John B. Whyte
Encyclopedia
John Burlingame Whyte was a real-estate investor who developed Fire Island Pines, New York
.
and attended Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri
for two years before moving to New York City.
According to legend, Whyte parlayed a brief stay at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
into a male modeling career that landed him on the back cover advertisements of Life Magazine and Look Magazine
. He was regularly seen in campaigns for Stetson
hats, Inverness Scotch and Salem Cigarettes and True Cigarettes.
In the early 1960s, Whyte and Peggy Fears
, a former Ziegfeld Girl
, bought the Pines Hotel, which they renamed Fire Island Pines Botel because of the yachts docked in the Pines' harbor nearby.
Whyte bought Fears' share of the Pines Hotel in 1966 and eventually owned 80% of the commercial space in the Pines, including the Pines Dune and Yacht Club; the Cultured Elephant, a restaurant; the Pavilion, a legendary club in the disco era; and the Blue Whale Bar.
Social events in the Pines revolved around Whyte's establishments, including "Low Tea", a cocktail hour or Tea Dance
from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Blue Whale; "High Tea" from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Pavilion; and dancing from midnight until dawn at the Pavilion.
Despite the Pines' flamboyant reputation, Whyte enforced conventional mores of the era in his establishments, going so far as to shine flashlights on dancing couples at the Pavilion, for example, if he felt they were pushing the limits of acceptable behavior. Indeed, in 1975, at one of his bars, Whyte refused service to a drag queen
named Panzi
and some of her friends. In protest, Panzi later returned to the bar with more drag queens and compelled Whyte to serve them. This now notorious event eventually evolved into an annual drag show, called the Invasion of the Pines
, in which hordes of drag queens sail into the Pines Harbor via the Fire Island Ferry. (Reportedly, given the success of the Invasion as one of the highlights of the Pines' summer season, Whyte later termed his refusal of service one of the best mistakes he ever made.)
He co-founded The Pines Conservation Society in 1970. In 1984, he founded From the Pines With Love which recruited celebrities to perform at fundraisers for AIDS research. In 2002, the Fire Island Pines Community House was named Whyte Hall. Shortly before his death in 2004, Whyte sold his Fire Island Pines properties. Funded largely by his estate, a completely reconstructed Whyte Hall was completed during 2007.
He died on March 22, 2004.
Fire Island Pines, New York
Fire Island Pines is a hamlet in the Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, New York, United States...
.
Biography
Whyte was born in Milwaukee, WisconsinMilwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
and attended Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
for two years before moving to New York City.
According to legend, Whyte parlayed a brief stay at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
The Waldorf-Astoria is a luxury hotel in New York. It has been housed in two historic landmark buildings in New York City. The first, designed by architect Henry J. Hardenbergh, was on the Fifth Avenue site of the Empire State Building. The present building at 301 Park Avenue in Manhattan is a...
into a male modeling career that landed him on the back cover advertisements of Life Magazine and Look Magazine
Look (American magazine)
Look was a bi-weekly, general-interest magazine published in Des Moines, Iowa from 1937 to 1971, with more of an emphasis on photographs than articles...
. He was regularly seen in campaigns for Stetson
Stetson
Stetsons are the brand of hat manufactured by the John B. Stetson Company of St. Joseph, Missouri.Stetson eventually became the world’s largest hat maker, producing over 3.3 million hats a year in a factory spread over . Today Stetson remains a family-owned concern...
hats, Inverness Scotch and Salem Cigarettes and True Cigarettes.
In the early 1960s, Whyte and Peggy Fears
Peggy Fears
Peggy Fears was an American actress, who appeared in Broadway musical comedies during the 1920s and 1930s before becoming a Broadway producer.-Theater:Leaving New Orleans at the age of 16, she attended the Semple School...
, a former Ziegfeld Girl
Ziegfeld girl
Ziegfeld Girls were the chorus girls from Florenz Ziegfeld's theatrical spectaculars known as the Ziegfeld Follies , which were based on the Folies Bergère of Paris....
, bought the Pines Hotel, which they renamed Fire Island Pines Botel because of the yachts docked in the Pines' harbor nearby.
Whyte bought Fears' share of the Pines Hotel in 1966 and eventually owned 80% of the commercial space in the Pines, including the Pines Dune and Yacht Club; the Cultured Elephant, a restaurant; the Pavilion, a legendary club in the disco era; and the Blue Whale Bar.
Social events in the Pines revolved around Whyte's establishments, including "Low Tea", a cocktail hour or Tea Dance
Tea dance
A tea dance, or thé dansant is a summer or autumn afternoon or early-evening dance from four to seven, sometimes preceded in the English countryside by a garden party. The function evolved from the concept of the afternoon tea, and J. Pettigrew traces its origin to the French colonization of Morocco...
from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Blue Whale; "High Tea" from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Pavilion; and dancing from midnight until dawn at the Pavilion.
Despite the Pines' flamboyant reputation, Whyte enforced conventional mores of the era in his establishments, going so far as to shine flashlights on dancing couples at the Pavilion, for example, if he felt they were pushing the limits of acceptable behavior. Indeed, in 1975, at one of his bars, Whyte refused service to a drag queen
Drag queen
A drag queen is a man who dresses, and usually acts, like a caricature woman often for the purpose of entertaining. There are many kinds of drag artists and they vary greatly, from professionals who have starred in films to people who just try it once. Drag queens also vary by class and culture and...
named Panzi
Panzi
Panzi is an American gay activist.Hansen was educated at Pace University, where he studied business and accounting; thereafter he began working as a financial analyst, a business manager in the textile industry and an actor...
and some of her friends. In protest, Panzi later returned to the bar with more drag queens and compelled Whyte to serve them. This now notorious event eventually evolved into an annual drag show, called the Invasion of the Pines
Invasion of the Pines
During the summer of 1976, a restaurant in Fire Island Pines, New York, denied entry to a visitor in drag named Terry Warren. Fire Island Pines is a beach community on Fire Island east of New York City with a gay majority population that was at the time more affluent and conservative than the...
, in which hordes of drag queens sail into the Pines Harbor via the Fire Island Ferry. (Reportedly, given the success of the Invasion as one of the highlights of the Pines' summer season, Whyte later termed his refusal of service one of the best mistakes he ever made.)
He co-founded The Pines Conservation Society in 1970. In 1984, he founded From the Pines With Love which recruited celebrities to perform at fundraisers for AIDS research. In 2002, the Fire Island Pines Community House was named Whyte Hall. Shortly before his death in 2004, Whyte sold his Fire Island Pines properties. Funded largely by his estate, a completely reconstructed Whyte Hall was completed during 2007.
He died on March 22, 2004.