Bonus: Oatlands, Elmont
This old estate was technically in Nassau County, but since it’s right on the border, we’re going to include it as a bonus here in our list of lost mansions of Queens! The Oatlands Estate was created by William DeForest Manice in 1820. The estate, in the town of Elmont, was made up of 100 acres of land and dotted with multiple large buildings. The most spectacular building on the property was Manice’s Tudor Gothic mansion which sat on Hempstead Turnpike. The stone mansion had a crenelated turret and sturdy stone construction.
In May 1905, August Belmont II purchased the Manice estate. He turned it into the new home of his Westchester Racing Association. The Belmont Stakes moved from Morris Park to Long Island. The grand Manice mansion was used as the Turf & Field Club where extravagant luncheons took place in a large circular room with a live orchestra and the who’s who of New York City. It was also home to The Belmont Ball, a charity event that took place on the evening before the annual Belmont Stakes races. The mansion was used as such until 1956 when it was torn down during renovations.
Next, check out the lost mansions of Staten Island, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, and the Hudson Valley
