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See inside a historic 50,000-square-foot mansion on New York’s Gold Coast that’s featured in ‘The Gilded Age’

July 21, 2025
in News
See inside a historic 50,000-square-foot mansion on New York’s Gold Coast that’s featured in ‘The Gilded Age’
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hempstead house
Hempstead House.

Dariusz Gryczka/Shutterstock

Lavish mansions dating back to the early 1900s are scattered along Long Island’s affluent North Shore, earning it the name the Gold Coast.

Many of these homes are thought to have inspired F. Scott Fitzgerald’s West Egg in “The Great Gatsby.”

One such mansion is Hempstead House, which is located in Sands Point Preserve, a 216-acre park about 30 miles outside New York City.

The entire estate was once owned by Howard Gould, a financier. He sold the land to Daniel and Florence Guggenheim in 1917, according to the preserve’s history.

The Guggenheims lived in Hempstead House together until 1930, when Daniel died. Florence then sold all of the furniture and moved to a smaller home on the property.

Hempstead House has had quite a journey since then, according to the Sands Point Preserve: British refugee children lived there during World War II, then the land was acquired by the Institute of Aeronautical Sciences, which in turn donated it to the US Navy. The first in-flight simulator was even tested there.

By 1971, the land was in the ownership of Nassau County, which turned the former Guggenheim estate into a park, turned two of the mansions into museums, and opened the park up to anyone willing to buy a ticket.

In July 2024, I paid $15 to park at Sands Point Preserve and then another $10 to take a guided tour of Hempstead House.

Here’s what it was like inside the 113-year-old mansion and what I learned about life there.

Hempstead House was built in 1912 by financier Howard Gould. He sold it five years later to Daniel and Florence Guggenheim.

hempstead house at sands point
Hempstead House.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Source: Sands Point Preserve

Daniel Guggenheim was the brother of Solomon Guggenheim, founder of the NYC museum, and Benjamin Guggenheim, who perished on the Titanic.

front door of hempstead house
The entryway to Hempstead House.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Hempstead House was part of 216 acres that the Guggenheims purchased as a summer home. It’s now known as Sands Point Preserve.

Daniel and Florence Guggenheim playing golf in 1922.
Daniel and Florence Guggenheim playing golf in 1922.

Bettmann/Getty Images

Today, you can tour Hempstead House. This entryway, with its original 60-foot chandelier, is one of the focal points of the home.

hempstead house foyer
The foyer of Hempstead House.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Immediately to the left is what was once known as the Palm Court. The ceiling used to be entirely glass, giving it a greenhouse feel. The metalwork is all original to the Guggenheims’ time.

palm court at hempstead house
The Palm Court.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Here’s what the Palm Court looked like 100 years ago. In the bottom-right photo, the Guggenheims are pictured with Charles Lindbergh and one of the Wright brothers.

photos of the palm court at hempstead house at its peaj
The Palm Court in the ’20s.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Directly behind the Palm Court is the summer living room, which provides a great view of the garden.

summer living room at hempstead house
The summer living room.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

It also features the largest fireplace in the home.

fireplace at hempstead house
The fireplace in the summer living room.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Another photo on display shows what the room looked like in the 1920s. The now-open archways used to have French doors.

summer living room in the 20s hempstead house
The summer living room in the ’20s.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Next to the living room is the library, which has a window seat that looks perfect for lounging on.

library at hempstead house
The library at Hempstead House.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

The ornate ceiling in this room is original, with busts of Shakespeare and other scholars engraved into the plaster.

ceiling inside the library of hempstead house
The ceiling in the library.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

This room might be familiar to viewers of HBO’s “The Gilded Age.” It doubles as George Russell’s office on the show.

fireplace in library of hempstead house
The mantelpiece inside the library.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

HBO really got the aesthetic down — Russell’s office essentially looks like this.

vintage photo of the library during guggeinheim's time
The library in the ’20s.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

These doors, which were originally carved in Spain in the 16th century, lead to the billiards room.

doors inside the billiards room at hempstead house from the 16th century
The door leading from the billiards room to the summer living room.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

The billiards room also has a luxurious window seat.

billiards room hempstead house
A window seat inside the billiards room.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Across from the summer living room is the dining room. The stenciling along the tops of the walls is relatively new and was put there for a design showcase.

dining room at hempstead house
The dining room.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Even though it’s new, the art pays homage to Hempstead House’s history. This is a rendering of Kilkenny Castle in Ireland, which was the basis for another home on the property, Castle Gould.

stenciling of kilkenny castle at hempstaed house
A stencil drawing inside the dining room.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Source: Business Insider

This is the separate servants’ hallway. I learned that at its peak, Hempstead House had 16 servants living in the home, plus more in Castle Gould.

servants hallway hempstead house
The servants’ corridor.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

This is the door to the silver safe. When the US Navy vacated the home in 1967, they sealed it up, and it was only rediscovered in 2014.

door of the silver safe hempstead house
The silver safe.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

This bathroom has been converted, but it used to be the servants’ dining room.

servants room now women's bathroom hempstead house
The servant’s dining room turned bathroom.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

We then headed upstairs, giving us another view of the impressive tower and chandelier.

foyer from the medium floor hempstead house
The foyer from the second floor.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

We stopped at another ornate room. This was where guests were served breakfast.

breakfast room hempstead house
The breakfast room.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Directly next to the breakfast room was another wood-paneled study.

sitting room hempstead house
A sitting room.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Hempstead House has four floors, but we only saw two. This room used to be Mrs. Guggenheim’s sitting room.

bridal suite/mrs guggenheim's room hempstead house
Florence Guggenheim’s bedroom.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

It has yet another perfect window seat.

window seat hempstead house
A window seat in Florence’s room.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

This was her actual bedroom. It’s now used as a bridal suite when weddings are held at Hempstead House.

bridal suite hempstead house
The bridal suite.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Down the hall was Mr. Guggenheim’s bedroom. Now, it’s used by grooms during weddings held here.

groom's room hempstead house
The grooms’ room.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

It’s also one of the only rooms with a private bathroom.

bathroom hempstead house
A bathroom.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

We stopped at one more guest room, which was more modest.

guest room hempstead house
A guest room.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

As the tour concluded, we were able to explore the gardens outside.

gardens at hempstead house
The garden.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

You might be wondering where the name Hempstead House comes from — it’s because that’s Hempstead Harbor in the distance.

view of the water from hempstead house
Hempstead Harbor.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Hempstead House is just one of many Gold Coast mansions on Long Island that would be interesting to any history buff, and definitely worth the $10 ticket.

side view of hempstead house
Hempstead House.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

The post See inside a historic 50,000-square-foot mansion on New York’s Gold Coast that’s featured in ‘The Gilded Age’ appeared first on Business Insider.

Tags: 112-year-old mansionBusiness Insiderdanielflorence guggenheimgabbi shawgold coastguggenheimshempstead houseHistoryhomelong islandpublic parkroomsands point preservesummer living room
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