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Atlantic Beach

A Solid Community Was Built on Sand

A Threatening Morning on the Restless, Limitless Atlantic (Photo from "Long Island To-day" by Frederick Ruther, 1909)

Beginnings: Atlantic Beach, in some respects, was created out of nothing a relatively short time ago. The village occupies the western end of the barrier island dominated by the city of Long Beach. But until about 100 years ago, the island didn't extend that far. It existed first as a sandbar around the turn of the last century, which then grew into an extension of the barrier island. Freeport developer Stephen Petit created Atlantic Beach, dredging tons of sand from the bottom of Reynolds Channel onto the sandbar during the 1920s. Petit's aim was to build a quiet ocean resort for New Yorkers. For a few years, beach clubs turned a profit, but most collapsed along with the stock market in 1929. By then, however, there was a bridge to the rest of Long Island and a handful of year-round homes.

Turning Point: A twist on the not-in-my-back-yard sentiment, common across Long Island, led to Atlantic Beach's incorporation as a village in 1962. After the Depression ended, Atlantic Beach had restored itself as a quiet resort anchored by a permanent community of several hundred residents. For decades, only club members and residents used the beaches, but in the early 1960s the Town of Hempstead decided to open the beaches to all town residents. Not on my beaches, responded property owners. They incorporated the village as a way to keep outsiders off their beaches. The Atlantic Beach Club was destroyed by fire in 1984. Other well-known clubs included the Seacliff and the Catalina, which still exists.

Brushes With Fame: The secluded clubs of Atlantic Beach were attractive to the rich and powerful from the start. Actress Ethel Barrymore and several Vanderbilt family members spent summers there, and the former Atlantic Beach Club was one of New York City Mayor Jimmy Walker's favorite hangouts.

Where to Find More: The Atlantic Beach file at the Long Island Studies Institute at Hofstra University in Hempstead.