Designed in 1902, Lands End was made famous by newspaper baron Herbert Bayard Swope, who threw lavish parties, often lasting for days. Guests and party-goers came from the top strata of Hollywood, Broadway, business, and politics. One of these guests, F. Scott Fitzgerald, was said to have attended a great many of these parties, often staying for days to write. It was said that he drew upon these experiences when writing The Great Gatsby and that Sands Point was his fabled "East Egg."
The house and 13-acre property passed to several new owners throughout the 20th century. In the 1980s, Lands End was purchased by Charles Shipman Payson and Virginia Kraft Payson. In 2001, Virginia, then widowed, tried to sell the Estate for $50 Million. With no luck, the price was cut in half and later sent to the auction block. Bert Brodsky, the founder and chairman of a healthcare technology company, bought the Colonial Revival-style mansion in 2004 from Virginia. She wanted $50 million; he paid $17.5 million. Brodsky had hoped to move into the 21,000-square-foot property with its two dozen or so rooms but his family thought otherwise.
Brodsky
then began seeking permission to divide up the 13 acres of property on which
the mansion sits and build five houses. The process took several years -- and
the mansion stayed on the market the whole time -- but local authorities finally
granted permission. They said the building was not landmarked and public
hearings on the planned demolition produced little outcry. The demolition was
completed in April 2011
Sources:
Allen, Jonathan. “Mansion That May Have Inspired the Great Gatsby Torn Down.” Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 19 Apr. 2011, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mansion-gatsby/mansion-that-may-have-inspired-the-great-gatsby-torn-down-idUSTRE73H75M20110419.
Bain, Chris. “Lands End: The Sands Point Gatsby Connection.” Port Washington, NY Patch, Patch, 3 May 2021, https://patch.com/new-york/portwashington/lands-end-the-sands-point-gatsby-connection.
Cal,
Mitchell. “'Great Gatsby' Mansion Facing Demolition.” Pricey Pads, 30
May 2011, https://www.priceypads.com/great-gatsby-mansion-facing-demolition/.
