WASHINGTON LODGE
A Brief History
The Washington Lodge is a large estate that includes a 7,300 sq. ft., 3-story historic house on Long Island, NY in the Hamlet of Brookhaven, sitting primarily on Dayton’s Neck (the “neck” referring to streams or hollows leading to the Great South Bay). Samuel Dayton, for whom Dayton’s Neck is named, was one of the first Europeans to permanently settle in the Brookhaven/Bellport area in the 1670’s. He owned much of the land in the neck, totaling 40 acres and including the property encompassing the Washington Lodge.
It was not until the late 1800’s that the large house was built on the property. Existing records are not completely clear as to exactly when and under whose ownership the house was built. The Corson family owned much of the land during the latter half of the 19th century, and sold parcels of it to the Fairchild family. The Fairchild family is often cited as the builder of the first portion of the house.
From 1915-1926, the estate was the country home of George Constant Washington, a Belgian-born English chemist, after whom the Washington Lodge is named. Washington is well known as the inventor of the process to mass produce instant coffee, which resulted in a lucrative venture during war time. He began marketing his invention in the US in 1909, dominating the market as G. Washington Coffee Company until the start of World War II. He intended to build a coffee processing plant on the north side of Beaver Dam Road, but due to community resistance, that never happened. Instead, he left the estate and built the factory in New Jersey. He attempted to sell the estate in 1927, but maintained ownership well into the 1930’s, with various family members or caretakers residing on the property.
Washington was interested in horticulture and exotic animals, keeping a small zoo at the property while he resided there. ,He was often seen in public with an exotic bird or monkey on his shoulder. Many exotic species of trees can still be found at the estate, including a Colorado Blue Spruce, Japanese Chestnut, and Copper Beeches. Over the years, several outbuildings and a large swimming pool were erected on the property to support estate operations and activities. Records are not clear whether it was Washington who installed the pool, but remnants of it are still visible today. All of the outbuildings have since been removed, but remnants of foundations and driveways remain.
In 1943, Washington sold the estate to Nathan Edelstein, who operated a boarding house and a chicken farm for a period of time. But by 1944, he sold off most of the animals, obtained a license to sell liquor, beer and wine, and began operating the property as the Washington Lodge and Cocktail Lounge. The property buildings hosted overnight guests, formal parties for up to 400 people, full course dinners and orchestra dancing on the weekends. By the late 1940’s, Edelstein even expanded the main building, refurbished and redecorated rooms throughout the estate and added a tennis court and day camp for children of lodge guests, elevating the estate into a 50-room resort destination.
But through this expansion, Edelstein eventually found himself in legal and financial trouble, and by 1950 the estate changed hands yet again. The estate was sold to Murray and Francis Wunderlich through their company, Camp Rockaway, Inc. The Wunderlich’s used the property as a residential camp for children called, Camp Washington Lodge. The camp operated through the late 1950’s.
It was during this time period that a young man named Paul Simon worked as a waiter and a guitar-playing counselor at Camp Washington Lodge. The same Paul Simon became hugely famous as a singer/songwriter in the musical duo, Simon and Garfunkel. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame archives house a letter that Simon wrote to his friend Artie Garfunkel while working at Camp Washington Lodge.
Historical records are unclear as to when Camp Washington Lodge closed, but by 1960, the educational religious order, Marist Brothers of the Schools, Inc., purchased the property. The property was used as a summer retreat refuge for Marist brothers on holiday from their busy teaching schedules, but the group also frequently hosted groups of children for summer picnics. The lodge would sit vacant during the school year, so in 1970, the Marist Brothers offered the lodge during the school months to a private school for children. The Bay Community School was started by local residents, and the school’s curriculum was based on the philosophy that children learn best in an un-graded, un-structured, non-competitive atmosphere.
Students spent much of their time outdoors. Many former Bay Community School students have shared memories of spending significant time chasing butterflies, catching frogs in the old pool and simply exploring the vast acreage of the property. Most of the teachers lived at the Lodge during the school year, and then moved themselves and the school materials out of the building each summer when the Marist brothers would once again inhabit the building. The Bay Community School operated at the lodge until the school closed in 1985.
Eventually, a few of the Marist brothers retired and moved into the lodge as year-round residents. Brother Gerard Cormier is the most well-known resident of the lodge. Brother Gerard is a talented artist who now lives in a Marist Brothers retirement residence in Bronx, NY. He left a long-lasting impression and legacy within the local community following his many years of teaching art and prolific painting of local landscapes and landmarks.
In 2004, the Marist Brothers sold 27 acres of the northerly part of the property to Antonia Sciretta and Marilyn Venterina of Bellport who planned to subdivide and develop the property into 12 residential lots. However, the development never occurred, and in 2012 the property was sold to South Country Farms, LLC, whose principal is Isabella Rossellini. The property is currently used for organic farming and to support a variety of Rossellini’s educational and charitable interests and activities.
In 2011, to protect the remaining acreage of the estate from development, a public-private partnership between Suffolk County, the Town of Brookhaven, and the Post Morrow Foundation purchased 9.6 acres on the southerly end of the property. From this point on, the historic lodge and the surrounding 2 acres was jointly owned by the Post Morrow Foundation and Town of Brookhaven, until 2016 when the Post Morrow Foundation gifted their share of the lodge to the Town. The donation occurred as negotiations were underway for the Art & Nature Group, Inc dba CEED to develop a nature retreat center at the estate. The remaining 7.6 acres of field and forest is jointly owned by Suffolk County and the Town of Brookhaven.
In June 2017, the Art & Nature Group, Inc, now operating as the Center for Environmental Education & Discovery (CEED), entered a license agreement with the Town of Brookhaven and was handed the keys to the Washington Lodge. As steward of this remarkable property, CEED hopes to restore the lodge to its former glory and initiate a new era in the more than 100-year tradition of outdoor activity, nature-based education, and sustainable living that has thrived on the estate’s land and in the heart of its historic building. In May 2018, CEED’s land stewardship expanded to include the 51-acre Dennis Puleston Nature Preserve that is adjacent to the lodge, by way of a special use permit with Suffolk County. CEED has already begun to blaze public trails through the combined 60 acres of property, providing public accessibility and continuity to the municipal parklands for all residents to enjoy.
The Washington Lodge In The News
Many thanks to the Post Morrow Foundation and the Fireplace History Club for providing historical information about the Washington Lodge. Particular gratitude is extended to John Deitz and Richard Thomas, local historians and authors of the website BrookhavenSouthhaven.org. Their extensive research is the primary resource for many of the details found on this page.
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