Dowling College - Dowling College Library

Parent Organization: Dowling College
150 Idle Hour Blvd
Oakdale, New York 11769-1999
Phone: 631-244-3280
Fax: 631-244-3374
Geolocation:

Dowling College - Dowling College Library

About

DOWLING COLLEGE IS NOW CLOSED. Please refer to website http://www.dowling.edu/.

DOWLING COLLEGE BANKRUPTCY
On November 29, 2016, Dowling College (the “Debtor”) filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 11 of title 11 of the United States Code (the “Chapter 11 Case”) in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of New York (the “Bankruptcy Court”). The case has been assigned to the Honorable Robert E. Grossman. (Case No. 16-75545).

Garden City Group, LLC, the claims and noticing agent for the Dowling College bankruptcy proceeding has established a Case Administration website providing further information regarding the bankruptcy proceedings.

Dowling College originated in 1955 when Adelphi College offered extension classes in Port Jefferson, Riverhead, and Sayville. In 1959, at the urging of community leaders, Adelphi Suffolk College became the first four year, degree granting liberal arts institution in Suffolk County, housed in an old public school building in Sayville. In January 1963, Adelphi Suffolk College purchased the former W.K. Vanderbilt estate in Oakdale and began developing as an important educational force on Long Island.
In 1968, the College severed its ties with Adelphi and was renamed after its chief benefactor, Robert Dowling, a noted city planner, philanthropist, and aviator. In response to increased enrollment, the Racanelli Learning Resource Center was constructed in 1974 to house the library, cafeteria and additional classrooms. One month after the LRC opened, a devastating fire started in the mansion. The ornate ceremonial rooms of the College (the Hunt Room, the Foyer and Ballroom) were substantially damaged. A College committee, led by Dowling Trustee Alan Fortunoff, guided the restoration of the ornate woodwork, precious marble, and the elaborately carved stonework. While many of the fine details were lost, the grandeur and fine proportions remain. The building was named in honor of Max and Clara Fortunoff. The mansion was designed to be entered from the side facing the river where the Vanderbilts once maintained a floating mahogany dock for their steamship “Mosquito. ” Guests arriving by water would ascend the wide stairway from the river and cross the Great Lawn to the entrance guarded by ancient carved lions. Take time to cross the lawn and enjoy the view from the top of the marble stairs. The Restoration Committee for W.K. Vanderbilt’s “Idle Hour” continues to raise funds to preserve and restore historic and artistic elements of the Gilded Age such as renowned sculptor Karl Bitter’s “Diana” in the Hunt Room.
In 2000 the campus in Oakdale was renamed in honor of Trustee Scott Rudolph.

Dowling College - Dowling College Library is a member of the Long Island Library Resources Council.

Collections

Dowling College Postcard Collection

Historic postcards of Oakdale, Long Island.