On November 29, 2018, nearly two years after William Kissam Vanderbilt I’s historic Idle Hour estate was listed as one of Preservation Long Island’s 2017 Endangered Historic Places, the Islip Town Board voted unanimously in favor of adding Idle Hour’s mansion, powerhouse, well, and “love” tree to the town’s Planned Landmark Preservation Overlay District (PLP). Congratulations to Islip residents and three cheers to our friends at the Oakdale Historical Society whose advocacy energized broad community support for this important designation!
Although future plans for Idle Hour’s structures remain undecided, the newly approved PLP designation will protect the mansion, powerhouse, well, and love tree from demolition and encourage a sensitive approach to their adaptive reuse. Having achieved local landmark designation, Preservation Long Island encourages the property owners to nominate Idle Hour for listing on the State and National Registers of Historic Places, which would provide access to financial incentives, including the Federal Historic Tax Credits, in support of Idle Hour’s adaptive reuse and continued preservation.
