The building that housed the famous Beau Sejour Restaurant was built in 1852 by Wm. C. Hauxhurst of Farmingdale. It was of mortar and bricks made at the Round Swamp Road Brickyard in Old Bethpage. It had a full basement, was three stories high, about 55 ft. sq. with walls 3 ft. thick. The roof was capped with wood covered with tar paper with tons of crushed stones on top, later replaced with a copper roof. It was topped with a cupola and a flagpole. Alexander McConchie moved into the mansion in 1856. In 1865 Catherine McConchie, having lost her husband, sold the house and moved into a similar building across the street with her son-in-law, land speculator and builder, Jerimiah Tyler Weaver. There were various occupants for the next few years including the Powers family, who operated as a hotel. Eventually the mansion fell into disuse and was boarded up and soon became known as the 'haunted house'.
So it remained until 1908 when it was purchased by a prominent French chef Bernard Pouchon, who open it as the Hotel Beau Sejour which flourished for the next 60 years. 'Uncle Bernard' had already built a reputation with the rich and powerful in New York City and these friends and customers soon followed him out to the country. The 'horse and carriage trade' traveled the Hempstead Turnpike out to the Hamptons, resting at either the Beau Sejour in Central Park, or La Grange in Babylon or perhaps the Chez Robaire in Sayville. In 1917, Uncle Bernard sold the business to his sister-in-law and her husband, Elizabeth and Harry Wilson and it remained in the family for the next 55 years.
The Beau, was the first stop off the Turnpike that all the facilities needed by the carriage trade traveler for an overnight stay. There was a four-unit carriage house and a barn with a hayloft and a half a dozen stalls for the horses. The teamsters often spent the night in the loft while the guest were in the Beau having a lavish meal. The driver, however, was served in the 'chauffeur's room' and provided a small room in the back to sleep. The guest would be invited into the big walk-in ice boxes were they would select their main course then retire to the tap room for some drinks. As evening came on, the gas lamps would be lit, guest would sip their beverages, eat dinner, walk the grounds, get ready for bed and be on their way in the morning.
It was around this time that the carriage trade began to give way to the 'horseless buggy'. The Vanderbilt or Motor Parkway was built out to Lake Ronkonkoma and as the cars approached the Island Trees exit, the cupola could be seen with it's two flags flying. The Parkway also hosted the 'Vanderbilt Cup Races'. One of the earlier races had the finish line not too far from the Beau Sejour and the participants all came there to celebrate (except one - a sad non-winner from Europe went behind the barn and committed suicide.
A few years later there was another race. Athough the race was not well known, the contestants were. General Billy Mitchel in a staff car raced his friend Lawrence Sperry who was in a plane to the restaurant. General Mitchell(the loser) bought lunch!
The Beau Sejour continued catering to the 'carriage trade' under the hands of Edward and Paul Wilson until it's closing in 1974. Among the early guest were the above mentioned Vanderbilts and their friends the Astors. Over the years royalty found their way to the tables including Edward, Prince of Wales and his bride Wally Simpson, 'Roy' Rainier of Monaco, and His Majesty King Saud of Arabia. The world of entertainers was represented by occasional visits by Mr. Ziegfield and a bus load of "girls", Enrico Caruso, Arturo Toscannini, Schubert, Sir Cedric Hardwick, Sonia Hennie, Myrna Loy, Rex Harrison, Otto Premminger. Among the 'regulars' were Ralph Belamy, Arthur Godfrey, Alan King, Don Vorhees. Other guest from the world of politics, business and sports included Harry Truman, General George Marshall, a very young John F. Kennedy climbing an apple tree, Mr. Honer(harmonica), Schlemmer of Hammacher and Schlemmer, Armour(meats), Trommer(beer), O'Malley and Shea(baseball), Roy Cohn and Mayors Jimmy Walker and Robert Wagner to round off the list.
Among the most memorable and regular customers from 1937 through 1973 were the Executives from Grumman and thier guests. Each day, all those years, the Beau Sejour served lunch to those who made Grumman the great company it was.
December 1974: "The ghosts of former stage and screen stars, financiers and politicians scampered for shelter from the gluttonous shovel of the caterpillar doing it's deadly work"(Bethpage Tribune, Jan.2, 1975) demolishing this once proud and famous building. There is a Special Collection of Beau Sejour memorabilia along with a display at the Bethpage Public Library.