different species of wood can also have many different shades between them,” Altarac notes. “Darker wood floors are more traditional and warm, while lighter hues showcase a more casual look.

“You can also choose a hardwood flooring type based on how well it accents the room, including furniture, a wall hanging, a rug or a countertop.

You should also consider the gloss level of the hardwood. Additionally,” he adds, “the plank size and finish of any hardwood floor will create varying looks to complement a room’s desired style.”

Break Out the Burlap

Wrapping isn’t just for gifts. This year, give it a go in the garden, where you can help your plants battle winter season damage caused by leaves and buds drying out. “Winter winds on Long Island, especially near the water, can cause plant material to suffer desiccation — when moisture is given up and not replaced —

32 | LI HOME Magazine | WINTER 2022

Soothing, cool and calm are the buzzwords for home-changing hues, as Sherwin-Williams gives us the 2022 Color of the Year: Evergreen Fog. “Evergreen Fog is a sophisticated wash of color for spaces that crave a subtle yet stunning statement shade,” says Sue Wadden, director of color marketing at Sherwin-Williams. “The new year is about starting anew, and that sentiment is at the heart of this color, Wadden notes. “Evergreen Fog inspires us to begin again and is a great choice for modern interiors and exteriors.”

which can kill areas of the foliage,” says Fox Tree Service owner Bart Fusco, a registered consulting arborist. “Surrounding a plant in burlap or another barrier to the wind can help stop water loss.

Another method is applying an anti-desiccant.”

Your Yourhome. home.

My Mymission. mission.

Compass Compass is the is nation’s the nation’s leading leading brokerage. brokerage.

It is a Itreal is aestate real estate company, company, but also butaalso a powerful powerful technology technology firm. Itfirm. confidently It confidently helps helps evaluate evaluate properties, properties, predict predict market market trends,trends, and helps and helps you achieve you achieve the greatest the greatest returnreturn in the in shortest the shortest time. The time.market The market for sellers for sellers is still is robust still robust and prices and prices are atare their at peak. their peak.

If you Ifare youcurious are curious aboutabout what your whathome your home is is worthworth call Karen call Karen Elefante!

Elefante!

She will She help willyou helpexplore you explore your options. your options.

Karen Karen Elefante Elefante Licensed Licensed Real Estate Real Estate Salesperson Salesperson karen.elefante@compass.com karen.elefante@compass.com M: 516.398.5055 M: 516.398.5055 100 Merrick 100 Merrick Road, Road, Rockville Rockville Center,Center, NY 11570 NY 11570

compass.com compass.com Karen ElefanteKaren is a real Elefante estateisagent a realaffiliated estate agent with affiliated compass.with Compass compass. is Compass is a licensed realaestate licensed broker real and estate abides broker byand equal abides housing by equal opportunity housinglaws. opportunity laws.

WINTER 2022 | LI HOME Magazine | 33

Show

Resolutions (con’t)

Learn a

Your Car

DIY Skill

SOME COLD WEATHER LOVE

OR A DOZEN

“When keeping your car in the garage for the winter, make sure you keep the car active. In other words, do not neglect the car,” says automobile aficionado Kevin Killelea Jr. of Rockville Centre Auto Repair and Towing. “Cars are meant to be driven, so make sure the car gets a good ride at least once every two weeks. This will help keep fluids running, keep the rubber components active, and help the car recharge and add life to the battery.”

Get

Organized Any time is a good time to undertake that home organization project, but taking that first step can be daunting.

If your house is drowning a chaotic explosion of clutter or you are simply looking to bring some order to your home, Marie Limpert and Annmarie Brogan, the co-owners of Organize Me! of NY and co-authors of the book Beyond Tidy: Declutter Your Mind & Discover the Magic of Organized Living, are always ready to help kickstart things.

“People don’t always make the connection, but the truth is both organized and disorganized living influence how we show up in the world — one positively, the other not so positively,” says Brogan. “Both affect confidence, reliability, trust, mood, how we communicate with others and how well we manage our emotions. Both affect how much quality time we have for the people and activities we love. They

34 | LI HOME Magazine | WINTER 2022

impact how we manage our money. They affect how other people perceive us.”

There are numerous possible reasons why people may become disorganized, but the approach to getting organized has a common starting point. “The question we normally ask our clients when they call us for help is: Are you willing to change your behavior in order to move forward?” says Limpert.

The first step toward moving forward could very well be taking a step back and looking inside oneself. “Research studies confirm our ability to develop new habits, learn new skills and gain knowledge,” Brogan adds. “It’s not that some people have the ‘organizing gene’ and others don’t. Anyone can improve and learn. So don’t write yourself off and say, ‘I’ll never be organized!’ The only thing holding you back might be your thoughts.”

First, set a number: 12. That’s only one a month. Not too overwhelming, yet enough to give you a real sense of achievement and a good foundation of skills as a homeowner. Now, in no particular order, the talents that await you: • Unclog a drain • Patch drywall • Paint a room • Fix a leaky faucet • Change a light fixture • Replace cabinet hardware • Install a mailbox • Caulk a tub • Powerwash a deck • Locate a stud • Work on a ladder • Find reliable pros: Knowing how to select the right handyman, or plumber, electrician, contractor and so on, is as essential a skill as any of those do-ityourself skills. Maybe even more.

Resolutions (con’t)

Keep

Home Décor Fresh and Fun

“Adding new things always makes you happy,” says Danielle Frey, brand manager and buyer for Madison’s Niche boutique in Stony Brook. Even small design and décor touches, she notes, can help you find small joys throughout the year while keeping your home looking and feeling new.

Tabletops: If you have an entryway table, or in the center of your dining table, put a basket and get a candle in there, or a new floral arrangement. Vases are huge right now — traditional ones, and some that have a new, clean almost Scandinavian feel. That’s a good way to change up your table top.

Flowers: Change your floral arrangement with the seasons. If you have a pet and you can’t have real plants, artificial plants and leaves look so real nowadays, you could put a bouquet of fake flowers and it will look real and beautiful, and it just adds that little softness and pop to your table.

Diffusers: You don’t need to light it, you don’t need to remember to blow it out, they can go in any room, and they really fill the room with fragrance. And fragrance lifts your spirits.

Throw Pillows: There are neutral ones that would match anyone’s couch, and then there’s something with a design, floral throw pillows with studs on the ends—that’s just a fun way to spice up a couch or a chair, or even your bed.

Books: Books are a huge thing right now. It’s very popular to do a little stack of books, decorative books like Chanel No. 5, the coffee table book. It’s a showstopper.

Bottom Line: You want to feel happy in your space. So add things that bring you joy.

WINTER 2022 | LI HOME Magazine | 35

Resolutions (con’t)

Dig the 811

Shape Up the

Home Gym

Getting in shape is always near the top of any resolutions list. Getting your home gym right is a logical first step. If you’re looking to start with a single piece of equipment yet want to truly work out, Michael Dern, co-owner of Carters Home Gym in Westbury, recommends a universal home gym. “Primarily because it trains your total body,” he says. “It has, like, eight different machines built into one. So, usually there’d be eight different machines spread out across a gym.

You know 911. That’s easy. The 411, well, your favorite search engine pretty much sent that the way of the dodo.

But three digits many Long Island homeowners don’t know but should are New York 811. By law, excavators and contractors working in Nassau and Suffolk Counties (and the five boroughs of New York City) must contact New York 811 at least 48 hours but no more than 10 working days (excluding weekends and legal holidays) prior to beginning any mechanized digging or excavation work to ensure underground lines are marked. Homeowners are also strongly encouraged to call when planning any type of digging on their property, but newyork-811.com notes that for excavation work completed on personal property, it is the contractor’s responsibility — not the homeowner’s — to contact New York 811

Instead, this is all put into one. It has a lap pull-down, a bench press and more.”

It’s also great for fitness newbies because “it’s easy to use,” Dern adds.

“On the piece of equipment it actually gives you the examples of how to use it. For someone who might not be so experienced with working out, this machine pretty much teaches you how to use it yourself. You won’t have to worry very much about your form.”

Build an Emergency Survival Kit “Disasters can happen anywhere, anytime — even in someone’s own home,” notes the American Red Cross, which recommends building an emergency preparedness kit as the first step toward getting your household ready for emergencies. A 72-hour kit is one of the most valuable resources you can have at the ready in your home, and ready to take on the road if needed. It will include such items as food and water supplies, cooking materials, a first

36 | LI HOME Magazine | WINTER 2022

aid kit, sleeping necessities (sleeping bags, tent), clothing, personal items (including prescription and non-prescription medication, documents and cash), lights, radio and other necessities.

Great resources and checklists to help you build and customize a kit for you and your family can be found at redcross.org, staysafe. org, aarp.org, ny.gov and ready.gov.

Resolutions (con’t)

Bring a

Local

Farm Home

Gear Up for a

Year

of

Cooking

Whether you’re a home chef preparing for your next dinner party or a first-time homeowner setting up your kitchen, stocking the space with essential cooking gadgets ensures that every meal will be memorable. Food industry extraordinaire Fran Walker, owner of Chef Fran’s Kitchenwares in Jamesport, dishes on five fab picks for tools of the trade to put in your kitchen this year:

Silicone Oven Mitt with Cotton Lining, Mastrad These 425-degree-resistant mitts made the top of Walker’s list, as these handy tools are useful for nearly every meal preparation.

60-Minute Timer, Fox Run This must-have can also be a cute accessory for anyone popping dishes in the oven — Walker has some shaped like roosters. “In my catering business, everybody had a timer that they kept in

their pocket. Otherwise you forget what you put in, and that leads to mistakes.”

Wooden, Bamboo Salad Bowl, Any Brand Its versatility “gives you a little leeway if you’re hosting a party and you’re a little flustered,” and it you get a quality wooden bowl, it will last for years to come.

Silicone Flexible Measuring Stir and Pour, 1-Cup, NorPro This multi-purpose tool is essential for bakers and chefs alike.

Four-Cup Glass Fat Separator, Any Brand What appears as a pitcher can efficiently separate fat from other liquids. If you’re looking to make a creamy gravy, this gadget has a removable spout at the bottom for an easy pour.

One of the great benefits of living on Long Island is the access to the bounty of our local farms. And now is the time to start supporting local farmers while savoring seasonal specialties grown and raised right here with a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) membership. The way CSA programs typically work is you buy a “share” of a farmer’s offerings — and here on our island that includes everything from vegetable farms to dairy farms to oyster farms — and then get a weekly package (box/bag/crate/etc.) that you either pick up or have delivered. Farm to table, right at your own table.

WINTER 2022 | LI HOME Magazine | 37

Resolutions (con’t)

Start a

Long Island Wine Cellar

As a famous Long Islander sang … “a bottle of white, a bottle of red, perhaps a bottle of rosé instead…” Now that you’re finally ready to from the foundation of your Long Island wine collection, why not all three? And, while we’re at it, how a bottle of bubbly and a fine dessert wine? Lisa P. Shock, advanced certified sommelier/SSA, of East Hampton’s Park Place Wine & Spirits, uncorks a quintet of local bottles to get you started.

Rich, ripe black fruit, cassis and sweet spice are beautifully balanced with fresh, vibrant acidity, culminating in a transcendent, terroir-driven red blend that will make you swoon. We fell in love with his red immediately and it has graced our shelves ever since. It exhibits balance, elegance, finesse of the old-world combined with liveliness and fruit from the new-world.

Bottle of White: Paumanok Chenin Blanc 2020 A perennial customer favorite that resides on just about every restaurant’s wine list on the East End. This is a fresh, crisp, racy and bracing Chenin that is redolent of grapefruit and pineapple, with more subtle notes of melon, apple and guava. It’s bar none one of the best American Chenin Blancs around!

Bottle of Rosé: Channing Daughters Rosato Cabernet Franc This South Fork rosé is requested by our customers, second only to Wölffer’s. It’s made solely from Cabernet Franc, which is one of the most successful grapes on Long Island. This is full of fresh red currant and Meyer lemon flavors tinged with a hint of violet and lots of sea spray — an ideal wine for your seafood and one which can simply be enjoyed on its own.

Bottle of Red: Leo Family Red 2015 One of the best red wines produced on Long Island, by revered winemaker John Leo.

Bottle of Bubbles: Sparkling Pointe Blanc De Blanc 2017 An exceptional local sparkler from the

38 | LI HOME Magazine | WINTER 2022

North Fork that rivals many of the Champagne on our shelves. This Blanc de Blanc is consistently one of the best of Sparkling Pointe’s many excellent offerings. It’s an elegant wine that shows classic expressions of apple and lemon juxtaposed with complex notes of freshbaked brioche, nuts and cream. Hightoned acidity and fine, delicate mousse fill the palate with intensity and harmony, with an exceptionally long finish.

Dessert in a Bottle: Macari ‘Block E’ Riesling 2013 The Macari Family produces some of the very best wines on the North Fork. Their luscious dessert wine was crafted from 100 percent Riesling grapes sourced from Seneca Lake, N.Y. Rich and full flavored, this wine’s cling peach scents give way to a deeper, apricot-driven core of flavor. The wine was produced in the ice wine style in which the grapes are pressed while frozen, yielding extremely concentrated juice high in sugar, flavor and acidity.

Resolutions (con’t)

Get Key Paperwork in Order

Score a

Silver Screen “Now more than ever, companies are producing films that premiere on streaming services,” says Paul Reiners, project manager with Syosset-based Sound Dimensions Plus. With this in mind, now is the time for movie lovers to upgrade their viewing experience to home theater quality. The Samsung Ultra Short Throw 4K Laser Projector, Reiners notes, can produce a

120-inch projection, and whereas a typical projector needs to sit 12 to 13 feet back from a wall, this Samsung device can create a large screen image while sitting at the juncture of a wall and the floor.

“If you don’t have the space, you could potentially turn a bedroom into a theater,” he says. “It’s an allin-one solution.”

You never know when you’re going to need an essential homeowner document, but chances are you wouldn’t be able to go find it at this very moment if you needed to. Are we right? If so, this is the year you devise a plan to get those docs in order. “It doesn’t need to be perfect,” says Stephanie D’Angelo, Esq. of D’Angelo Law Associates PC in Uniondale.

“It just needs to be comprehensive.” Here’s D’Angelo’s tips for where to start: • Your original deed: You are entitled to have an original deed in your possession. If you don’t, call your attorney or go to your county clerk and get a new one.

• A copy of your homeowners insurance policy: We have insurance policies for when times are tough. Insurance companies aren’t known for being understanding and, needless to say, they don’t necessarily make it easy to recover. You need to know what your policy covers.

• A copy of your title insurance: This is very different from your homeowner’s insurance policy! Title insurance covers ownership of your land. You don’t want to have to search for it when your neighbor starts telling you that your fence is on their property.

• Warranties: Do you have central air? Did you recently purchase a new boiler? How old is your refrigerator? What about solar panels? Often these larger ticket items come with warranties, and you should keep all your warranties in one place so you don’t have to go searching for them when that expensive item malfunctions.

• Satisfactions/ Certificates of Occupancy/ Permits/etc.: You’d be surprised how often this is an issue when buying or selling a home. Sometimes they’re not filed with the town, so if you have it then we don’t have to hire an expeditor to complete the job.

You can save hundreds or even thousands of dollars by just keeping proper records.

• Last word: Finally, keep everything in a fireproof and waterproof lock box —j ust don’t forget the code or lose the key.

WINTER 2022 | LI HOME Magazine | 39

Resolutions (con’t)

Embrace a Healthy, Holistic Home

Implement a

Smoke Detector Care Plan

According to the Nassau County Firefighters Museum and Education Center in Uniondale, “It’s simple to keep smoke detectors in good condition. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Be sure to replace the batteries every year or as needed. Most models will make a chirping, popping or beeping sound when the battery is losing its charge.

When this sound is heard, install a fresh battery, preferably an alkaline type.

“Remember, every three years to change the bulbs. Keep extras

handy. Check the smoke detector every month by releasing smoke or pushing the “test” button. Clean the detector face and grillwork often to remove dust and grease. Never paint a smoke detector as it will hamper its function. Check your detector if you’ve been away from home.”

And for anyone you know moving into a new home this year, the museum notes that “smoke detectors make great housewarming — or any time — gifts. It’s an interesting present that can save lives and it shows that you care.”

Study Up on Real Estate

Knowledge is power when it comes to understanding real estate, whether you’re buying, selling, renting, investing, you name it. Turning to the experts is a great start, both for real estate veterans or anyone just entering the market, especially with the range of books written by pros in all aspects of the field. With hundreds of titles out there to choose from, we turned to Book Authority’s ranking of the top five best-selling real estate books of all-time: 1) The Millionaire Real Estate Agent by Gary Keller with Dave Jenks and Jay Papasan 2) The Book on Rental Property Investing by Brandon Turner 3) The ABCs of Real Estate Investing by Ken McElroy 4) The Book on Flipping Houses by J Scott 5) Loopholes of Real Estate by Garrett Sutton 40 | LI HOME Magazine | WINTER 2022

“Our homes create a sense of wholeness and give us a living experience both in unity and complexity. A house doesn’t just have floors, ceilings and walls, but it is also made from memories and experiences. It’s our sanctuary,” says Catherine Canadeo, a board certified holistic health coach and p resident/CEO, Catherine Canadeo Health and Wellness Corp. “Our homes keep us grounded and centered in an everchanging world — it’s how we take root, day after day, in a corner of the world.

“The feeling you get when walking through the front door, having a sense of belonging, is deeply rooted in our being,” she continues. “Each room stirs its own particular set of sensations but is still part of a complete unified whole living space.

Through our senses we experience the soulful comfort inside as we connect with the deepest, most personal and most precious parts of our lives. Our homes are filled with our unique energy, which transcends and connects us to our journey to ourselves.”

Stick with At Least One Resolution

Studies show that anywhere from 80 to 92 percent of people fail to make good on any resolution they’ve made in any given year. You’re better than that. And if you’re struggling with which one to commit to, well, we’re partial to…

Get More Long Island HOME

Read every issue. Visit us every day online at InsideLIHome.com. Listen to Long Island HOME: The Podcast. Follow us on Instagram. Repeat.

WINTER 2022 | LI HOME Magazine | 41

Into the Wood A Long Island venture recrafts the notion of the family table

By Eric Feil

Photo courtesy The Rustic Loft

Where things begin is as important as where they end up.

The connection between those points is the essence of the origin story. When the players in such a tale embrace that idea, it makes the tale all the richer and gives it life beyond any natural conclusion.

“Since the age of 14, my father, George, worked as an apprentice in his brother’s cabinet shop, specializing in the production of furniture. In 1990 he started his own cabinet shop, building custom kitchens, vanities and wall units,” Leo Cacciatore recalls. “As a kid growing up, I would spend my summers working at the shop, staining kitchens cabinetry, closets and learning everything I could.”

Flash forward to the bustling streets of Lynbrook, the waterfront village of Stony Brook, ancient barns across rural America, a buzzing workshop in Bellmore, dining rooms and living rooms and kitchens across Long Island, and this story’s next chapter is being written by Cacciatore’s Rustic Loft. When he speaks, the relationship with the materials or the people for whom he and his team make their custom hardwood furniture, his passion is evident. One cannot help feel how embraces the idea that the time spent to learn a craft is forever intertwined with future creations, that the past informs the future every step of the way.

“In 2017 we started talking about the possibility of opening up a showroom showcasing all the different types of furniture we could build,” he says of the moment the concept for The Rustic Loft came to life. “We weren’t really sure whether to have it based on a theme or to just have all different types of styles available. After discussions with friends and family and through watching HGTV, we learned there was a high demand for rustic farm tables.

“We built a few to really fine-tune the manufacturing process. I posted them on social media and people just loved them. We decided to go for it.” He signed the lease for the Lynbrook location, renovated the place, and then went ahead and built pieces to fill the showroom. “My family was the biggest support,” he notes, “as initially this was a risk and we were going to have to live without my income for a while.”

The concept of family is apparent at every turn, stemming from those days learning at his father’s hand. It is essential, though Cacciatore does not say this overtly. He does not need to. It is right there in his own narrative. “Before she joined us full-time, my sister worked as a digital and media design strategist at Discover Long Island and would come work weekends, helping customers as well as developing our logo, digital presence and all media-related advertising.

My wife, who was a full-time nurse, would work her days off at the showroom.

“My father, nothing less than a creative genius, designed many of the different styles we manufacture, and my mother would help with the bookkeeping. Even my kids got involved. My daughter took an interest in design and would follow me around at the shop and showroom and learn everything she could. My son would help me with physical labor and even deliveries so I could keep costs low during the initial startup phase.”

If one played word association with Cacciatore, there’s a sense that almost every answer he’d give would be collaboration. Even the name of the business itself was a group effort. “We had a few different ideas for names initially. I wanted something that was conceptual to the theme of farm tables, yet versatile enough so that we could evolve with the styles.

I also wanted to emphasize that it was American made.

I came up with a few ideas and ran it through family and friends, and even did a group vote with the team at the Emergency Medical Company of Lynbrook Fire department, which I volunteer for. Everyone loved the name The Rustic Loft.”

That back-and-forth, the sharing of thoughts and visions and concepts, extends to every piece he and his team create. That, and the challenge, is the real thrill.

“I had a customer bring me an odd-sized wine fridge to fit in a corner perfectly. I had to literally do trigonometry to create the optimal piece continued on next page

continued from previous page

to fit in perfectly all the while ensuring the fridge fit in nicely to the cabinet,” Cacciatore says. “To this day that concept has inspired myself as well as many other customers to have similar pieces built. Another one is a wet bar we recently built, with a custom fridge built in and sized with the ability to fit a sink faucet and power a wine fridge. I really enjoy these types of projects, as they are challenging and really bring out our creative and analytical skills.

Equally rewarding is the process of giving new life to the reclaimed materials The Rustic Loft sources. Oak, maple and other wood that otherwise would have been lost to the ravages of time once again finds beauty and purpose.

Naturally, Cacciatore doesn’t go about finding these materials alone, and the collaboration (there’s that word again) goes hand-in-hand with the same kind of exacting attention to detail in his associates that he demands of himself.

“We partnered with an Amish family of woodworkers who salvaged oak from old barns built in the 1800s out in Walnut Creek, Ohio. I watched how they would take apart the barns, plank by plank, run the beams through a metal detector to mark the nails for removal.

Then they would kiln the wood to the optimal moisture level for furniture manufacturing.

Photos E. Feil/LI HOME

“It is ingrained in their culture to value their resources and respect the history associated with it,” he adds. “With our reclaimed oak tables, it is really incredible to think that the very wood used to make the table was part of a barn right in our homeland. It truly is putting a piece of American history in your home.” And so the story continues…

The Rustic Loft: 420 Sunrise Hwy. in Lynbrook, 97K Main St. at Stony Brook Village Center and therusticloft.net.

Courtesy The Rustic Loft

Leo Cacciatore unites past and present with every Rustic Loft custom creation.

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How To

still have the process in motion to make sure you have a fair assessment. And having things started can be beneficial for prospective buyers — you can begin, and they can pick up the ball and run with it.

“Yes, you should do it to protect them,” Frascella says of people who may wind up buying your home. “So you can file the grievance, and then, if you’re dealing with Maidenbaum, we give you take-over documents, which go to the buyer, and the buyer may say, ‘I’ll take over the grievance.’”

If you are going to sell your home, the experts at Maidenbaum note, it is critical to obtain the purchaser’s signed acceptance of an assignment of your tax assessment reduction agreement. (Case transfer, they say, ensures that the party who receives the benefit of the savings — i.e. the buyer — is the one who pays the fee. If you sell the property and do not make arrangements to transfer your tax grievance to the buyer, you will remain responsible for the fee.)

A real estate closing attorney can assist with this by obtaining the appropriate forms for the purchaser to complete the assignment.

Grieving Property

TAXES

When You’re on the Move

By Scott Adams

T

he local real estate market remains hot, and with sales prices at notable highs and inventory continuing to be historically low, many homeowners are pondering whether now is the time to put their house up for sale. Of course, many have questions: Can I still grieve my taxes if I’m going to be putting my home on the market? What is the impact if, say, my home is assessed at $500,000 but I want to list it for more? Is there any downside to doing it, or should I even bother, if I’m going to be moving anyway?

“Yes, you can still grieve it,” says Maidenbaum Property Tax Reduction Group, LLC Property Tax Supervisor John P. Frascella. “You’ll never get penalized. Hopefully you can help the new owner inherit an improved tax situation.”

But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t start, and continue, the process. Even in this current market, there are any number of factors that may keep you from selling your home. So should you wind up staying put, you would

46 | LI HOME Magazine | WINTER 2022

“So if you’re the buyer, for sure, you want to take over the case,” Frascella says. “You’re not going to get a transfer fee or any nonsense like that. You’ll take it over and we’ll see what we can do.

But the listing is going to tell us where we stand. There might be ones that are a home run — you could be listed for a million but you’re assessed at the county at $1.5 million, so you may be in line for a reduction as the buyer. So the listing will tell us a lot about where we stand on the case.

“In all honesty, it’s the new owner’s prerogative if they want to take it over,” he continues. “There is literally no downside. And why would you want to put yourself in a position where you’re automatically going to be subject to whatever the county says, if you don’t do the grievance?”

The myriad financial aspects of home ownership need to be dealt with not only in the present, but with an eye toward the future. The expenses that come with owning a house may be something you can handle today, but being prepared for tomorrow is another issue. Property taxes, particularly here in our local market, are no exception.

“I know, from experience, people have complained time and time again, ‘I should have done this earlier, what did I do, am I going to have to sell my house now?’ Frascella says. “Sometimes people will come to me after 15 years of not doing it and they say, ‘I’m getting priced out — I’m getting priced out of my own house.’

So yes, you want to get on it early, stay on top of it. You don’t want to throw it by the wayside.”

Learn more about property tax grievance and other property tax issues at maidenbaumtax.com.

Photo Credit: 123rf

How To

A Storm Is A Storm IsA Storm “I think the most important thing about storm coverage that people don’t understand is that a ‘storm’ is not covered,” Bergman says. “There is no coverage for a ‘storm.’ I’ve had people call me and ask, ‘What am I covered for a hurricane?’ And I’ll say, ‘Well, you’re covered whether it’s a hurricane or a thunderstorm or snow or rain.’ The vernacular has to be understood.”

Wind Damage Doesn’t Mean Windfall “It’s important for people to understand in general that, if you have damage to your roof and there are a few tiles missing, you don’t get a brand-new roof,” Bergman cautions. “A contractor may come in and look at a 30-year-old roof and, if five tiles are missing, they’ll say, ‘Oh, I’ll give you an estimate for $10,000 for a brandnew roof.’ The insurance company is not going to pay for that.

A Blizzard of

Home Insurance Info

By Scott Adams

W

intertime beauty on Long Island can quickly be upended by storms that can turn tranquility into trauma in an instant.

The threat of blizzards, nor’ easters, heavy rains, forceful winds and potential damage to your home are ever-present. The knowledge of how to insure a home should that damage come, not always so much.

“It’s very challenging to impress upon people the differences in insurance policies,” says Brian Bergman, president/CEO Personal & Commercial Insurance with Meyerson-Roth Insurance in Long Beach. “When you get a car, you can say if you have a stereo system or you don’t have a stereo system, two airbags or six airbags — people understand that. But when you explain exactly what the reasons are that you’ll be covered under a policy, people just blank out.”

A one-to-one discussion with an expert about the specifics of your home is always best, but there are some essentials that every homeowner should know. No blanking out, now…

48 | LI HOME Magazine | WINTER 2022

Water, Water Everywhere “There are different types of policies, or there are different nuances and endorsements in the policy, that will allow you to be covered depending on how water gets into your house. There are policies that state you do not have coverage unless the outside of your house is damaged. Then there are policies that go further for a little bit more money, that say if the water gets in, it doesn’t matter if there was damage outside, we’ll cover the water that gets in.”

“Flood” May Mean What You Think It Means “With flood insurance, it’s important to understand the terminology of the word ‘flood,’” Bergman says, “because people will often say, ‘I came home and my basement’s flooded.’ Well, if you put a claim in for your homeowners insurance, they’re not going to cover you. The term ‘flood,’ in insurance speak, is the inundation of water on normally dry land from rising water from either an ocean or a bay or an excessive collection of water from, say, rain. It does not cover water that comes up from high tides as far as the ground being soaked.”

House, Yes. Basement, No. Generator, Yes And No “Flood insurance will cover structures, your house, ancillary structures like a garage or a pool house,” Bergman says. “They have a bunch of nuances of things that they will and will not cover. It’s funny, they’ll cover a generator that’s sitting in your garage but not the generator you have outside, the permanent generator. They do not cover contents in a basement. People have everything and the kitchen sink in the basement — they don’t cover most of that.

They will not cover finished basements, so people who have media rooms, or storage with all the kids’ toys, none of that is covered once you go in a basement.”

“Basement” May Also Not Mean What You Think It Means “A basement is any level that’s below ground,” Bergman continues.

“The technicality is, as long as it’s below ground, it’s a basement. It may be your living area, you don’t think of it as a basement. It’s not your typical seven-steps-down musty old basement, but they don’t care. Whether it’s a foot or 10 feet, it’s a basement.”

You can learn more at yourcoverage.com.

Photo Credit: 123rf

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WINTER 2022 | LI HOME Magazine | 49

Hidden HOME Towns

History and

By Lee Meyer

Photo by: Scott Heaney/iStock

Hollywood

First flights, famous homes, classic books and one of the most beloved holiday movies of all time. It’s all here as we take a stroll through historic and hidden sides of Port Washington.

A cow pasture utilized by the town’s founding families after they acquired it from the Matinecock Indians inspired its original name: Cow Neck.

The hamlet of Port Washington was settled in the 1660s, and was eventually named in honor of George Washington in 1790, following an April 24 visit to Roslyn as he was ending the first year of his presidency with a five-day tour of Long Island.

Despite the watery moniker, Port Washington made a name for itself from the earth in the 1870s — although its proximity to the water and access to New York City certainly played a major roll. As the largest major sandmining center in the East, it sent roughly 140 million cubic yards of sand to create concrete that helped build the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building and other Manhattan landmarks. The sand mines are now the Harbor Links golf course.

Port Washington made a thwarted attempt to incorporate itself as a city in 1930. Today a quartet of incorporated villages — Baxter Estates, Manorhaven, Port Washington North and Sands Point — call Port Washington home, along with a portion of the village of Flower Hill.

50 | LI HOME Magazine | WINTER 2022

in Port Washington

As Jay Gatsby gazes across the water from his “West Egg” mansion to that eternally blinking green light of Daisy Buchanan’s dock and all it represents, he is actually looking over the bay from Kings Point and toward Sands Point, the fictional “East Egg” of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic The Great Gatsby. Beacon Towers, which was constructed for Alva Vanderbilt Belmont and stood in Sands Point until 1945, is said to have been an inspiration for Gatsby’s lavish home.

The National Register of Historic Places lists Port Washington’s Thomas Dodge Homestead, Execution Rocks Light, GouldGuggenheim Estate, William Landsberg House, Main Street School, Monfort Cemetery, Sands-Willets Homestead, Sands Family Cemetery and the John Philip Sousa House.

Pan American Airlines and it’s “flying boats” made Port Washington the birthplace of commercial aviation when the Pan Am Dixie Clipper took off from the waters (yes, waters) of Manhasset Bay on June 28, 1939 for the first trans-Atlantic passenger flight.

Port Washington has presidential ties beyond its namesake. The Port Washington Brass Band marched in the inaugural parade for Theodore Roosevelt in Washington, D.C. in 1905.

Legend has it that the native New Yorker yelled out “That’s my band!” and left the reviewing stand to shake their hands.

Spoiler alert (of sorts): At the heart of the classic 1947 holiday film Miracle on 34th Street is eight-year-old Suzie Walker’s wish for a house, a place she and her mother can call home.

Suzie doesn’t believe in Santa, but the charming house at 24 Derby Road in Port Washington got the little girl, and audiences everywhere, “believing in something when common sense tells you not to.”

Read more about Port Washington and other fascinating Hidden HOME Towns at InsideLIHome.com.

Courtesy Wissam Kahi

The winter freeze turns Port Washington and Manhassett Bay a crisp blue color.

Kate Nalepinski/LI Home

The house at 24 Derby Road in Port Washington is the ultimate Christmas gift in the 1947 movie Miracle on 34th Street.

Escapes

Gold Coast

Gatsby Gilded Age and the

Can’t repeat the past?

Why of course you can, at the Mansion at Glen Cove

By Eric Feil

T

o drive up the road leading to the Mansion at Glen Cove is to journey back in time. An expanse of green envelops you on either side, the road winding back into the Gilded Age. Suddenly it is before you, all Georgian brick and sturdy stone and white columns rising up out of the past.

Originally called the Manor, the Mansion at Glen Cove was designed by architect Charles Adams Platt in 1910 as the home of John Teele Pratt — a lawyer, son of oil magnate Charles Pratt, an executive with Standard Oil — and Ruth Baker Pratt, who in 1929 became the first woman from New York to be elected to Congress. Not long after its construction, it was named one of the Twelve Best

52 | LI HOME Magazine | WINTER 2022

Country Houses in America, and clearly the distinction was deserved — the 55acre estate served as the summer White House for President Herbert Hoover during his time in office.

Hospitality, it seems, is part of the DNA here. Mrs. Pratt lived in the mansion until her death in 1967, immediately after which guest rooms were built

behind the manor house and one of the first conference centers in the United States emerged. Over the decades that followed, it began to welcome events ranging from weddings to the Long Island Auto Classic, as well as vacationing guests looking for an escape on Long Island’s famed Gold Coast.

Gold Coast. The words instantly conjure

images of Gatbsy-eque grandeur. While the allure of an earlier time is like a boat borne back ceaselessly into the past, a tide of fascination with the glamour of the Roaring ’20s is rising in the here and now.

“That Gatsby Era has made a real resurgence,” says Helen Whitehead, assistant director of business development at the Mansion at Glen

Cove. “People who are interested in that era are really coming out in full force.”

Many of the luxurious estates that once defined the opulence of Long Island’s north shore are ghosts of a bygone era, but the era is very much alive and tangible here amid the idyllic surroundings of Glen Cove.

The Mansion has become an intimate

getaway and something of a hidden gem that began to develop a new intrigue during the pandemic.

“A lot of local traffic really spiked. We’ve had an incredible surge in staycations, particularly folks coming out of the city,” Whitehead says. “We were a big beneficiary of folks looking to get out

continued on next page

WINTER 2022 | LI HOME Magazine | 53

continued from previous page

continued from previous page

of the city during Covid. There were so many people who had no idea the Mansion existed but were looking for places to go, searched online and found us.”

What they discovered is a classic-meetsmodern mix of 185 guest rooms and suites, 27 meeting rooms, an outdoor pool immersed in a beautiful garden setting, and a heated indoor pool in a glass enclosure that creates a surreal sense of being outside even on most wintry of days. The spa embodies the Mansion’s focus on wellness, with renovated sauna and steam rooms, rooms for massage therapy, facial therapy, couples massage and yoga, even a new salt cave. The rolling hills dotted with trees and plantings offer endless space for strolls and reflection on the natural beauty all around.

To say it is something out of a movie 54 | LI HOME Magazine | WINTER 2022

is not hyperbole. The original Sabrina, starring Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn and William Holden, and North by Northwest with Cary Grant, were both filmed at the Mansion in the 1950s. More recently, shows such as Blue Bloods, Madam President and Evil have used it as a location, and it has provided accommodation for such stars as Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake and Arianna Grande.

“In the past year-and-a-half we have been delightfully busy with the film industry,” Whitehead says. “Either they’re filming on property or, if they’re filming locally on Long Island, they’ll use us for overnight stays for the actors, actresses and staff, their meals, getting ready, doing hair and makeup — then shuttled to the film location.

While on property, A-Listers and locals alike have access to the epicurean

experiences of Executive Chef and Vice President of Food & Beverage Rodrigo Bernal. “I’d like to welcome every guest who walks into The Mansion with fabulous food to reflect on the expansive and beautiful estate The Mansion sits on,” Bernal says.

As the restaurant adapted to Covid-19 challenges, the varied rooms of the manor house became unique settings for a “popup restaurant” approach in which Barnal has showcased a bounty of locally sourced ingredients on the menu. He has also created monthly wine-pairing dinners highlighting regions around the world, as well as whiskey pairings, cigar nights and other offerings. The Pub, which runs the length of the Mansion’s entire third floor, has not yet reopened for regular dining, but is being utilized for private events that tie together the property’s historic spaces with its current amenities and offerings. continued on page 56

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At the heart of the Mansion is a melding of the past and the modern experience.

The current owner has had the property for some six years now, “and he is always looking to continue the elegance and the era, in maintaining the structure and the integrity,” Whitehead says.

The dedication to such preservation is evident walking through the twostory portico entrance, where guests are greeted by the baronial double staircase, imported paneling and antique fixtures all around, and the striking black-andwhite marble flooring beneath. “In the main lobby area, there is a room called the Meadow Room, which has a blackand-white marble floor that is original to the Mansion,” Whitehead notes. “So the owner replaced the whole lobby area with marble that matches.”

Over time, renovations to many of the conference rooms have revealed original hardwood floors beneath aged carpeting, and an ongoing process is underway to 56 | LI HOME Magazine | WINTER 2022

bring them back to their former glory.

And the guest rooms all received an upgrade that was completed in early autumn. A two-lane bowling alley that the Pratts put in back in the day for their own enjoyment, complete with a vintage ball return mechanism, is tucked away in the basement.

“It’s not currently up and running, although the ‘Bowling’ sign remains in the lobby for historical reasons.

It’s currently a staff-only area for housekeeping and food and beverage,” Whitehead reveals with a laugh. One day it too will be renovated. Like time itself, the process is perpetual.

“It’s like your own home, you have to continually renovate and do upkeep, especially on a property this large,” Whitehead says, adding that upkeep and keeping the past alive are concurrent efforts. “From an exterior perspective, there really isn’t anything that’s changed.

The vision, when you look at an exterior picture of the Mansion from 40 years

ago, it really doesn’t look much different and that structural integrity is really important to the owner.”

“There are a number of houses locally that are part of this Gold Coast scenario, and the Pratt siblings had neighboring mansions. Today, all of them are not what they once were,” she continues. “The nice thing is that this is a building that’s still accessible to the general public, and it’s maintained to be that way. Anyone can come and be part of that past.”

The Mansion at Glen Cove, 200 Dosoris Lane, Glen Cove. Learn more at themansionatglencove.com.

All Photos Courtesy The Mansion at Glen Cove

Pages 52-53: The Mansion at Glen Cove has kept its original look and charm for nearly a century, adding modern touches and amenities to areas such as the indoor pool, guest rooms, salt cave and the classic pub.

Page 54: Guests step back into the past the moment they step into the lobby at the Mansion.

Page 56: It’s easy to imagine Jay Gatsby himself at a party here in the Oak Ballroom.

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