The Carrington Chronicles- Chapter 1: The History of the Estate
Original Frank Carrington house, circa 1930s courtesy of the Paper Mill Playhouse
The History of Frank Carrington and his Estate
A series by Bill Hildebrandt
Who was Frank Carrington?
Frank Carrington was a Theater producer who co-founded the Papermill Playhouse in New Jersey. He purchased his home on Fire Island in 1927. The property is located on the western boundary of Fire Island Pines, one half mile east of Cherry Grove.
Photo of Frank Carrington courtesy of the Paper Mill Playhouse
He played an important role in the development of the mid-century performing arts in American culture. He was a driven visionary. His legacy as the co-founder and mastermind behind the Paper Mill Playhouse, has another uncelebrated component: Fire Island. When he visited with the Marquat family in the early 1920s, it was said he would go off by himself to the east and overnight elsewhere. He was here long before we were and what he left behind is still with us. He had a passion for Fire Island.
1939 photo from the Millburn Short Hills Historical Society collection
The 6.5-acre Carrington tract was placed on the National Registry of historic sites in 2016. It is the only historic LGBT owned building in the National Park System.
As neighbors and witnesses to this important history, the Fire Island Pines Historical Preservation Society wishes to enthusiastically support the National Park Service efforts to encourage a community-based restoration and use of this important site.
Lone Hill Coast Guard Station circa 1947. The property later became the Pines Community Center, today Whyte Hall
PINES '47: The Nexus of Fire Island Pines
1947 was a formative year. Carrington was celebrating his 20th year at the beach. The war was over, the Coast Guard was packing up and the sailors were gone. Frank Carrington purchased his second lot from the Home Guardian. This parcel, adjacent to the east of his 1927 purchase, is slightly less than 1 acre. This lot, instead of going from ocean to bay, as his first purchase did, goes to the boulevard and must include the property on which the boulevard was never built. For those familiar with the west end, this accounts for one of the few houses inaccessible by the public walk.
Frank Carrington standing in front of the cottage he purchased from the Coast Guard in 1947
At an auction by the Coast Guard, Carrington bid for and won two buildings reportedly for between 350 and 850 dollars. The buildings, one an oil storage building, the other a stable, were built in the early years of the U. S. Life Saving Service, established 1855. Their most likely construction dates are between 1855 and 1875. Carrington moved them to his newly purchased lot, combined them and his personal “artist in residence” program began. His first tenant was Lincoln Kirstein, the co-founder of the New York City Ballet, who occupied it for the next 4-5 years.
Lincoln Kirstein Circa 1940’s
The Home Guardian reacquired the Pines in 1941. They had sold it in 1926 after only 6 months of ownership. The Smadbecks, owners of the Home Guardian, were suburban developers extraordinaire. On pause during the war, they saw the post war boom coming. In 1947 they started the serious house cleaning that was our germination.
In addition to the Carrington transactions, the Home Guardian sold their tenants their land. There were 5 tenants. Henry Ofterdinger, George Daniell and Charles Leach were 3 of them. Charles Leach’s grandson still lives here, Albert Lepage owns one and the third is owned by Maia Helles’s son, Robert Just. The Coast Guard Station, which was dispositioned from them (USCG) was transferred as a community resource by the Home Guardian.
Maia Helle’s house, originally owned by George Daniell; photo courtesy of Maia’s son, Robert Just
The year was 1947, the Polaroid land camera was introduced, the first African American news correspondent was “allowed” in the US House of Representatives, Raytheon unveiled the microwave oven, Truman created the CIA and “Best Years of our Life” won the Academy Award for Best picture. Frank Carrington produced and directed “Girl Crazy”, “The Desert Song”, “The Student Prince”, among others at the Paper Mill Playhouse.” The Playhouse he co-founded with Antoinette Scudder, ironically, would ride the same postwar boom the Smadbecks envisioned…
This is the first in our series on the Carrington Estate by Bill Hildebrandt