Lawrence attracts homebuyers with waterfront estates, proximity to JFK
[object Object] Credit: Danielle Silverman Zion Park gives Lawrence residents young and old a place to play.
Easy access to beaches, museums, shopping and Kennedy Airport are major draws for homebuyers to Lawrence, the most populous of the Five Towns and the one that boasts the most waterfront property.
The hamlet comprises the incorporated village of Lawrence and Meadowmere Park, a smaller waterfront community on its western border that attracts lots of boaters, notes Sherri Slochowsky of Weissman Realty.
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Easy access to beaches, museums, shopping and Kennedy Airport are major draws for homebuyers to Lawrence, the most populous of the Five Towns and the one that boasts the most waterfront property.
The hamlet comprises the incorporated village of Lawrence and Meadowmere Park, a smaller waterfront community on its western border that attracts lots of boaters, notes Sherri Slochowsky of Weissman Realty.
Several clubs bear the hamlet's name, including the Lawrence Country Club and the Lawrence Yacht Club and Marina. Rockaway Hunting Club — once famous for fox hunts, steeplechase and polo — and Cedarhurst Country Club also call Lawrence home.
Lawrence Yacht & Country Club is one of several that call the hamlet home. Credit: Danielle Silverman
Nature lovers can take in Bannister Bay Wetland and Hicks Beach, while history buffs can visit Rock Hall Museum, a Georgian mansion built in 1767.
The hamlet is named for Alfred, Newbold and George Lawrence, the brothers who acquired land in the community in the 1850s to create a summer playground for the rich. The area developed in earnest at the end of the 19th century, a period that saw the opening of the upscale Osborne House and Rockaway Hunt Club, and the 1897 incorporation of the village, which paved the way for infrastructure improvements.
Through the years, Lawrence luminaries included banking titan Russell Sage, U.S. Attorney General George W. Wickersham, Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson and Edward H. Harriman, owner of New York Central Railroad. Oscar Wilde and Milton Berle were two of the area's many famous summer denizens.
Houses along Albert Place, top, and Causeway in Lawrence, which is home to a mix of Colonials, split-levels, mansions and more. Credit: Danielle Silverman
House hunters will find Colonials, split-levels, ranches and high ranches, with prices ranging from $750,000 to $15 million for a waterfront estate on 7 acres. A large number of the grander homes built as summer residences are still in existence today in an area known as "Back Lawrence."
"It's a terrific community," said Nassau County Legislator Howard Kopel, a 35-year resident of Lawrence, noting its proximity to lots of beaches and the Long Beach boardwalk. He added the area has in recent decades added many kosher restaurants, synagogues and yeshivas that cater to the Orthodox Jewish community.
Congregation Beth Shalom is one of many houses of worship in Lawrence. Credit: Danielle Silverman
Kopel is working to get state and federal infrastructure funding to complete Nassau Expressway — an unconnected highway in Nassau and Queens with much roadway missing in the middle — to redirect traffic on clogged roads in the area. The state recently finished a $100 million improvement project to address flooding on a half-mile of that roadway.
Completing the Nassau Expressway, also known as Route 878, is vital because it's the only real evacuation route for the Five Towns, the Rockaways and the barrier islands, Kopel said.
Central Avenue offers shops, restaurants, florists and more to Lawrence. Credit: Danielle Silverman
CONDOS AND CO-OPS There are seven condos on the market, priced between $199,000 and $899,000.
SALE PRICES Between March 1, 2022, and Feb. 28, 2023, there were 27 home sales with a median sale price of $1.1 million, according to OneKey MLS. The low price for that period was $400,000 and the high was $3.4 million. During that period a year earlier there were 25 home sales with a median sale price of $1.4 million. The price range was $550,000 to $2.4 million.
OTHER STATS
Town Hempstead
Area 3.72 square miles
ZIP code 11559
Population 6,809
Median age 28.3
Median household income $153,668
Median home value $1.1 million
Monthly LIRR ticket from Lawrence $243
School district, graduation rate Lawrence (81.6%)
Park Zion Park
Library Peninsula
Hospitals St John’s Episcopal, Mount Sinai South Nassau
Transit NICE Bus Routes 31, 32
Sources: 2020 Census; 2020 American Community Survey; OneKey MLS; LIRR, data.nysed.gov
ON THE MARKET
$2.6 million
This $2.6 million high ranch in Lawrence has golf course views. Credit: Weissman Realty/M.J. Jeret
This 4,123-square-foot ranch has seven bedrooms, three of which are ensuite, 4½ bathrooms and an updated kitchen with an oversized island, high-end appliances, three ovens and a custom wet bar. Boasting golf course views, the 0.31-acre fenced-in corner lot property has an attached two-car garage and a whole house generator. Taxes are $19,735. Sherri Slochowsky, Weissman Realty Group, 516-791-6100.
$2.05 million
This $2 million Lawrence home has 3,225 square feet. Credit: DeMeo Photography/J. DeMeo
Located in the “Back Lawrence” area, this 3,225-square-foot home has four bedrooms and 3½ bathrooms. The primary bedroom has French doors leading to the patio. It features a vaulted ceiling in the living room, hardwood floors, dining room with custom storage closets and a chef’s kitchen with two ovens, two sinks and a pantry. The 0.48-acre property has a circular driveway, large slate patio and an attached two-car garage. Taxes are $17,500. Mitchell Waldman, Cogent Realty, 212-509-4049.
$849,000
This $849,000 Lawrence home was built in 1908. Credit: Chuck Danas Photography
Built in 1908, this 2,456-square-foot Colonial has four bedrooms, 2½ bathrooms and features hardwood floors, coffered ceilings and a finished attic. Located steps from the water in Meadowmere Park, the 0.2-acre fenced-in property has a detached one-car garage. Taxes are $8,362. Pinchus Heskiel, Pin It Realty, 516-239-7940.
RECENTLY SOLD
$1.97 million
S. Harborview
Style Splanch
Bedrooms 5
Bathrooms 2½
Built 1967
Lot Size 0.21 acre
Taxes $16,172
+/- List price +$40,000
Days on market 167
$1.35 million
Doughty Blvd.
Style Two story
Bedrooms 7
Bathrooms 4
Built 1934
Lot Size 0.09 acre
Taxes $17,943
+/- List price -$240,000
Days on market 400
$860,000
Mulry Ln.
Style Raised ranch
Bedrooms 5
Bathrooms 2
Built 1977
Lot size 0.11 acre
Taxes 10,590
+/- List price -$389,000
Days on market 150
ON ONEKEY MLS
Number of listings 22
Price range $199,000 to $6.8 million
Tax range $7,513 to $39,186