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Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain, 1912, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arthur_Hammerstein.jpg
Arthur Hammerstein (1872 - 1955) was an American producer, songwriter, dramatist, playwright and theater manager.
Hammerstein was born in New York City to theater impresario and composer Oscar Hammerstein I. In 1908 Arthur started working on becoming a producer, and in 1910 embarked on his first production, the operetta “Naughty Marietta.” Arthur's brother Willie Hammerstein died in June 1914, and Arthur took over management of the family's Victoria Theater; however, the theater was not financially viable and closed the next year. Hammerstein went on to produce almost 30 musicals in 40 years in show business including Rudolf Friml operettas, and collaborations with his nephew, Oscar Hammerstein II, who went on to fame as part of the team Rodgers and Hammerstein. Hammerstein built what is today the Ed Sullivan Theater, which he operated from 1927 to 1931.
In 1924, Hammerstein built an expansive home for his bride, actress Dorothy Dalton in Beechhurst, a neighborhood in Whitestone, Queens - bordered by the East River and the Cross Island Parkway. During the era of silent movies, Beechurst was a go-to location for famous stars including actress Mary Pickford, nicknamed “America’s Sweetheart” during the silent film era, as well as the Marx Brothers and W.C. Fields. He named the neo-Tudor home, designed by architect Dwight James Baum, “Wildflower Estate,” after his longest-running play.
Hammerstein did not enjoy Wildflower long; in 1930 he had to sell it to support his theater operations. It became a yacht club and, and later a restaurant “Ripples on the Water,” which closed in the 1980s. The house was designated a landmark in 1982. The home was nearly destroyed by arson in 1994, then sat abandoned and empty for a number of years. The house was fully restored in 2000, and now is part of the Wildflower Estates condominiums. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Gray, Christopher, “Hammerstein Estate Gets Reprieve,” Chicago Tribune, December 10, 1988, https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1988-12-10-8802230609-story.html
“Arthur Hammerstein Dies at 82,” The New York Times, October 13, 1955, https://www.nytimes.com/1955/10/13/archives/arthur-hammerstein-dies-at-82-producer-of-naughty-marietta-son-of.html
“Mansion Built For Arthur Hammerstein Burns In Queens,” AP News, March 13, 1995, https://apnews.com/article/aa762be599174d0c92d649300189a713
Wikidata contributors, “Q4798965”, Wikidata, accessed December 7, 2023, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4798965