Lindenhurst: Revitalized downtown, waterfront attractions draw buyers

THE SCOOP Dotted with canals leading to Great South Bay, and with beaches, waterfront parks and marinas, Lindenhurst attracts buyers who want to be near the water and also enjoy its vibrant cultural offerings in a revitalized downtown.

“It’s just a really great place to live if you’re into the whole South Shore experience,” said Emily LaRocca of Douglas Elliman Real Estate.

Among the village's offerings: the Historic Home Museum and “Theater Row”: the BACCA Arts Center, South Shore Theatre Experience and Manes Studio Theater, all steps from one another on its main street, Wellwood Avenue.

In May, the Lindenhurst Chamber of Commerce hosts Spring Fest and in summer Wednesdays on Wellwood, both with live music, food and vendors.

“There’s always something happening in Lindenhurst these days,” said chamber President JoAnn Boettcher, adding that the village is a destination at Christmas for decorations, the New Year’s Eve ball drop and live music in summer on the waterfront. And this year, there will be celebrations as the village commemorates its centennial.

In the early 1800s, the area consisted of a few farmhouses, with development occurring soon after railroad service arrived in the 1860s.

Real estate agent Thomas Welwood became a major landowner there — the railroad station was named for him, but evidently misspelled — and, along with Charles Schleier, sold 25-by-100-foot lots to fellow Germans from New York City and Germany. As part of the pair's marketing scheme, Wellwood was renamed the City of Breslau in 1870 after Schleier's hometown, and the waterfront village soon morphed into a little “Germantown.”

When the partners’ relationship devolved into litigation, many people lost their homes, leading to bitterness toward the developers, which might be why the area’s name was changed again in 1891 to Lindenhurst, after the stately linden trees lining Wellwood Avenue.

In the fall of 1930, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig came to the hamlet’s Meridale Baseball Park to play an exhibition game against Addie Klein's Lindenhurst Nine, an amateur baseball club.

Part of the downtown revitalization is the 260-unit Fairfield The Wel rental complex near the train station, which opened in 2021, where one-bedroom apartments start at $2,825 a month.

Homes in the area range from bungalows that began life as summer homes, starting at $400,000, to new waterfront construction going up to the $800,000s, many in or near the ever popular Venetian Shores neighborhood just outside the incorporated village.

CONDOS AND CO-OPS There are no condos or co-ops on the market.

SALE PRICES Between Dec. 1, 2021, and Dec. 31, 2022, there were 478 home sales with a median sale price of $530,000, according to OneKey MLS. The low price for that period was $141,000 and the high was $1.28 million. During that period a year earlier there were 530 home sales with a median sale price of $476,250. The price range was $178,000 to $805,000.

OTHER STATS

Town Babylon

Area 3.75 square miles

ZIP code 11757

Population 27,148

Median age 41.1

Median household income $101,867

Median home value $544,500

Monthly LIRR ticket from Lindenhurst $327

School district, graduation rate Lindenhurst, 93%

Parks Venetian Shores Park, Lindenhurst Village Park

Library Lindenhurst

Hospitals Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center

Transit Suffolk County Transit Route 20

Sources: 2020 Census; 2020 American Community Survey; OneKey MLS; LIRR, data.nysed.gov 

NOW ON THE MARKET

$849,000

At 3,100 square feet, this Colonial built in 2022 has five bedrooms, 2½ baths, an open floor plan, 9-foot ceilings, hardwood floors, kitchen with double wall ovens, second-floor laundry room and unfinished basement with walkout. The partially fenced-in 0.17-acre property has an attached one-car garage. Taxes are $14,000. Allison Capone, Century 21 Crown Homes, 631-893-4400.

$634,999

Built in 1922, this 2,220-square-foot expanded Cape is a legal two-family. The first floor has two bedrooms, a bathroom, living room, kitchen, butler’s pantry, dining room and heated porch. The second floor has two bedrooms, a bathroom, living room and eat-in-kitchen. There is a detached one-car garage on the 0.27-acre property. Taxes are $15,683. Germaine Baker and Maryann Rainone, Netter Real Estate, 631-661-5100.

$559,000

Sitting across the street from a canal, this three-bedroom, 1½-bath 1,100-square-foot expanded ranch built in 1934 has been completely renovated with a new kitchen with quartz counters, stainless steel appliances and gray cabinetry, hardwood floors, new windows and roof. The 0.13-acre corner property has a front deck, attached one-car garage and new PVC fence. Taxes are $6,948. Nicole Chambers, Douglas Elliman Real Estate, 631-831-9091.

RECENTLY SOLD

$850,000

S. Broadway

Style High ranch         

Bedrooms 7

Bathrooms 4

Built 2005

Lot size 0.17 acre

Taxes $17,399

+/- List price +$75,000

Days on market 118

$725,000

Fremont St.

Style High ranch         

Bedrooms 6

Bathrooms 3

Built 1971

Lot size 0.14 acre

Taxes $14,821

+/- List price +$36,000

Days on market 90

$685,000

Palm St.

Style Expanded Cape 

Bedrooms 4

Bathrooms 3

Built 1953

Lot size 0.17 acre

Taxes $10,979

+/- List price +$85,100

Days on market 126

ON ONEKEY MLS

Number of listings 69

Price range $289,000 to $950,000

Tax range $7,012 to $16,592