The 5 Gilded Age MANSIONS That Inspired The “GREAT GATSBY”
The Great Gatsby is a novel (and subsequent set of films) that has stood the test of time, capturing the essence of the Gilded Age in America.
Its descriptions of decadence, class, and power relations in the high society sects of the Gold Coast on Long Island, New York, during the Roaring 20’s paint a vivid picture of an area filled with the magnificent Gilded Age mansions of the Gold Coast area — inspiring artists, writers, and socialites alike.
From the majesty of their architecture to the glamour of their parties, these mansions represent the excess and extravagance of the era.
So hit subscribe and like, raise that ‘highball’ glass of your Leonardo DiCaprio style, and let’s take a journey into the on the 5 most amazing mansions of the Gold Coast that served as inspirations for The Great Gatsby, both the novel and its film adaptations.
#5 BEACON TOWERS AT SANDS POINT, NEW YORK
In the midst of a time of eye-watering wealth and opulence Long Island’s Gold Coast, one house stood out — a house that was said to have inspired the creation of the iconic mansion of Jay Gatsby.
According to F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gatsby’s sprawling abode looked like:
“A factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin bead of raw ivy, and marble swimming pool and more than forty acres of land.”
Indeed, as we can see, in addition to the word “tower” literally being in this palatial estates’ name, its spires overlooking the water would be an excellent living representation of Fitzgerald’s vision for Gatsby’s mansion.
Regarding its creation, Beacon Towers was the brainchild of Alva Vanderbilt Belmont, a woman who was known for her insatiable appetite for building.
Alva was a true build-aholic, commissioning architectural marvels left, right, and center.
From her famous Vanderbilt chateau on Fifth Avenue to the still-standing palace in Newport, Rhode Island called Marble House, she was a woman who knew how to make a statement.
Her passion for building was so great that she even became the first woman ever elected to become a member of the American Institute of Architects — some say it was because she commissioned so many houses in her lifetime.
In 1917, Alva had the architectural firm Hunt and Hunt design for her a castle overlooking the Long Island Sound. She is said to have remarked upon seeing a real Scottish castle that her house on Long Island was more authentic.
The result, Beacon Towers, is a remarkable work of architecture, with a fascinating blend of influences that give it a unique character.
While it is primarily classified as a Gothic-style building, it also incorporates elements of other historical styles, including the alcázars of Spain, which are fortified castles or palaces with distinctive architectural features.
In addition to this, the designers of the mansion drew inspiration from illuminated manuscripts from the medieval period, which often depicted castles and other grand structures.
Inside the Beacon Towers, there were numerous rooms, with the primary rooms numbering around 60, and the total room count exceeding 140.
This is an impressive feat of engineering, as it required careful planning and construction to accommodate so many spaces within a single building.
Each room likely had its own unique purpose, with some being used for dining, others for entertainment, and others still for sleeping or working.
The exterior of the mansion was equally striking, with the entire structure being coated in a smooth, gleaming white stucco. This gave it a clean, polished appearance that would have made it stand out from the other buildings in the area.
It also would have required a great deal of maintenance to keep it looking so pristine, which speaks to the level of care and attention that the owners likely put into the upkeep of their home.
As we’ll see in a minute, the location of Beacon Towers had a key role to play in relation to other homes that inspired mansions in The Great Gatsby, but years after the book was published, in the late 1920s, William Randolph Hearst, the ultra wealthy media tycoon and builder of California’s famous “Hearst Castle,” purchased Beacon Towers and renovated it, making it even larger and more opulent.
However, as with all things in this world, nothing stays the same forever. The house was demolished in the early 1940s, leaving behind only memories of its glory days.
Despite this, Beacon Towers is firmly planted in the history books as a direct inspiration for one of the greatest novels in American history.
#4 LANDS END AT SANDS POINT, NEW YORK
Next on our list for sumptuous residences that inspired The Great Gatsby is an iconic Gold Coast mansion that stood for over a century.
It is most often cited as the inspiration for the home of Tom and Daisy Buchanan, although its architectural provenance are shrouded in mystery and rumor to this very day.
Known colloquially as Lands End, this grand estate has been the subject of much speculation, with some attributing its construction to none other than the esteemed architect Stanford White.
And yet, such claims remain unverified, for if the mansion was indeed erected in 1911, as some suggest…
It could not have been the work of White, who had long since passed on by that point.
But even if we set aside such uncertainties, what do we make of this mansion?
Certainly, it possesses classic grandeur, with its white facade and imposing columns — features common to many mansions of its ilk.
Furthermore, Land’s End mansion was one of the last Gilded Age jewels of the Gold Coast and was a sailing landmark that rose above its surroundings with grandeur and grace.
If you take a look at maps of the immediate area, you’ll also notice that in the book, both the Buchanan mansion and Gatsby’s house are situated on the same side of the harbor, and they’re even within walking distance of each other along the beach.
While it’s uncertain whether you could see Daisy’s house from Gatsby’s, it’s clear that they’re not on opposite sides of the water. In fact, both mansions are located in Sands Point, at the tip of Port Washington.
Fitzgerald is known to have reimagined Sands Point as East Egg in his novel — a place where old, established money resided, as opposed to the flashy new millionaires like Gatsby who would have lived in West Egg — in reality, this would have been the town of Great Neck, New York where Fitzgerald himself lived.
While Great Neck did have some estates and mansions of its own, they were generally not on the same grand scale as those in Sands Point, though the town still drew many famous people from Broadway and the arts scene.
Returning to the matter of the Gatsby and Buchanan mansions themselves:
Both homes faced east towards the shore of Glen Cove. According to the book, Gatsby’s mansion would have been on the eastern shore of Great Neck, looking across at the western shore of Sands Point where Daisy’s mansion was situated.
Thus, if you visit the area and have read Fitzgerald’s book (or even simply watched Baz Lurhman’s 2013 film adaptation of The Great Gatsby)…
You will likely recognize the parallels of both Land’s End and Beacon Towers due to their locations (which surely has made it easier for filmmakers to plan how to shoot famous scenes)…
However to complete your understanding of the geographic relationship of the mansions of the Great Gatsby, you’ll most certainly need to answer, “where was the iconic dock located?” Which we answer in…
#3 PEMBROKE, GLEN COVE, NEW YORK
On the other side of the water from Beacon Towers — or as we now can think of it, “Gatsby’s Mansion” — stood a home so grand, so spectacular, that it defies easy description.
This was Pembroke, a sprawling estate situated in Glen Cove, built by the illustrious Captain De Lamar before being purchased by Marcus Loew, the famed movie theater magnate.
It was at Pembroke that Fitzgerald likely attended some of the most raucous and extravagant parties of the roaring twenties, where the glitterati of silent cinema — including legends like Gloria Swanson and Rudolph Valentino — would come to see and be seen.
One can only imagine the inspiration that Fitzgerald drew from these revelries, which served as the basis for many of the parties depicted in his novel.
And let us not forget the dock — a long, slender stretch of wood jutting out into the water, culminating in a light that shone like a beacon in the darkness. I’m sure many of us remember the key part the dock even in the recent 2013 adaptation.
It must have been a sight to behold, visible even from the windows of Gatsby’s own mansion.
This was no ordinary home — it was designed for entertaining on a grand scale, with long, spacious party rooms that could accommodate hundreds of guests at a time.
A sprawling edifice spanning some 60,000 square feet, this opulent estate boasted no less than 12 bedrooms and 12 baths, along with a billiard room, den, dining room, and mirrored breakfast room.
And yet, there was more to this mansion than just its impressive dimensions. The owner, Captain De Lamar, was a man of many talents, including a remarkable proficiency on the pipe organ — an instrument he would play at the base of his own stairway.
From the mansion’s large windows, one could gaze out upon the exquisite gardens, the private bathing casino, and the boat landing on the Long Island Sound.
But that’s not all — for the truly athletic, there were squash courts, shooting ranges, and even a gymnasium to keep one’s body in peak condition.
And when it was time to unwind, there was a private movie theater adorned with murals depicting some of the era’s most popular silent films — including, perhaps, such classics as “The Sheik.
But, sadly as with many of the homes on this list (and indeed Gilded Age estates in general), Pembroke’s grandeur was lost to time.
In the 1960s, the mansion was torn down and replaced with a collection of smaller homes, marking the end of an era and the passing of a legacy.
#2 HARBOR HILL, ROSLYN
Built for Clarence Hungerford Mackay and his wife Kitty Duer, this mansion overlooked Hempstead Harbor on Long Island’s legendary Gold Coast.
With some 80,000 square feet of living space, this mansion ranks as the 8th largest historic house in the entire United States, a testament to the boundless wealth and ambition of its owners.
Yet this mansion was more than just a symbol of extravagance — it is likely a key inspiration for The Great Gatsby as well.
See, the Mackays were known for throwing big and lavish parties, and they did so often. One of their most famous parties was held in 1924 for Edward, Prince of Wales, who was visiting New York for the first time.
That night, they invited an astounding 1,200 guests to the party, and it was a sight to behold. The maples that lined the drive were decorated with small blue lights, and the roof of the house was covered in red, white, and blue lights, arranged to look like the American flag.
The lights were so bright that they could be seen from far away in Roslyn Harbor.
Some scholars believe that this party and its striking decorations inspired F. Scott Fitzgerald to consider calling his new book Under the Red, White, and Blue, before ultimately settling on The Great Gatsby.
Now, this incredible mansion was the creation of architect Stanford White (who, unlike the rumors around #4 ‘Land’s End’, definitely did create this building) and is a marvel of design and engineering that stood as the largest private residence ever completed by this celebrated master of his craft.
The approach to Harbor Hill is a breathtaking facade. Wrought iron gates, covered with a slate mansard roof, stood sentry on either side of the entrance, flanked by ivy-covered stone gate lodges that remain to this day, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
A mile-long drive, lined with majestic maple trees and costing a staggering $150,000 to build, wound its way up the steep hill towards the baroque-style château that awaited at its peak.
But the true marvels of Harbor Hill were found within. The interiors, designed by Allard & Son of Paris and Davenport & Sons of Boston, were a marvel of opulence and excess, overseen with exacting care by none other than Kitty Mackay herself.
The entrance hall, panelled in rich oak and lit by a dominant brass lamp, boasted a wide staircase with an intricately carved bannister leading up to a grandfather clock on the first landing.
And at one end of the room stood a vast marble fireplace, excavated from a European palace, flanked by 17th century tapestries and choir stalls salvaged from an old French church.
But it was Kitty’s bathroom on the second floor that truly defied description — a masterpiece of design and engineering, with a bath alone costing a staggering $50,000, carved from a single block of marble and sunk into the floor.
The bathroom was an extension of her dressing room and vast boudoir, which occupied most of the second floor and boasted soft furnishings, lamps, tables, and even palm fronds.
And let us not forget the treasures that awaited in the other rooms of Harbor Hill — the library, dining room, and billiards room, with their immense marble fireplaces, polar bear and tiger-skin rugs, and dozens of trophy stag’s heads.
And the “white drawing-room”, which doubled as a ballroom, decorated in the white and gold style of Louis XV, with panels of mirrors and no windows to speak of.
And as if all this were not enough, Harbor Hill also boasted one of the greatest private art collections in all of America, filled with masterpieces from the Renaissance era by such luminaries as Botticelli, Raphael, Duccio, and Mantegna.
#1 Oheka Castle
And last we end on perhaps the crowning jewel of The Great Gatsby’s influence, if for no other reason that it is meticulously maintained TODAY and you can visit it and walk its majestic grounds and interiors (unlike many of the direct influences on the novel)… Oheka Castle.
The magnificent estate served as arguably the key inspiration for the grandeur and excess of Leonardo Dicaprio’s mansion in Baz Luhrman’s 2013 adaptation of The Great Gatsby.
However, outside of a simple ‘Hollywood visual update’, to truly appreciate the splendor of Oheka Castle, one must delve into its fascinating history — a story of ambition, wealth, and architectural genius.
The story of Oheka Castle begins with its owner, Otto Hermann Kahn (1867–1934) — a titan of industry, finance, and philanthropy who made his fortune in the early 20th century.
In 1914, Kahn enlisted the services of the renowned architectural firm Delano & Aldrich to design his dream home — a grand and opulent estate that would be the envy of all who laid eyes on it.
And so it was that Oheka Castle began to take shape — a sprawling, French-style château that would come to be one of the most iconic homes in America.
Construction of Oheka Castle was a monumental undertaking, taking three years and over 1,000 workers to complete.
The castle boasted 127 rooms, 39 of which were bedrooms, and was set on over 400 acres of meticulously landscaped gardens, ponds, and fountains.
The interiors were every bit as magnificent as the exterior, with rich wood paneling, intricate carvings, and ornate chandeliers throughout.
One of the most striking features of Oheka Castle was its grand ballroom — a vast, double-height space with a soaring ceiling and crystal chandeliers that illuminated the room with a dazzling light.
The ballroom was the perfect setting for Kahn’s legendary parties, which were attended by some of the most prominent figures of the day, from politicians and business magnates to movie stars and socialites.
But the true marvel of Oheka Castle is its grounds — a veritable paradise of gardens, terraces, and water features that stretched out for acres in every direction.
The gardens are laid out in a series of formal parterres, with hedges and flower beds arranged in intricate patterns.
The terraces offered sweeping views of the estate and the surrounding countryside, while the ponds and fountains provided a sense of tranquility and calm.
It is little wonder, then, that Oheka Castle served as the inspiration for the opulence and extravagance of Luhrman’s film adaptation…
For Oheka Castle is not merely a home, but a true work of art — a testament to the power of wealth and imagination, and a reminder of a bygone era of glamour and excess.
Now, we’d like to see you in the comments:
Have you visited any of The Great Gatsby’s mansions? Which one is your favorite from the list?
We appreciate you reading this episode of Old Money Luxury, and one last time, we send you a regal Leo-style cheers from the mansion terrace!
