Piercing Shop in Strathmore, vatStateShort

Much of what is now the southern part of Strathmore was once part of the estate of Frank A. Munsey. Following his death, he bequeathed the land to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which ultimately developed some of the land as Munsey Park and sold the area south of Northern Boulevard to the Vanderbilt family, and the land remained in Vanderbilt family ownership for roughly a decade; their mansion, which had previously been owned by Louis Sherry, is now the Strathmore-Vanderbilt Country Club. The residents in the Strathmore-Vanderbilt subdivision have deeded memberships to the country club.

In February 1944, a massive fire broke out in the shopping area of Strathmore Village (now the Americana Manhasset). The fire severely damaged 15 shops, along with the Levitt & Sons real estate office which was built only 2 years prior. The cost of the damage was estimated to be roughly $250,000 (1944 USD).

In the 1990s, residents in Strathmore grew concerned over the fate of the former Manhasset Club (which was originally known as the Village Bath Club). More than 1,000 residents petitioned for the club to be purchased by the Manhasset Park District to keep it operating as a public park. After that failed, residents attempted to have the Town of North Hempstead landmark the club’s main building, which was designed to resemble a California hunting lodge designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The North Hempstead Landmarks Commission ultimately denied their requests, claiming that the building was not a landmark. Ultimately the building (and the rest of the 2.5-acre (1.0 ha) property) was soon demolished and replaced with new homes.