Orgies earned Fire Island its reputation as a beach-side Studio 54 for sexually-liberated New Yorkers.
But the small paradise also holds a less salacious legacy – as a hub of pioneering Modernist architecture.
Decades later, the future of these structures is uncertain, as property developers eye up the thin strip of land neighboring Long Island’s more accessible vacation spots, the Hamptons and Montauk.
These images by photographer Paul Barcena offer a unique insight into the lingering beauty of the hard-to-reach retreat as it faces a turning point.
The island, only reachable by boat, is at most 400 meters wide, with some parts as thin as 150 meters. It consists of a few hamlets, including Cherry Grove and Fire Island Pines, the most accessible point.
Images by Paul Barcena give insight into Fire Island in New York, a place known as a safe haven for the gay community
Less known fact: The island is also a hub of pioneering Modernist architecture, which can be admired all over the place
Strolling along the beach: The island’s serenity is in part due to the fact that it’s only reachable by boat. For New Yorkers, getting there takes a three-hour journey of trains and buses
It became a haven for the city’s gay community in the 1960s-70s, as violent crime thrived in Manhattan and Brooklyn, and people were persecuted for their sexual preferences.
‘[T]he Pines is to gay people what Israel is to Jews,’ Andrew Kirtzman, a resident and property developer summarized to the New York Times in 2013.
While it had always been a retreat for New York’s bohemians, there was a wave that started in about 1961, beckoning the likes of Andy Warhol, party-photographer Meryl Meisler, Calvin Klein, and David Geffen.
Aside from wild beach parties, many young professional gay men moved to the island to get away from hostility in the city – bringing over a movement of young, gay Modernist architects who gave the island the structure it has today.
The Modernist movement in the island began in the 1960s, when young, gay Modernist architects began moving there to escape hostility and crime in New York City
A small paradise: Fire Island is at most 400 meters wide, and some parts are as thin as 150 meters
To this day, there are no cars on the island, just yachts, boats, some well-manicured dogs, and pine trees lining the beach
These architects, including Horace Gifford and Harry Bates, constructed open and unconventional buildings, with big windows that span three floors, decked rooftops and open piazzas.
Their work has been hailed as erotic, seductively leaving parts of the building exposed, something that is not seen in conventional architecture.
At the root of this Modernist movement was an expression of freedom and liberation for a marginalized community, and Barcena captured these structures bare.
The wave of Modernist architects that flooded Fire Island in the 1960s built open and unconventional buildings, with big windows that span three floors, decked rooftops and open piazzas
The work of the Fire Island Modernists has been hailed as erotic, seductively leaving parts of the building exposed, something that’s not seen in conventional architecture
The legacy of Modernist architecture in Fire Island is uncertain, as developers eye the strip of land that neighbors more accessible vacation spots like the Hamptons and Montauk
‘I wanted to capture the island with almost nobody there, to see it’s unusual structure exposed,’ Barcena said.
‘It is very open spatially, and the atmosphere is very serene, almost surreal. You can’t help feeling a sense of calm when you’re on Fire Island.’
To this day, there are no cars on the island – just yachts, boats, some well-manicured dogs, and pine trees lining the beach, offering a landscape unparalleled anywhere in New York.
The island becomes even more tranquil when the high season is over, the temperature drops, and fewer New Yorkers are willing to make the three-hour journey of trains and buses to get there.
Barcena’s images show the island as it reached its hangover of summer: the beaches emptied, and the untouched pools dotted with falling leaves. Occasionally, pairs of residents strolled down the beach in Speedos.
The island slows down as summer comes to an end, and tourists and time-sharers go back to their full-time homes
Photographer Paul Barcena wanted to capture the island at the end of summer, when it’s empty and tranquil
‘At this time of year, when summer is coming to an end, you feel the intensity of the place,’ Barcena explained
As two of the most imposing beach-side houses lie half-collapsed after a mid-summer fire, it is quiet, cold, and delicate – and at a turning point.
‘At this time of year, when summer is coming to an end, you feel the intensity of the place,’ Barcena explained.
‘Even though there are people, it almost feels like there is no one there. And all the human elements – the people, the man-made buildings, the hot pink vodka bar, the pools – for some reason it feels like they are in sync with the natural elements of the space, in perfect harmony.
Summer hangover: Two of the most imposing beach-side houses in the island lie half-collapsed after a mid-summer fire
Fire Island’s tranquility had always attracted New York’s bohemians, but there was a wave that started in about 1961, that brought in the likes of Andy Warhol and Calvin Klein
‘All the human elements – the people, the man-made buildings, the hot pink vodka bar, the pools – for some reason it feels like they are in sync with the natural elements of the space, in perfect harmony’ said Barcena of the island
Barcena added that he had never been to a place like Fire Island before and called the urban design ‘unique and captivating’
‘Before going to Fire Island, I had never been to a place like it before. I had been to islands where there are no motorized vehicles but not to a place quite like this one, where the urban design is so unique and captivating.
‘The buildings are all completely different from one another but they share the same feeling, a kind of uniform color scheme, and feeling of openness.’
He added: ‘The more you know about the history of the island, the more beautiful it is.
‘The fact that it has been a haven for the gay community, a marginalized community, and that this haven is so peaceful and beautiful and inspired the construction of such unusual architecture… it creates an extra layer to the atmosphere of the place.’