Behind-the-Scenes @ The Chimneys, 1920s Mansion with Underground Speakeasy

If you were the daughter of a distilled spirit empire magnate and decided to build your summer house in the midst of prohibition, what design changes would you make? Step inside one of Long Island’s best-preserved 20th-century mansions to see how a 1920s socialite balanced traditional Tudor-style spaces above ground, with a fantastical underground party center below, to keep the good times (secretly) roaring.

Join New York Adventure Club for an exclusive exploration of The Community Synagogue, which resides inside a multi-level mansion on “The Chimneys” 1929 estate in Port Washington, NY — the summer grounds for Bettie Fleischmann Holmes, daughter of Charles Fleischmann, the co-founder of a compressed yeast and distilled spirits manufacturing company.

Led by the Executive Director of The Community Synagogue, which has called The Chimneys home since 1957, our unique experience will include:

• The origin story surrounding “The Chimneys” estate and where it got its name from
• An overview of The Community Synagogue, from how it acquired the estate in the 1950s after a landmark decision by the New York Court of Appeals, to how the congregation has adapted the house and grounds while preserving as much original detail as possible
• A walkthrough of the mansion’s first three floors to view its Tudor-style rooms including former bedrooms, a music room, and even a wood-carved dining room with a walk-in fireplace
• A trip to the sub-level to see the remnants of Fleischmann’s “speakeasy” recreation center — designed to conceal their parties during prohibition, this massive underground space features a swimming pool in the pre-Columbian art theme, Coney Island-style shooting range, squash court, bar room in the Alaskan Totem Pole theme, and more

Afterward, we’ll have an opportunity to walk around the estate to see more remnants of its days as a private residence, including the former groundskeeper’s house, carriage house, and secret tunnel entrances that fed into the underground recreation center (and offered a way out if there was ever a police raid!).

Click here to see pictures from one of our last visits to The Chimneys!