Arthur W. Benson (c.1798–1889) was a president of Brooklyn Gas Light who developed the

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

suburbs of

Bensonhurst Bensonhurst is a residential neighborhood in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bordered on the northwest by 14th Avenue, on the northeast by 60th Street, on the southeast by Avenue P and 22n ...

and Montauk. Benson founded the Brooklyn Gas Light company in 1823, when

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

had 9,000 people. He began buying farmland that was formerly owned by the Polhemuses family in 1835. Between 1830 and 1850 Benson divided the farmland into lots that were sold in the newly created suburb of Bensonhurst. In 1869 Benson was one of only nine individual investors in the Brooklyn Bridge with the first planning meetings held at the Brooklyn Gas Light headquarters. In 1879 Benson paid US$151,000 for of government land around Montauk in an auction (with Benson paying 10% down). In the middle of the land was Indian Field which was the home for the

Montaukett = Montauketts = An indigenous Native American People. Name and Identifications The Montaukett (" Metoac" or Matouwac), currently more commonly known as Montauk. The meaning of the name ''Montauk'' is unknown. Native Americans living on Long ...

tribe. The land had been held in trust for the tribe. Benson moved to get clear title to the land with promises of buying it from tribesmen for $10 each; in one case one of the tribesmen houses was burned. The legitimacy of the transaction is still being contested in court by the tribe. The transaction cleared the way for

Austin Corbin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

to bring the Long Island Rail Road to Montauk with the first train pulling on December 17, 1895.The Cannonball and the Long Island Rail Road by Vincent Seyfried
, accessed July 31, 2006. Benson envisioned the Montauk area as a playground for the rich.

Stanford White Stanford White (November 9, 1853 – June 25, 1906) was an American architect. He was also a partner in the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, one of the most significant Beaux-Arts firms. He designed many houses for the rich, in addition ...

and his

McKim, Mead, and White McKim, Mead & White was an American architectural firm that came to define architectural practice, urbanism, and the ideals of the American Renaissance in fin de siècle New York. The firm's founding partners Charles Follen McKim (1847–1909), W ...

firm designed seven houses at the Ditch Plains area of Montauk.

Frederick Law Olmsted Frederick Law Olmsted (April 26, 1822August 28, 1903) was an American landscape architect, journalist, social critic, and public administrator. He is considered to be the father of landscape architecture in the USA. Olmsted was famous for co ...

and his sons designed a private park system.

Tick Hall Tick Hall was a historic house in Montauk, New York, originally built by Stanford White. It burnt down in 1997, with only the chimney left standing, and rebuilt by its owner Dick Cavett. It was reconstructed without written plans or formal archit ...

, one of the houses owned by television personality Dick Cavett, was destroyed by a 1997 fire. Its reconstruction was followed in a

Public Television Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...

documentary.

References

External links

Brooklyn Eagle article

People from East Hampton (town), New York 1798 births 1889 deaths American energy industry executives 19th-century American landowners 19th-century American businesspeople {{US-business-bio-1880s-stub

See also

References

External links