One of the things Long Island, NY is well known for is it's "Gold Coast".   From the 1890's until after World War II, Long Island was one of the places the super rich flocked to.  Over several decades wealthy families built lavish, pretentious estates.  Post WW II, many of those homes were sold off or taken over by local government.  One such estate is Coindre Hall in Huntington, Long Island.