Mansion in New York Believe To Have Inspired F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” Being Demolished

By on Apr 19, 2011 in United States, World • 17 comments

Gatsby Mansion Demolished
The mansion in New York which some
say F. Scott Fitzgerald partied
is being demolished
Image Credit: Reuters/Brodsky Development/Handout

The 25-room mansion in New York which some scholars believe inspired “The Great Gatsby” is being demolished for a subdivision, several international news sites reported on Monday.

The demolition was said to have started on Saturday. As reported earlier, the mansion will be replaced by five houses each with a $10 million tag price.

It was reported that David Brodsky, who purchased the property for $17.5 million in 2004 with his father, downplayed the house’s significance in literature. “To be honest with you there isn’t anything really special about it. We did a lot of research on its history and there is really no evidence that [Gatsby author F. Scott] Fitzgerald was even ever there,” Brodsky was quoted saying.

F. Scott Fitzgerald‘s relationship to the mansion has become a local lore regardless of his true connection to it, preservationist Alexandra Wolfe said.

The house featured marble, Palladian windows, parquet floors and hand-painted wallpaper.



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  1. F U on Apr 19, 2011, 10:34:55 pm:

    Great…. destroying history for money.

  2. Traci Banville on Apr 19, 2011, 11:18:32 pm:

    Absolutely sickening ! Regardless of whether or not F.Scott Fitzgerald ever stepped foot on the property at Land’s End, to tear down a beautiful, gracious, mansion to build five new “mcMansions ” is appauling to say the least. And for whom ? More foreigners coming her to “live the American dream” ? I am the fifth generation in my WASP family born in this country and I don’t live the American dream so why should they ? That 25 room mansion could have been donated for use as a school, a residential facility, or split into apartments. America is such a disposable society. In Europe they have homes, that have survived for centuries through wars,etc. Castles are not torn down, they are split into flats ,or made into museums , or even inf crumbling, are left standing because they are of historical and scenic value. I doubt that Land’s End was anywhere near being condemned for any actual reason,just the same old one.GREED.

  3. STUP*D ID*OTS on Apr 20, 2011, 1:31:15 am:

    F’ing fags!!!!!!!! NEVER tear down a land mark that is famous!!! If you need room to build new stuff, lift the house and carry it to a new location! F*CKING M*RONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  4. John on Apr 20, 2011, 2:11:33 am:

    Nothing gets in the way of GREED.

  5. robert on Apr 20, 2011, 3:10:55 am:

    The streets of Flushing Queens had (thousands) of breath taking beautiful homes and specimen trees, sadly there is not one left. The original occupants read like a who’s who. The only way you can view this lost American tragedy is by contacting NYC dept of tax photos and you can buy them. However many of the grandest where lost before 1940. I don’t care what anyone says, America is not progressing it is becoming and abstract “thing”.

  6. robert on Apr 20, 2011, 3:14:04 am:

    PS Tracy, you are right on the money

  7. NC on Apr 20, 2011, 3:20:51 am:

    “Great architecture has only two natural enemies: water and stupid men.” – Richard Nickel, photographer and preservationist

  8. Kerry on Apr 20, 2011, 4:49:59 am:

    Right on Traci! Except for the WASP reference.
    Rather than greed (which I’m sure is at least a part), I think insensitivity and a lack of creativity and vision resulted in that treasure being destroyed and removed.

  9. Alun Palmer on Apr 20, 2011, 7:55:40 am:

    It looked like it was in good shape, and could have been split into apartments. Mind you, somehow it didn’t match the image I had in my mind from reading the book. Nevertheless, it should have been saved, but this is the first I heard, just a little too late to do anything.

  10. dastARDlyGal on Apr 20, 2011, 9:09:02 am:

    I agree with Traci Banville. Truly sickening that people tear down things for a stupid subdivision that people can’t afford to buy into because of the economy. And I also agree that American is a disgustingly disposable society that has no nostalgia for history unlike Europe does. Really sad. Who can afford to buy any property anyway these days? I’m so sick of developers buying precious land and tearing down things all for the almighty buck. The houses are probably going to be crap anyway, slapped up in a week and not worth what they are charging. I’ve seen and read about how these developers use cheap materials and then the houses leak when it rains, the foundations shake during strong winds, and the black toxic mold problems. Sad, sad, sad, and what’s really sad is that this developers have no remorse, pity or sympathy. They are truly greedy. May they rot in Hell when they die.

  11. Adam on Apr 20, 2011, 12:24:59 pm:

    Amen Traci, it comes down to two things, A lot of the rich are greedy and they no longer have a sense of style , class or nostalgia. Pure UN-American greed at its best. its whats destroying America!!

  12. Carl on Apr 20, 2011, 4:31:40 pm:

    This is how Gatsby would have wanted it.

  13. Jason on Apr 21, 2011, 12:37:28 am:

    This is an example of the worst kind of greed – not only do the owners want to build something bigger, but by keeping the chimneys, they can use the old tax rates (much, much lower than anything current). The chimney/foundation scheme is a massive loophole that the Long Island counties need to fix instead of constantly raising taxes.
    I also find it sickening that these heartless well-to-do people don’t care anything about the history and/or beauty of the old houses; they just want their souless megamassions.

  14. Paula on Apr 21, 2011, 7:48:55 am:

    Does not look like a mansion to me; more like a drafty boardinghouse. Most likely, that is not the Gatsby mansion inspiration. In fact, the true inspirational “house” is probably a combination of homes he visited for parties in that area; just like the fragmented “Daisy” becomes his perfect partner.

    And, btw, the American dream is available to anyone who can afford it. We were all foreigners before we became American.

  15. Ashley on Apr 21, 2011, 11:46:20 am:

    such a beautiful home just gone to waste. They said the last owner paid 17 million for it..for what?just to be torn down.i would have glady taken that 17 million and remodled the home and spent the left over on charity.Its sad how many families are homeless each year who cannot afford a place and this home could have housed several families or a really big family.tisk tisk its the greed of these typhoons.

  16. Claire on Apr 21, 2011, 1:25:49 pm:

    I know about a dozen inspirational artists who would have loved to live in that house. Money,
    I wonder if the owner though to donate any of that building material to a restore or someone who lives in a shack in the woods with one inch exterior walls no 2×4′s, no insulation, I would kiss that jerk for real bead board and molding and windows and siding and a fireplace. I doubt whether he ever heard of freecycle, where was the old house network,
    In this economy a home where people on the sidewalks could, sleep.
    Gee, and some off us wonder what is a miss about this country. No heart, no respect for something that was well built, had a history, a large artifact.

  17. SUNSHINE on Apr 21, 2011, 11:35:22 pm:

    THEY COULD HAVE LEFT THE HOME AND BUILT AROUND IT. THAT IS WHAT WAS DONE ABOUT 15 YEARS AGO IN GREENWICH, CT WITH THE GIMBEL ESTATE – CALLED THE CHIEFTAIN’S. TWENTY HOMES WERE BUILT ON 100 ACRES AND THE DEVLOPERS DONATED SO MANY ACRES OF THE WOODED AREAS AROUND IT. IT WAS PART OF THE SELLER’S AGREEMENT TO KEEP THE ORIGINAL HOME AND RESTORE IT. WHAT A SHAME…..