Edited by SPLIA's former director, Dr. Robert B. MacKay, Gardens of
Eden is an exploration of a distinct type of suburban development
that proliferated across the region before zoning regulations were
developed to manage land use in New York City and its environs.
While the onset of suburbia on Long Island is often believed to be
a post-World War II phenomena, it actually began a half century
earlier when greater affluence, improved railroad service, and new
methods of financing made the dream of country living a greater
reality for a growing urban middle class. Luminaries such as
Grosvenor Atterbury, Charles W. Leavitt Jr., and Frederick Law
Olmsted designed dozens of high-end, carefully conceived
communities on New York's Long Island. Touted as an antidote to the
complexities of urban living, these "residential parks" were
characterized by significant investment in landscaping and
infrastructure and employed concepts introduced by the Garden City
movement in England. Gardens of Eden covers the history and
development of more than twenty of these remarkable communities and
the colorful, at times unscrupulous personalities behind them-like
Plandome, designed "for teachers only," and the Metropolitan
Museum's Munsey Park, where all the streets were named for
artists-with writings from their most knowledgeable historians.
Other featured communities include: Garden City, Forest Hills
Gardens, Long Beach, Great Neck Estates, Brightwaters, Montauk
Beach, Prospect Park South in Brooklyn, and many more. About the
Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities SPLIA is a
not-for-profit organization dedicated to understanding,
celebrating, and preserving Long Island's cultural heritage.
Founded in 1948, SPLIA engages its mission through a variety of
activities that include interpreting historic houses, creating
exhibitions and educational programs, providing preservation
advisory services, and publishing works that explore the history of
architecture and design on Long Island.
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