Standout homes on the market

PLEASURE ISLAND IN ISLIP

Pleasure Island is for sale.

The .88-acre island in Islip is on the market for $925,000.

The island was made into a place to to entertain in the early 1920s by Schuyler Livingston Parsons Jr., a real estate investor who wanted to throw parties for his celebrity friends. Parsons, who came from a long line of aristocrats, also had a small green bungalow built on the island.

Parsons hosted a long list of celebrities there from 1924 to 1928, according to his 1955 book, "Untold Friendships," published by The Riverside Press. They included Rudolph Valentino, Charlie Chaplin, Cole Porter, Helen Hayes, Ethel Barrymore and Charles Lindbergh. It was also there that George Gershwin started composing "Rhapsody in Blue," Parsons writes in the book.

Today, a spacious eight-room ranch with a fireplace, three bedrooms and two bathrooms stands in place of the little green bungalow. The island property in Champlin Creek is landscaped with multiple Trex decks and masonry patios, as well as with plantings indigenous to the island. "It's beautiful," says Liz Delesia of Eric G.Ramsay Jr. Associates, who is marketing Pleasure Island.

And what would an island be without a spot for a boat or two or five. This one offers 640 feet of bulkhead with five boat slips.

WORKING WATER WHEEL

This East Hampton house comes with an amenity not often seen -- a water wheel.

The structure, made of cypress, keeps the man-made pond on the 1.2-acre property fresh and at its proper levels, says Michael Schultz of The Corcoran Group, who is marketing the property with Susan Ryan for $999,999.

The pool looks like it's part of the rustic landscape, which also features a walking bridge.

Woodwork, beams and a brick fireplace give the home a rustic feel. The 1,600-square-foot house has three bedrooms and 2 1/2 bathrooms.