‘Half Way To Nirvana’ Roosevelt family estate gets landmark status in Westbury
The Town of Hempstead is giving landmark status to a plot of land in Westbury that was once the country estate of the family of Eleanor Roosevelt.
The estate had been torn down and its exact location was lost until 2011, when three East Meadow fifth-graders decided to embark on a research project.
After several months of pouring over historical documents and consulting experts, the students discovered the Roosevelt estate known as "Half Way To Nirvana" had been situated on the east side of present-day Salisbury Park Drive, near Valentines Road.
"It was really like a treasure hunt because one clue would lead to the next clue and there were maps and books and speeches and biographies all spread out in the classroom," says East Meadow teacher Carrie Cohen.
The students submitted their findings to the town, which then decided to give the site a historic designation.