The Preservation League of New York State recently awarded six Preserve NY grants to support new preservation projects at a variety of historical sites in Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Please see below for a list of Long Island grantees provided by the Preservation League’s website.
The Preserve New York grant program is a partnership between the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) and the Preservation League of New York State, made possible with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. The Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation has provided additional support for projects in New York City, Nassau, and Suffolk Counties.
The following text and images were originally published on the Preservation League’s website…
Nassau County
North Shore Land Alliance – $9,750
Schmidlapp Humes Estate Cultural Landscape Report
The Schmidlapp Humes property in Mill Neck was once part of a historic borderline between the Dutch and English colonies in the 1650s. The property includes a 1740 home and an 1810 tavern as well as meadows, hillsides, wooded areas, and landscape features including a 1960 Japanese Stroll Garden. In 2015, the property was acquired by the North Shore Land Alliance, founded to protect important natural spaces on Long Island’s north shore but also invested in preservation of significant historic properties. A $9,750 Preserve New York grant will enable the Alliance to hire Heritage Landscapes to complete a Cultural Landscape Report of the 28-acre property. The group will use this report to supplement their conservation plans and educational programming while guarding against further losses and changes to the natural landscape and historic structures.
Nassau County
Village of Rockville Centre – $11,200
Village of Rockville Centre Reconnaissance Level Survey
In Nassau County, the village of Rockville Centre’s history is illustrated by its architectural variety. Queen Anne Victorian and Tudor Revival style homes surround an elegant and walkable village center. Just forty-five minutes from Penn Station, it offers young families a way to enjoy quiet village life with an easy commute to New York City. Many of the existing historic homes in town were built on large parcels of land. Historic homes are vulnerable to developers who purchase and raze them, then build multiple new homes on the lots. An $11,200 Preserve New York grant will enable the village to hire Nancy Solomon of Port Washington to complete a Reconnaissance Level Survey of the historic properties in Rockville Centre and complement efforts by the Mayor to create a Task Force for Historic Preservation.
Suffolk County
Sylvester Manor Educational Farm – $10,000
Sylvester Manor Burying Ground Cultural Landscape Report
Sylvester Manor on Shelter Island is considered the most intact remnant of a northern plantation and was settled in 1652 by sugar merchant Nathaniel Sylvester. Held by descendants of Sylvester for 362 years, the Manor retains a number of artifacts and archives that tell the story of the site. Many enslaved people lived and worked on the Manor Farm and were interred in the “Burying Ground of the Colored People of the Manor Farm from 1651.” Nestled in a wooded clearing between the forks of the main Manor drive, the burying ground remains in a mostly natural state, with minimal clearing of debris and fallen trees. A $10,000 Preserve New York grant will enable the Sylvester Manor Educational Farm to hire Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects of New York City to create a complete Cultural Landscape Report to better articulate the significance of the burying ground.
Madoo Conservancy – $8,000
Madoo Conservancy Cultural Landscape Report
The Madoo Conservancy maintains and preserves a large public garden in Sagaponack for public enjoyment. The Madoo property also includes several historic structures including a barn that dates to the 1740s and a mid-19th century barn. In 1967, the artist, writer and gardener Robert Dash lived at Madoo and established a formal garden featuring Tudor, High Renaissance, early Greek and Asian influences. The garden, because of its proximity to the ocean, is threatened by coastline erosion, water quality issues, and encroaching development. An $8,000 Preserve New York grant will enable the Madoo Conservancy to hire LaGuardia Design Group of Water Mill to create a Cultural Landscape Report to outline periods of significance and develop a maintenance plan to ensure the public can continue to enjoy this enchanting 2-acre oasis on Long Island’s South Fork.
Suffolk County
Commack Union Free School District – $7,620
Marion Carll Farmhouse Building Condition Report
The Marion Carll Farm is the only 18th/19th century period farm complex in the Town of Huntington with a full set of historic structures in a natural and undisturbed setting. The buildings include two large mid-18th century barns, two early carriage barns, an 18th century corn crib, plus silos, a milk house, smoke house, poultry house, well house, privy, wind pump and ice house. The farmhouse retains many of the belongings of the Carll family. The Commack Union Free School District owns the property, but the buildings have been vacant and deteriorating for nearly 20 years. A $7,260 grant will enable the district to hire Steward Preservation Services of Huntington to complete a Building Condition Report of the Marion Carll farmhouse and plan for its preservation. In an area of Long Island where historic buildings and open spaces are increasingly lost to development, this is a remarkable collection of historic resources.
Suffolk County
Smithtown Historical Society – $5,800
Obadiah Smith House Building Condition Report
The Smithtown Historical Society (SHS) preserves and maintains the history and culture of Smithtown and the surrounding areas through a museum-like campus of historic buildings that are open to the public for exhibitions and programming. One of these, the Obadiah Smith House, was built ca. 1700 and is an early example of English and Dutch building traditions. The house retains its original beehive oven, one of the only surviving structures of its time. The Obadiah Smith House is threatened by deterioration and severe weather. A $5,800 Preserve New York grant will enable the Smithtown Historical Society to hire Steward Preservation Services of Huntington to complete a comprehensive Building Condition Report to inform the creation of a preservation and maintenance plan, and ensure that the Obadiah Smith House can be enjoyed by visitors for years to come.
