The Denton name is prominent on the Nassau County atlas. Richard Denton, a British Presbyterian minister, immigrated to the New World in 1630 and, along with his son, Daniel, was among the founders of the town of Hempstead. A family descendant, Joseph Denton, built a farmhouse in 1795 on what would be 2045 Jericho Turnpike in New Hyde Park, just west of Denton Avenue.
The Denton House was renovated in a Georgian fashion into what approximated its present appearance in 1860, when a number of additions and ells appeared. After World War I it did time as a funeral home and it supported several restaurants. However the Denton Mansion fell on hard times and by the mid-1980s it appeared to have a date with the wrecking ball, when McDonalds acquired the property and made plans to raze it.
However, the town of North Hempstead and the village of New Hyde Park prevailed upon the corporation to renovate the building instead. While the interior was gutted, a grand staircase leads to a dining area on the second floor, and a glassed-in veranda makes a unique fast food experience. The Denton House was landmarked in 1988.
Have I been inside? Nope, but, of course, Scouting NY has.
Is it the most unusual McDonalds in the NYC area? Perhaps, but there is one on Broadway in the Financial District that features a piano player tinkling the keys above the front entrance.
8/10/14