Willie K’s Guest Lodge in Lake Success
Tim, thanks for the question. Like many Long Islanders, I remember that beautiful building but knew little of it history.Here is what I found out with the help of Dr. Jack Binder, the village historian of Lake Success.
The above aerial shows the Lake Success area in 1924 looking north. The Motor Parkway begins on the bottom left and turns east over Lakeville Road in the middle of the aerial. William K. Vanderbilt Jr's former Deepdale mansion is within the white spot below the lake. The estate's guest lodge can be seen just below the mansion.
Here is a close-up of the 1924 aerial showing the relationship of the mansion and the guest lodge.The Motor Parkway is on the right.
By the 1930s, the guest lodge had been converted into the New York State Parkway Police barracks. Dr. Jack Binder has provided this image of the building likely taken during this period.
This spectacular aerial shows Lake Success, the Deepdale manison and the police barracks in 1955.
Cropping the aerial reveals a close-up of the barracks.
In April 1967, the end came to Willie K's guest lodge. As reported in this Newsday article provided by Dr. Binder:
A tractor bulldozing its way through the wreckage yesterday as State Parkway Police barracks on the Northern State Parkway at Lake Success is demolished to permit widening of the parkway. The structure was built about 1915 as a lodge on the estate of millionaire William K. Vanderbilt II.
November 2, 2009 Update from Dr. Jack Binder: The Vanderbilt Lodge was built in 1915. Vanderbilt had moved out of Lake Success but must have still been active at the Deepdale Golf Club nearby and used the Lodge for friends and himself. I do not know when the State Police took possession, but the Lodge was torn down in1967 when then parkway was expanded. The lodge was a branch of the headquarters of Troop L Babylon, which was assigned to state property in the parks and parkways.
Thanks, Dr. Binder for your help!
Related posts on VanderbiltCupRaces.com:
Newly Discovered Photos of Motor Parkway Bridges and Willie K’s Guest Lodge in Lake Success
Archives: Long Island Motor Parkway- Lake Success
Archives: Long Island Motor Parkway
Comments
Many thanks to you, Howard, for taking the time and making the effort to locate and beautifully categorize this information.
Just revisiting this topic. The Deepdale guest lodge is absent in the 1924 Fairchild Aerial but does appear in the 1926 aerial. Vanderbilt didn’t build his golf course (the Deepdale Club) until 1924 - thus it would appear that the guest lodge was built some time after the 1924 aerial was taken early in that year.
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Howard Kroplick
Mitch, makes sense!