Bay Shore home might have belonged to bootlegger
A home at 31 Cooper Lane in Bay Shore is on the market for $849,000. The 1930 Tudor ranch has panels to secret rooms, and some suggest it was once owned, or built-for, a bootlegger. Credit: Handout
Since this 1930 Tudor ranch in Bay Shore has hidden panels and secret rooms, it’s been speculated that a bootlegger once lived here, says Joanne Schloen of Coach Realtors in West Islip, who, with Mark Donnelly, is marketing the home for $849,000.
“It’s a super interesting house,” says Schloen, citing extensive woodwork, custom carved moldings, soaring ceilings and Palladian windows.
As for secret compartments, they are scattered. Take the master closet, which has a 10-foot ceiling. It has floor-to-ceiling cabinets and a door that opens to a 5-by-6-foot safe. Once inside, there is a hole in the floor, with a ladder that descends to a space — about 5-by 5-feet, with a light and shelving.
The attic, Schloen says, has an intricate pulley system that goes to a trap door in the kitchen. Perhaps that’s how cases of liquor were transferred. Plus, the basement, which has original light fixtures, shows remnants of a bar.
The layout of the house -- about 3,450 square feet (not including the 2,000-square-foot basement -- includes a bright hallway with tall windows that connect to the entertaining spaces. The dining room features a vaulted ceiling, while the living room has a 20-foot coffered ceiling, a fireplace and a Palladium window. There are four bedrooms and three bathrooms.
The roof and mechanicals have been updated, Donnelly said.
Overlooking O-co-nee Lake, the 1.18-acre parcel contains a free-form gunite pool, which is accessible from the rear deck.
