Bidding on a slice of history: The Carltun in Eisenhower Park closes with an auction

The Schumann baby grand piano played at weddings, bar mitzvahs and holiday parties. Vintage artwork that hung above celebrities and dignitaries dining on prime rib and salmon. And outdoor patio sets and red velvet couches where guests, for nearly three decades, relaxed with a stiff martini or a glass of pinot noir.

A massive catalog of more than 600 such items from The Carltun at Eisenhower Park was auctioned off Wednesday as Long Islanders said their final goodbyes — and made bids for a slice of history — from the storied restaurant and catering venue. 

"It's the end of an era," said Carltun owner and operator Anthony Capetola, a Williston Park attorney. 

The pandemic took a toll on The Carltun's bottom line and Capetola announced this month that he would not renew the operating license for the 85,000-square-foot East Meadow facility, which is owned by Nassau County.

In October, the building will be taken over by new operators, including Bobby and Elias Trahanas, who own the Golden Reef Diner in Rockville Centre and run food concessions in Jones Beach and Robert Moses state parks.

But just days before The Carltun shutters its doors, 150 Long Island business owners, former guests and everyday citizens placed bids on marble cabinets, antique armoires, flat-screen TVs and a vintage pool table.

"It's an iconic place," said Gerard Trimboli, president of American Auctions Liquidations Appraisals Inc. in Commack, who served as the auctioneer. "There's been several presidents that were entertained there. There's been several celebrities that were entertained there. So it's not everyday … that you run into a place like this."

Dawn DeLeo of Merrick got married at The Carltun in 2008 and returns every year to celebrate her anniversary.

"When I heard they were closing, I wanted to have something that I could remember the place by," said DeLeo, who was hoping to come home with a small painting. 

The auction, which was expected to last six hours, had something for everyone.

In the catering or restaurant business? There's silverware, plates, water glasses, linens, convection ovens and double sinks.

For the collectors, there's framed oil paintings — although the murals of flying monkeys from the Palm Court restaurant, inspired by "The Wizard of Oz," was not for bid — Swarovski crystal chandeliers and the piano, which went for just $250.

And the out-of-the box items. A giant menorah, along with boxes of Christmas and Halloween decorations. A bird cage. Hot dog cart. Pizza ovens. Firepits. Surveillance systems. Even a grape crusher.

Jeff Connelly of Wantagh walked away with one of the auction's most well-known items — the King's table and seven chairs that was kept in The Carltun's wine cellar.

"I'm actually in the process of finishing my basement," an elated Connelly said after winning the set for $2,000. "It's going to be a perfect piece."

Capetola and then-partner John Tunney took over The Carltun in 1995, signing a long-term lease with Nassau for the property that borders the park’s golf course.

Capetola said the facility was in a "state of disrepair" and he spent an estimated $6 million in renovations, including the build out of a restaurant on the main floor, an upstairs cigar club and several banquet rooms.

Since then, The Carltun has hosted former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and Secretary of State Madeline Albright, who Capetola said negotiated a deal to support Iraqi businesses in the venue's bridal suite. The Carltun was also the location for the wedding scene in "28 Days" with Sandra Bullock.

After almost 30 years of 75-hour work weeks, Capetola said it's time to walk away. But he concedes it's difficult to see the building's furniture, artifacts and memorabilia sold for pennies on the dollar.

"It's like taking out one of your ribs out without surgery," he said. "Like somebody's reaching in your stomach and pulling it out."