Beaches, boating, and fishing—the attributes that drew people to Mastic Beach from the city years ago— remain the area’s most popular attractions.
“In response to a big demand for a new Long Island waterfront, the Brooklyn Citizen has created the new waterfront resort of Mastic Beach,” read the newspaper’s ads from the 1920s. Subscribers were offered 20’x100’ lots where they could build a summer bungalow in a “paradise for young and old.” It was a “chance to have your own country home at prices and terms that everyone can afford and the opportunity to solve your vacation problems forever.”
Many jumped at the offer of an $89 lot, and before long, the area became a thriving beach community. Stores and restaurants went up, and fishing stations and even a hotel where vacationers could stay as they built their dream cottages. The Mastic Beach Property Owners Association was created in 1928 and became an organizing force to bring electric service to the area, along with beaches, docks, and a clubhouse. A yacht club was launched in 1930, and in 1935, the Mastic Beach Fire Department was formed to protect the growing village. The community even had a building to house its Democratic Club, which was used for fundraising, dances, and political events.
Churches were soon established, with St. Andrew’s in 1936, St. Jude’s RC Church around the same time, and the Hebrew Center in 1946. After World War 2 was won, the Arthur H. Clune American Legion Post 1533 came into being in 1946, with Bayview Hospital opening around the same time. Early markets on Neighborhood Road were Fishers, Bohacks, and Paul Shulte’s, who also opened a tavern in 1933.
Many families took advantage of the Brooklyn Citizen lots, which were sold by the Smadbeck brothers, Arthur and Warren. They also had a hand in developing nearby Mastic, two communities carved from the colonial holdings of William Floyd, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and Col. William Tangier Smith, Lord of the Manor of St. George. The summer bungalows they encouraged were expanded and became year-round homes for families looking to leave New York City behind.
One such family was the Biondis, which had a summer bungalow in the early 1950s. Bill Biondi remembers coming out as a kid from Bensonhurst. “We would go down to fish, even late at night. Everyone knew you; we took care of each other,” he said. Biondi’s parents moved out from Brooklyn permanently in 1968, and Bill built his home in 1971 after returning from military service. He went on to become a fire commissioner and the mayor of Mastic Beach when it was an incorporated village.
Situated on a peninsula jutting into Narrow Bay and with numerous waterways such as Pattersquash Creek, Mastic Beach is susceptible to hurricanes and nor’easters that pile water into the lowlands. The 1938 Long Island Express hurricane wiped out many of the beachfront homes, and some were kept from floating away by their power lines. Water flooded all the way up to Neighborhood Road. The area took another big hit from Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and experienced heavy flooding from winter storms earlier this year. Commissioner Biondi takes pride in two large fire department trucks tailored to usher people and pets away from the flood waters.
The area has been on a downward slide over the last few decades as the densely packed homes have been targeted by absentee landlords and slumlords. The Pattersquash Creek Civic Association, under the direction of Frank Fugarino, keeps the pressure on local officials to crack down on the illegal rentals and housing code violations that have dragged the village down. The community is excited about a plan by the Beechwood Organization, sponsored by Brookhaven Town, to rebuild the downtown business district and return the beachfront community to its former glory.
Many thanks to the Mastic Peninsula Historical Society for keeping the area’s rich heritage alive. The history series compiled by Michael Lubrano, Richard Oldham, Edward De Gennaro, and Gary Ollet provided much of the information for this story.