Fire Island Pines: Cher, 'Hello, Dolly!' among memories in haven's homes

There is a generational shift happening in Fire Island Pines.

Those who bought their summer houses in the 1970s are now putting "for sale" signs in the yard, community members said. Although the current homeowners are young and many have purchased their properties within the last few years, there is abundant history behind every sliding glass door. 

Notable artists walked the same winding wooden paths as the millennials moving into the community today, said Bobby Bonanno, president of the Fire Island Pines Historical Preservation Society.

"This place will always be a haven," he said while riding the ferry from Sayville to the Pines on a recent day in June. "You get off that boat, and you’re free to do whatever you want."

Bonanno, along with new homeowners (some of whom have been featured on the historical society’s walking tour), hopes to keep that history alive, while ushering a new generation into the Pines.

'Before the parade passes by'

Bonanno started the historical society in 2010. He actually doesn't come from a history background — he works as a hairdresser in Bellport.

But when a historical landmark (a bar and eatery called The Blue Whale) was to be renamed 13 years ago, he started the organization to make the community aware of its roots. From there, it took off and expanded, and Bonanno built a website to archive as much Pines lore as he and his other board members could find.

"We’re creating a remembrance for people who either owned a home or spent time there," he said. "And the biggest thing is mentoring these young people. This whole new generation has arrived there."

The new homeowners bring this cool, young energy. You can go into your neighbor’s house for a drink and hear a story about the previous generation.

— Sebastian Lopez

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Fire Island Pines. And on Shore Walk alone there are 17 new homeowners, he said. "That whole area had a huge changeover," Bonanno said. "But a couple of the old homeowners there really appreciate it, because it gave them a renewed sense of community."

Homeowner Sebastian Lopez said this meshing of generations makes the Pines a special place to be right now.

"The previous generation has become ready for a change," he said. "The new homeowners bring this cool, young energy. You can go into your neighbor’s house for a drink and hear a story about the previous generation. There’s a sense of community, especially with it being 90 to 95% gay. It brings people together."

‘It's so nice to have you back where you belong’

Jerry Herman owned three houses here in the Pines... He came back so much because he loved it.

— Bobby Bonanno, president of the Fire Island Pines Historical Preservation Society

From a fundraiser featuring Cher to piano performances by the composer of "Hello, Dolly!" Dan Spinello’s guesthouse has seen it all.

Dubbed The Pines Club, the home has turned into a gathering space for celebrations.

"I feel like we share it with the community," said Spinello, 45. "We host a lot of events for nonprofits, weddings, so it feels like it’s not just ours: it’s a community asset."

He and his partner own the house with another couple. They purchased it in January 2022 for $2.9 million, Spinello said. Although Spinello lives full time in Manhattan, he makes it back to his Pines house whenever he gets a chance, even beyond the summer months.

"I love it in the fall and spring, which is somewhat of an offseason," he said. "But I love September, October and even November when it’s a mild year. The island takes on a different personality. It becomes this quiet, serene place with a little less disco music humming in the background."

The house contains eight bedrooms and 8½ bathrooms. It once belonged to interior designer Valerian Rybar — dubbed "the world’s most expensive decorator" by the press in the '70s — Bonanno said.

To me, this is a historic piece of Fire Island, and we’re just its caretakers for this period of time.

— Dan Spinello

In 1991, Jerry Herman bought the property and renovated it, adding a pool to the backyard, according to The Pines Club website. Herman is known for penning the music of "Hello, Dolly!" and "La Cage aux Folles," which was the first smash Broadway musical featuring a gay couple (the 1996 film "The Birdcage," starring Robin Williams and Nathan Lane, is based on it).

"Jerry Herman owned three houses here in the Pines," Bonanno said. "He came back so much because he loved it."

Spinello has seen photographs from this time and realized that a space now used as a bedroom was once used to entertain guests, and housed Herman’s grand piano.

Now, The Pines Club hosts dance parties, political fundraisers and more, even bringing in big guests like Cher, Bonanno said. The house was built in 1983, but its architecture looks contemporary. The main floor includes the living room with bedrooms branching off it, with the kitchen a few steps below it and more living space up a sleek, spiral staircase.

"The house has lived many lives," Spinello said. "So I think every owner has left their mark on it, and it’s been many things since then. It served as a bed-and-breakfast and then of course at times as a private residence. I think where we ended up landed between all of that.”

Spinello’s favorite feature is the view of the Great South Bay: The four levels offer numerous vantage points, with seating at each one. Going up on the roof is ideal for taking in a "spectacular" sunset, Spinello added.

The versatility of the property is impressive too, Spinello said.

"The house takes on such a different feel, depending on what's going on there," he noted.

Spinello feels that he and the other owners of The Pines Club are "guardians of a piece of history." In particular, upholding Herman’s legacy at the Fire Island Pines is important to the community. A few years before buying the property, Herman wrote what would become an LGBTQ+ anthem for "La Cage aux Folles," including the lyrics: "Life's not worth a damn 'till you can say, 'Hey world, I am what I am.' "

"To me, this is a historic piece of Fire Island, and we’re just its caretakers for this period of time," Spinello said. "It’s important to me that we do what we can to share it. Fire Island Pines has a history of being a refuge and safe space for the queer community, and we want to keep it that way."

'The best of times is now'

Two long paths accentuated by the greenery of the island lead to Lopez and Roman Gancberg’s home away from home, which they use when they’re able to come over from Manhattan. 

Built in 1965, the property was originally called Dual in the Sun because it contains two houses that face each other (the main home and a guest cottage) and look similar in style, with large glass doors.

In 1968, the home was purchased by Jeannette Rockefeller after her divorce from Winthrop Rockefeller, the former governor of Arkansas and grandson of Standard Oil co-founder John D. Rockefeller, Bonanno said.

Then in 1974, four men, all under the age of 32, bought the house together, according to the Fire Island Pines Historical Preservation Society archives. One of them was Ron Martin, who then sold the home to Lopez and Gancberg in July 2020 for $1.3 million.

It’s in the walls of the house — all the stories of who lived there.

— Sebastian Lopez

Martin wrote a letter to the new homeowners, which Bonanno compared to "the passing-down of a family heirloom."

"We really loved the whole vibe of the house, and the history it had," said Lopez, 34. "It integrates outside and inside very beautifully. And the garden has a water feature in the pond, so you can always hear water running."

The house contains four bedrooms and two bathrooms. Lopez and Gancberg said that, like Martin, they enjoy having guests and welcoming friends to come stay with them.

"I think you can feel the flow and energy that the house has," said Lopez. "It’s in the walls of the house — all the stories of who lived there."

By Rachel Weiss

rachel.weiss@newsday.com@RachMWeiss

Rachel Weiss joined Newsday in 2016. As a real estate/living multimedia reporter, Rachel writes feature stories and contributes to and appears in on-camera video packages. She was the lead reporter on Newsday’s LI Acts of Kindness series.