Oakdale is nestled within a maze of post-war houses lining the shores of Great South Bay, and the headwaters of the Connetquot River is a unique structure from the turn of the century. Resembling a 19th-century European village, complete with a clock tower and fountain, the artist colony of Oakdale has been the center of many urban legends. For many high school students, this location is almost a required daily pilgrimage for sharing tales ranging from a secret village of little people to a haunted site of nefarious activities dating back to the Prohibition era. The narrative lost within the legends is that of the self-sufficient Bohemian utopia that hosted artists such as Jim Dine, Lynn Thomas Morgan, Carl Nordell, George Elmer Browne, pianist Claude Govier, and, according to the Oakdale Historical Society, Andy Warhol.
Originally part of William Kissam Vanderbilt’s 900-acre Idle Hour estate, the artist colony included a water tower, pig pens, duck houses, horse stables, chicken coops, a bullpen, and a creamery. The farm was operated solely to provide fresh food to William K. Vanderbilt’s family and guests until his death in 1920.
By 1926, Vanderbilt’s heirs began selling off pieces of the estate. That same year, Lucy Pritchard Sawyer Thompson purchased the 16-acre farm and all its buildings. An art enthusiast, she sought to embrace the trending Art Colony Movement, which is defined as planned communities in rural areas where various artists collaborate.
In Southampton, a long-established artist community nurtured the development of inspiring impressionist-style artists who learned from William Merritt Chase and gained global notoriety.
Thompson, the heir to the Texaco oil fortune, did not seek a monetary return on her investment. Instead, she began turning over various buildings to artists, who renovated them into homes, 86 studios, a
café, and a theater. She aimed to create a more productive community with diverse styles to produce artists potentially more prominent than Chase.
By 1927, the colony hosted annual art shows and performances, which the press dubbed “Thompson’s Village Art Colony.” At one such fair in August of 1927, Bronco Charlie Miller, a headliner from the popular traveling Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, performed tricks and stunts with his horse. Other headliners included vaudeville acts starring silent film star Lenore Ulric and a performance from Metropolitan Opera star Nanette Guilford.
Additional art galas were held daily at the colony’s café, which was later named the Gypsy Tea Room. In a bid to draw community exposure, the old pig wallow was transformed into a fountain, enhancing the artistic appeal of the colony. The following year, writer and cinematographer Edward Ullman took residence at the colony.
Known for his work with playwright and filmmaker George Arliss, Ullman spent his stay completing an updated version of The Merchant of Venice. The attraction of filmmakers to the community stemmed from the filming of the 1915 blockbuster “The Goddess,” which featured some of its most memorable scenes shot at Pepperidge Hall estate, just a short distance from the future colony During the Great Depression, the homes and surrounding properties were sold without artist designation, ending Thompson’s vision of a colony more successful than Southampton. As post-war Long Island developed, suburbia formed around the community, and the colony’s history became subject to folklore.
One of the longest-residing homeowners, Florance Bezrutczyk, fell in love with the community at first sight back in 1971. After reading an ad in the New York Times, Florance made an appointment with a broker. Feeling an old-world European charm, Bezrutczyk gave clock tower owner and concert pianist Gary Towlen an offer, which he accepted.
Shortly after her purchase, Bezrutczyk gave up her primary residence in Manhattan and underwent a labor of love to create a home that embraced the community’s history. Today, Bezrutczyk represents the dozens of homeowners who self-monitor the community’s historical integrity.
“The people that buy those homes want to keep them looking the way they are, and any development of the houses in the community has to get approval by the Town of Islip and go through the town historian,” stated Oakdale Historical Society President Maryann Almes.
The only protection of these homes is the Islip Town Planned Landmark Preservation zoning status, granted in 1974, which provides limited protection. Currently, the prices of houses range from 489,000 to 1.5 million, which guarantees you a relic of Long Island’s history.
