One of the most necessary of the support buildings was the Vanderbilt Laundry, built in 1904. Located off Idle Hour Boulevard and Middlesex Road on its own lane, Asbury Avenue, it is virtually hidden from passers-by. The laundry is a two-story English style half-timber and stucco house in a U-shaped plan with projecting end bays and a comfortable porch on the south side. The hip roof has a deep flaring overhang, above wide-mullioned casement windows and transoms. The many-gabled roof has occasioned the naming of the building "Nine Gables."

One can imagine that this building was a beehive of activity during the Vanderbilt era. In 1933, it experienced a surprising burst of activity again. While owned by the Thompson family, the developers of the Artist Colony, it was lent to the Oakdale School for two years while its quarters, located on Montauk Highway, were being rebuilt after a disastrous fire. Today, the Idle Hour Elementary School is located just opposite on Idle Hour Boulevard.

Next, a visit to The Farm and later Artist Colony.