Oak Beach Inn

History and controversy

In 1969, Robert Matherson bought what was then a waterfront barrier island restaurant and converted it into an enormously popular (and controversial) nightclub. He later opened four more OBI night clubs and named them according to their geographic location. The OBI North was in Smithtown, New York, the OBI East near the Shinnecock Canal en route to The Hamptons and two OBI West locations in Island Park, New York. All five clubs were located on Long Island and were wildly successful for many years, bringing people in from all over Long Island, New York City, Westchester, southern Connecticut and New Jersey and hosting acts such as Twisted Sister and The Good Rats. In 1979, Matherson sued the town to lease him more land for additional parking which the town granted. However two years later, new officials disagreed which caused Matherson to sue again and when the court favored with Matherson, the town granted him $3 million and the nine acres. In 1993, an unhappy Matherson actually started a "Move Out of New York Before It's Too Late" campaign complete with a hearse, banners and TV ads. A 1993 New York Times article provided more details about his campaign including that the New York State Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control raided the club one year earlier in 1992. One of the OBI West locations burned down after only a couple of years of packing in thousands on the weekends. Arson involving organized crime figures referred to in the movie Goodfellas was alleged but never substantiated.

Over the years, the OBI was involved in many disputes with the local community over issues such as noise, parking and traffic. Finally, in 1999, Matherson sold the property to developer Ross Cassata, who planned to build condominiums, and moved to Key West, Florida to open a new club of the same name. When it closed, the inn's two-ton statues of whales and dolphins, which were commonly touched by clubgoers, were moved to Danfords on the Sound in Long Island. However, Cassata then sold the nine acres to Suffolk County for $7.95 million and the original property was torn down in 2003 and was replaced with a town-operated park, with later added plans of adding a bed and breakfast, upscale restaurant, boardwalk, water-sport area and boat ramp. The park now hosts activities such as car racing and has caused controversy in itself. At the time of demolition, the Suffolk County Legislator commented that the park agreement avoided "an enormous tax increase in Babylon, which would have had to pay a court judgment of as much as $20 million or watch its coastline be forever scarred by high-rise development" and the money came from the county's greenway program.

Robert "Rosebud" Butt is credited with inventing the Long Island Iced Tea while working as a bartender at the OBI in the 1970s.

In popular culture

In 2010 the Babylon-based rock band "Two Cent Sam" released the "OBI Song" and a DIY video celebrating the Oak Beach Inn's history and impact on Long Islanders and the void in Long Island night life after the "OBI's" destruction