The unincorporated community in the town of Hempstead known as Lido Beach was once just an uninhabited, barren sandbar. Lido had its genesis when William Reynolds dredged the channel that bears his name and added tons of sand to create the resort of Long Beach and open the island to pleasure boats. The completion of the Loop Parkway in 1934 made Lido Beach more accessible to road travelers, but the area never really developed into a major resort like Long Beach. The hotel that gave the community its name was converted to residential condominiums in the 1960s, leaving the serene seaside haven of Lido Beach almost entirely residential with the exception of a scattering of night spots and bathing clubs.