One thing I really like about Long Island...it seems to be relatively free of McMansions, at least in parts I've seen. (New York: credit)

[oceanblue]

Originally Posted by OhBeeHave

Yet again, they are drawing what the people want.

Mrs. KUWTJ fails to mention that she wants this all done to a modest cape on a 40x100 lot, thereby destroying the look of her neighborhood.

HAHH HAHHAHAA You're little KUWTJ blurb has me laughing out loud !

Oh, the nice life !

I once worked for someone whose wife called the offfice CONSTANTLY, and the priorities in her life were such that, she would call and
BEGGGG her husband to sell their vacation home and buy one SHOREFRONT (how could you NOT, The "Joneses" are building a new home and it will BLOCK our oceanview! UGH SOME NERVE !!!)

So the main thing weighing on her mind was that her oceanview was destroyed, so her hubby HAD to sell the house and "up one" the Joneses.

That, and of course, she needed a bigger screen TV over her treadmill.

and her nanny wanted the next best Mercedes................

ahhh, the nice life.. sorry to ramble !

[OhBeeHave]

Originally Posted by GCGuy

OIC?








filler... post has to be 10 characters...

Oops! Used text message writing.

Oh I see = OIC

[OhBeeHave]

Originally Posted by oceanblue

HAHH HAHHAHAA You're little KUWTJ blurb has me laughing out loud !

Oh, the nice life !

I once worked for someone whose wife called the offfice CONSTANTLY, and the priorities in her life were such that, she would call and
BEGGGG her husband to sell their vacation home and buy one SHOREFRONT (how could you NOT, The "Joneses" are building a new home and it will BLOCK our oceanview! UGH SOME NERVE !!!)

So the main thing weighing on her mind was that her oceanview was destroyed, so her hubby HAD to sell the house and "up one" the Joneses.

That, and of course, she needed a bigger screen TV over her treadmill.

and her nanny wanted the next best Mercedes................

ahhh, the nice life.. sorry to ramble !

Always happy to provide a laugh
Sad to say it wouldn't be as funny if it weren't true!
(I can't imagine what life with that man's wife must have been like....)

[sean sean sean sean]

Originally Posted by daveyjones978

yes, I fell over when I saw the listing price for that home - I think $700K was a bit much, but they probably figured that they could get that given the age and the location. If I recall correctly, I believe that property was grandfatherd in some zoning that they could build another home on that lot if they wanted to. I'm glad to hear that they did not tear it down and do a rebuild. Too many historical houses have gone the way of the dump.

Hey seanx4, do you remember the green and white farmhouses on wantagh avenue going south towards jerusalem ave?

This one?



That's the only one I remember in my lifetime, though I do remember watching the duplexes being built across the street...maybe there?

[daveyjones978]

Originally Posted by sean sean sean sean

This one?



That's the only one I remember in my lifetime, though I do remember watching the duplexes being built across the street...maybe there?

That one is still there... but diagonally across the street from there, next to the diner parking lot, there are three identical high ranch splits.. (one of them I think is a chriopractor's office). Before those were built, there was a smaller version of the green house in your picture. Maybe it was a duplex?

*sigh* can you imagine what they might build in place of this house, if they ever do take it down?

[sean sean sean sean]

Originally Posted by daveyjones978

That one is still there... but diagonally across the street from there, next to the diner parking lot, there are three identical high ranch splits.. (one of them I think is a chriopractor's office). Before those were built, there was a smaller version of the green house in your picture. Maybe it was a duplex?

*sigh* can you imagine what they might build in place of this house, if they ever do take it down?

That's what I meant. I don't remember there being a house there! I'm not that old, haha....I did grow up in the development behind that, and can remember playing in the park watching those high ranch homes (thought they were two families) being built. As for what will come of the white house..uch, don't even want to think about it. The owners have moved out (or died, I remember they were very old) but a caretaker still comes around every few days to keep things straightened out. Someone told me that was the home of the owners of the Daurenheim Nursery which was where Willow Wood Shopping Center/Condos are now? There used to be a greenhouse in the yard. I'm surprised there isn't some type of "Hempstead Plains" preservation group trying to landmark these homes, Jerusalem (North Wantagh/Levittown) was the heart of Nassau County farmland pre-WWII, only so many traces left...

[ClarkStreetKid]

You can't really let some of these old buildings get in the way of LI's current needs. An old barn may look nice but all it really is is just an old barn unless you can turn it into something useful.
One thing that happens here is to move the building if it has some historic value.
For example this old grocery, that I used to frequent for years, was moved to a site dedicated to the areas history. Where it used to stand is now a Ford dealership.


Photo Album Page

[OhBeeHave]

Originally Posted by ClarkStreetKid

You can't really let some of these old buildings get in the way of LI's current needs. An old barn may look nice but all it really is is just an old barn unless you can turn it into something useful.
One thing that happens here is to move the building if it has some historic value.
For example this old grocery, that I used to frequent for years, was moved to a site dedicated to the areas history. Where it used to stand is now a Ford dealership.


Photo Album Page

Am I correct in understanding that it is now in a "restoration village" type setting? If so, it is great to see that there are people who cherish their community's early foundation. Sometimes 'progress' can't be stopped, but the cost of progress should not be our past. Commercial districts do need to keep up with the times, the population's growth and the needs of the local consumers. It tickles me pink that the old building was saved

I am all for historic preservation; better even still when larger structures (i.e. mills like in New England) are preserved and rehabbed for modern use. It's the ultimate recycling

As written on other threads, I am back and forth to New England frequently. One thing that I have enjoyed watching is the gradual preservation and reuse of the Colt Firearms Factory in Hartford, CT (The blue onion next to I-91) It will be turned into commericial and residential space in a desirable part of town, yet will preserve the interesting architecture that is part of the very essence of Hartford. A win-win!

Once again, tilting toward New England and Yankee frugality -- there is an active market up there in which people buy barns, dismantle them and then sell them to others. Many of these barns are converted to homes which are absolutely stunning yet retaining many of their former structural details. (How many times have our mothers said, "Close the door -- do you live in a barn?" I would love to say, "Yes! I DO!" LOL) Barns which have experienced too much decay are pieced out and beams are sold individually for use in rehabs or others are planed down to make some fantastic planks for flooring, cabinets or wainscott -- to name a few. Older homes beyond repair are picked through and many of their features end up in architectural resale shops. (I can get lost for hours in one!)

It tears my heart out to see older structures leveled; their details sent to the dumpster without any concern given to what was there that at least was salvageable and could have been used to breathe new life into a building someone is lovelingly & painstakingly restoring. The knife is driven into my back when a tacky mcmansion (refer to picture of stucco, brick & vinyl clad behemoth earlier in thread) rises up unphoenixlike from the dust of the past.

Believe me that I am not saying that we should all live in old houses; we are all entitled to live in what works best for us. I do believe that there should be some continuity of form in an area -- if you're in a neighborhood of single story cottages -- don't put up a 3 story Faux Beaux. If you're neighborhood is mostly colonial -- refrain from the modern style. If the area is very modern -- don't wedge in a Victorian. It's partly about respecting the community; we are drawn to an area because of what we perceive as it's beauty, and it's value (commute, school, proximity to what we need) to our everyday lives. Granted, large homes and small, old and new can coexist in the same community provided they are in different sections and not looming, encroaching or competing with one another.

Sorry I got a little long winded and off topic. Preservation is something very important to me and knowing that the little building in your area was saved and is being used creatively makes me oh so happy

[ClarkStreetKid]

The mix of styles in one neighborhood is really nothing new as in the older sections of our area you will see a mix of Colonial, Victorian, Tudor, Federal, Greek Revival, Gothic, Art Deco and whatever else was trendy in the 19th and early-mid 20th century's, but I haven't noticed anything being out of scale with each other. So I don't think the mix of styles is what's bad but the execution and lack of presentation (curb appeal).

Many of these barns are converted to homes which are absolutely stunning yet retaining many of their former structural details.

Funny that you mention that, as a friend of mine got his start as an architect in the Hamptons doing barns. I think the barn movement happened to get around the resistance to putting up new large structures out there. He did some beautiful work on those fine old buildings.

Sorry I got a little long winded and off topic. Preservation is something very important to me and knowing that the little building in your area was saved and is being used creatively makes me oh so happy

Same here. I love history and always feel a little pang of regret seeing a part of it go, even if it's just local. Before the big box houses went in I took a lot of pictures of the old farm behind my neighborhood. Inside and outside the empty house, the garage area, the grounds, the chicken coop, the quarter mile cedar lined drive leading to the front door and the two old Magnolia trees out front. I even took pictures of the area where they dumped old cars, trailers and farm equipment. I knew the place was going but wanted some record of the way the area used to be. At least they didn't move the family graves.

[OhBeeHave]

The mix of styles in one neighborhood is really nothing new as in the older sections of our area you will see a mix of Colonial, Victorian, Tudor, Federal, Greek Revival, Gothic, Art Deco and whatever else was trendy in the 19th and early-mid 20th century's, but I haven't noticed anything being out of scale with each other. So I don't think the mix of styles is what's bad but the execution and lack of presentation (curb appeal).

In older neighborhoods during past eras, it was done with more sensitivity to the aesthetics of the area; such as scale as you've written. I should have been more clear and stated new construction and alterations. Sorry.

My area has a blend of houses dating from the 1600s up until modern day. Mostly everything blends in --except for more recent construction. Those homes tower over everything and have no detail that would make them complement the surrounding homes. If someone wanted to come here and pop up a dozen Mcmansions, I wouldn't object to him/her doing so as long as they were on their own street and not compromising the visual integrity of the existing area. If I turn off Main St and into a winding dead end of such new homes, they aren't 'in your face' and that's fine. But as i travel down Main St and see Neoclassical McMansions towering over vintage Victorian and gothic style homes -- it ruins an the look and character of the neighborhood.