Lawrence

In Lawrence, it’s not uncommon to find longtime residents in big old colonial homes with vast lawns rolling down acre-sized lots to the edges of the brackish waters of Reynolds Channel living down the street from a newly minted Grammy winner in a palatial neo-Victorian mansion. Not far, you might find a young family living in one of the attractive prewar brick buildings near the Long Island Rail Road station. They’re all wondering if it’s a Russian oligarch who’s building that giant compound on the 3-acre plot that was sold last year. But this is the greater New York City area and variety is in the water. In Lawrence, there are also birds in the water, so many of them that Lawrence has its very own hunting club, a throwback to the days when this big 6-square-mile peninsula was a place where the Manhattan elite would come to summer.

Lawrence is still a summer home to some, but the majority of residents live here year-round, many sending their kids to the nearby public or private schools. Daniel Amir, a licensed salesperson with Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty, says the median home price is under $2 million in Lawrence. “It’s mostly residential and it’s a very attractive area,” he says. “There are beautiful homes of all sizes and some very significantly sized homes on acre-plus lots. Some people dock their yachts in their own backyards.” At the higher end of the price range, you’ll find grand mansions built in this century designed to blend in with the historic local architecture with seven bedrooms or more for $6.5 million and up. Large and well-preserved prewar Victorian shingle homes with a similar number of bedrooms and acreage are listing for under $4.5 million. Unique contemporary modern homes from the postwar period also come on the market from time to time. But Amir says, “There’s not a lot of turnover in Lawrence.” Buyers looking to move quickly or spend less on housing will have more options in the co-op market. Two-bedroom, two-bath units near the LIRR are listing for under $350,000, but co-op fees can be expensive, rising to $1,500 a month.

There also isn’t a lot of commerce, which is one reason buyers find it desirable. “It’s mostly residential,” says Amir, “but Rockhall Museum is a really nice place to go. They have concerts and car shows. The village golf and tennis and yacht club is only for residents and they have reasonable fees. There is some upscale retail and restaurants.” The Rockhall is a house museum where in addition to annual events, visitors can tour an interior exhibition showing what life in Lawrence was like in 1767. The Lawrence Yacht and Country Club features an 18-hole golf course designed by architect Devereux Emmet in 1924. The club also has a 135-slip marina and lighted tennis courts. Roughly half of Lawrence is wetlands and the village has preserved this section for over half a century. The Bannister Bay Wetland has several channels and waterways as well as a beach that is most easily accessible by water. “Boating, jet skiing, paddleboarding – it’s all right there for you in Lawrence,” says Amir. A cluster of restaurants near the LIRR stop includes kosher Mediterranean, Chinese and pizza eateries as well as an upscale French steak restaurant called Prime Bistro. Nearby, Gourmet Glatt is a fine kosher supermarket and deli.

The Lawrence Union Free School District is comprised of three schools. Lawrence Elementary School received a B grade from Niche. Lawrence Middle School received the same grade and boasts a student-teacher ratio of only 10 students per class. Lawrence Senior High School is rated the highest in the district, with a B+ from Niche and higher-than-average enrollment in Advanced Placement courses. Several yeshiva and Jewish day schools also operate in the area. “Another great asset for people who travel for pleasure or business is JFK,” Amir says. John F. Kennedy International Airport is only a 15-minute drive away. With Manhattan just 21 miles away, Lawrence offers grand homes on the water, a posh lifestyle and easy access to New York City and the world beyond.

Written By

Abbot Street

Photography Contributed By

Jeff Siegel

Video By

Victoria York