Kings Point

Roaring '20s Parties Portrayed in `Gatsby'

Beginnings: It was through unlucky circumstances that former New York Gov. John Alsop King first built on the land that is now Kings Point. In the mid-1800s, after King and a relative inherited a strip of land north of Great Neck, a coin toss decided who would get the fertile farmland to the east and who would be stuck with the rocky shoreline and woods. King, who was also a congressman and a founder of the Republican Party, lost. He built a home on the craggy shore overlooking Long Island Sound - now among the most expensive real estate on Long Island. Kings Point became part of a loose group of associations that included Elm Point, Grenwolde, East Shore and Gracefield.

Turning Point: In 1924 Kings Point and the surrounding areas were incorporated as one village by residents concerned about preserving its rural charm and individuality. Some of the key people in the move to incorporate were driven by environmental conservation issues, ideals well ahead of the time. The village became a model of the Roaring '20s on Long Island's Gold Coast, with wild jazz parties thrown by such glamorous residents as Wall Street titan Jesse Livermore, store owner Henri Bendel and car manufacturer Alfred P. Sloan, among others. Such lavish events set the stage for F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, ''The Great Gatsby,'' in which Kings Point was portrayed as West Egg.

The Academy: In 1942 the federal government established the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy on a Kings Point estate purchased from auto manufacturer Walter P. Chrysler. His 35-room marble mansion became the administration hall. The academy was the only military institution from which undergraduate cadets served in World War II. More than 260 cadets gave their lives.

Fame and Fortune: Besides Sloan, Chrysler and Livermore, Kings Point has been the home of mansions belonging to actor and playwright George M. Cohan, electric energy pioneer William S. Barstow and copper mogul Arthur S. Dwight.