During the silent film era, Beechhurst was a favorite vacation area for the rich and famous. Estates lined the waterfront, including the Arthur and Dorothy Dalton Hammerstein House, the former house of Arthur Hammerstein and Dorothy Dalton, which is a New York City designated landmark.[2] The Beechhurst Towers hotel (now a co-op apartment building) was a favorite of actress Mary Pickford and was frequented by many Broadway and early movie stars, including the Marx Brothers and W.C. Fields.
Industrialist Harvey Firestone owned an estate on the Beechhurst waterfront, visited frequently by his son’s friends Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Arthur Hammerstein (1872–1955) built a mansion facing Long Island Sound. He lived there for several years with his wife, the actress Dorothy Dalton, but sold the estate during the Great Depression in order to raise money for his theater operations.[2]