Flower Hill is a village in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The eastern half is considered part of the Greater Roslyn area, which is anchored by the Incorporated Village of Roslyn. Western and northern parts are more closely associated with Manhasset and Port Washington. The population was 4,794 at the time of the 2020 census.
Flower Hill is located entirely within the Town of North Hempstead, and has been recognized as a Tree City USA since 2013.
History
Before the village (pre-colonization – 1930) The location of what is today Flower Hill was originally inhabited by Matinecock Native Americans. In the 17th century, Dutch and English colonists began to settle the area.
This era saw members of prominent colonial families settle in the area, including members of the Hewlett family (the family after whom Hewlett, New York, and Hewlett Lane in Flower Hill are named). Members of the family settled in the area during this time, and constructed the former Hewlett Homestead circa 1713.
During this time, the area consisted of many farms, and was in an ideal location for them, as the goods produced in the area would be brought down to either Manhasset Bay in Manhasset or Port Washington, or to Hempstead Harbor in Roslyn for shipment to destinations in New York City and beyond.
At this time, the heart of Flower Hill was located where modern-day Port Washington Boulevard, Bonnie Heights Road, and Country Club Drive intersect. This area included a blacksmith, general store, tavern, a village well, and a cemetery, in addition to a small number of homes.
Circa 1900, Carlos Munson – the heir to the Munson Steamship Company – and his wife, Mabel, settled in Flower Hill. Carlos and Mabel Munson were unhappy to be living near so many intoxicated locals found in this area, which prompted Mabel asking Carlos to do something to get rid of them. Carlos responded by purchasing the land, despite having no need for it. To further eliminate this issue, the Munsons gave some of this land to the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary.
In the early decades of the 20th century, the New York & North Shore Traction Company operated a trolley line connecting Mineola, Roslyn, and Port Washington – as well as one connecting Flushing and Roslyn – through the village, utilizing Northern Boulevard, Middle Neck Road, and Port Washington Boulevard.
The two lines intersected at a junction located at the intersection of Middle Neck Road and Northern Boulevard. This was also the site of the company's former Roslyn trolley yard and a substation; it was located at the northwestern corner of the intersection.
Additionally, a trolley siding existed in Flower Hill on the east side of Port Washington Boulevard, near its intersection with modern-day Farmview Road.
Push for incorporation (1930 – 1931) The push for Flower Hill's incorporation first started in 1930, when word was spread that Port Washington was planning to incorporate itself as a city. Upon hearing these rumors, residents of Flower Hill feared that the Flower Hill area would be placed within the boundaries of the proposed City of Greater Port Washington if those plans were ultimately to be approved. As a result, the residents of Flower Hill saw a need to incorporate the locality as a village, in order to prevent the area from becoming part of the rumored city.
After two unsuccessful attempts to hold a hearing on Flower Hill's incorporation as a village, residents tried for a third time in April 1931, and were successful. With the approval of the application for a hearing, a vote to decide whether or not Flower Hill should incorporate itself was set for April 27 of that year; the vote would be held in Carlos Munson's real estate office.
During the vote on April 27, the residents of Flower Hill voted unanimously in favor of incorporating Flower Hill as a village, and the Incorporated Village of Flower Hill was ultimately born.
Village of Flower Hill (1931 – present) In May 1931, a few weeks after the birth of the village, its certificate of incorporation was signed. Carlos Munson was originally selected to serve as its first Mayor but turned down the position, which was subsequently given to Arthur G. Elvin."Proceedings of a Regular Meeting -- Board of Trustees of the Incorporated Village of Flower Hill, Nassau County, New York." July 8, 1940. Flower Hill Board Minutes. Village of Flower Hill. July 8, 1940. When founded, the population of Flower Hill was 288. The first village meeting took place in Carlos Munson's real estate office; Village Hall now occupies this parcel of land.
In the mid-1930s, the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary would establish St. Francis Hospital as a cardiac sanatorium for children, on the land given to them by Carlos Munson. The first children arrived at this facility on February 8, 1937.
Flower Hill started to see new housing developments built in the coming years. One of the most notable, early developments constructed during this period is the majority of the Flower Hill Estates development, which was built by Walter Uhl. Work on the development began along Country Club Drive – in the vicinity of the North Hempstead Country Club – in the latter half of the 1930s, before progressing southwards.Map: Map of Flower Hill Estates - Section 1 (Map). May 1939 – via Nassau County Public Records. Uhl built many of the homes in Flower Hill Estates in the colonial style, to ensure that they would fit in with existing buildings and surroundings. Some of these homes were also built with reused wood from nearby barns, which were incorporated into their ceiling designs. During the development's construction process in 1939, an old Spanish "piece-of-eight" was unearthed by a construction worker. The coin, dating back to 1793, was presented by Uhl to the Port Washington Public Library.
In the years and decades following the Second World War, Flower Hill continued to be suburbanized, and many new developments were built as a result. Many of these new developments were built over former estates (such as the Chanticlare at Flower Hill subdivision, which was built over the former estate of Jesse Ricks), farms (such as the Hewlett Farm subdivision, which was built over portions of the former Hewlett Homestead), and even former sand mines (such as certain parts of the Wildwood at Flower Hill development, built on land once owned by the Colonial Sand & Stone Company).Map: Map of Hewlett Farm, Incorporated Village of Flower Hill (Map). August 26, 1983 – via Nassau County Public Records.Map: Wildwood at Flower Hill (Map). March 30, 1967 – via Nassau County Public Records. A notable housing development built during this time is Flower Hill Country Estates, which was developed by Country Estates, Incorporated.Map: "Map of Flower Hill Country Estates". November 29, 1954 – via Nassau County Public Records. The firm also built the Country Estates subdivision of nearby East Hills around the same time, over Clarence Mackay's former estate.
In 1946, Marjorie Church Logan (wife of William John Logan) was murdered in her home on Bonnie Heights Road – and her daughter, Marjory Jeanne, was shot and raped. The suspect, Ward Beecher Caraway, was a butler and chauffeur at another estate in Flower Hill, and was ultimately sentenced to death for the crimes.
In 1948, Flower Hill Village Hall was constructed. It was designed by Roslyn-based architect Henry W. Johanson, and is located where Carlos Munson's real estate office had previously stood; it opened in 1949.
The construction of so many new housing developments and homes in the village – and the subsequent influx of children – prompted the Roslyn Union Free School District to construct the Roslyn–Flower Hill Elementary School, to better serve the needs of the section of Flower Hill zoned for Roslyn's schools, as well as to resolve overcrowding at the district's other schools; this was one of several schools constructed in the district during this era. Built and opened in the early 1950s and sandwiched between the Wildwood and Broadridge developments, the Roslyn–Flower Hill Elementary School served the community until September 1980, when it was closed due to the declining enrollment numbers following the end of the baby-boom era.Map: Flower Hill Broadridge (Map). February 25, 1942 – via Nassau County Public Records. The former school's property was later subdivided to become the Mashady Estates subdivision in the 1980s, and now consists of multiple single-family homes; it was developed by the N & H Development Corporation.
The early 1950s saw Walter J. Black, Inc. – at the time the nation's second-largest book advertiser – move its corporate headquarters from New York City to an office building along Northern Boulevard in Flower Hill. Between 2012 and 2016, Elaine Phillips served as the mayor of Flower Hill. She served in this capacity until being elected to the New York State Senate in November 2016. The Phillips Administration oversaw the rehabilitation and modernization of the village-owned Flower Hill Park, which included the installation of a state-of-the-art playground for children.
On October 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy made landfall, and caused widespread damage throughout the New York metropolitan area. The entirety of the Village of Flower Hill lost power as a result of this storm. Due to communication errors from the Long Island Power Authority, some residents were without power for two unusually cold weeks. Village officials kept Village Hall open despite the fact that telephone lines and the heating system were initially down. Village officials also regularly reached out to LIPA and local residents, and assisted in removing downed trees. Some officials even checked in on every senior living alone in the village, also offering them free transportation to and from shelters and ensuring that they were stocked with food. When the generators for Village Hall started to run, village officials started offering residents with heat, power, and even coffee at the building. There were no storm-related fatalities in Flower Hill, and only one home was lost within the village, when its generator caught fire.
In response to all of the trees lost in Flower Hill due to Hurricane Sandy, the village created a tree planting program, through which residents could receive a free tree for their property, given that it is planted within the village's right-of-way. This program helped the village become recognized as a Tree City USA.
Robert McNamara became Mayor in 2016, succeeding Senator Phillips. A notable accomplishment of the McNamara Administration was the initiation of the process of the village's takeover of Middle Neck Road (former CR D55) – which connects Northern and Port Washington Boulevards – from Nassau County; this had been a goal of the village's for several years, given the poor upkeep from the Nassau County Department of Public Works. In the deal, Nassau County would repair and repave the road, thence sell it to Flower Hill for $1. Prior to this transfer, the village had purchased the Flower Hill Park and the segment of Stonytown Road within its borders from Nassau County. McNamara's administration also implemented a construction impact fee for large construction projects within the village.
McNamara, who long-suffered from health complications, died on April 15, 2020. Then-Deputy Mayor Brian Herrington subsequently assumed the duties of Mayor, in light of McNamara's passing.