Preservation of Community

A quick overview about your passion for giving back and historical structures.?

Factory Worker Houses

Located at 148 Main Street - Setauket

The Setauket Rubber Factory acquired a piano factory  building in 1876 which burned down  in 1904. The worker factory housing units  once served as worker housing. The 3 buildings in this photo were moved through cooperation between the Setauket Fire District and the Three Village Community Trust. 

The houses were moved from Old Town Road to the Trusts Headquarters

This project was made possible by a number of contributors.  Monetary donations, bridge loans, and state grants will help to re purposed these buildings  for light professional use in conjunction with a proposed change of zone to the parcel. Our office has organized all aspect of the project.

 

The Hawkins Homestead

Located 165 Christian Avenue. Stony Brook.

1700’s home at the gateway of the historic corridor of Christian Avenue sometimes referred to as the oldest house In Stony Brook. Not confirmed.

This house is on the National Register of Historic Places with the Secretary of Interiors. Prior to exterior rehabilitation efforts  this house was in a frame of neglect - frankly forgivable. 
The Three Village Community Trust  came to the calling with sweat equity by many, state grants, bridge loans + private and labor donations.

My role was to document the building and propose rehabilitation specifications  and alterations for bidding and state funding review. Efforts are on going and new grant and fundraising efforts are underway  to complete exterior and interior phases.

The Carriage shed

Located on Dyke Road overlooking the Village Green in East Setauket

It an open air covered shed for horse and carriage and was provided for select parishioners of the Caroline Church in East Setauket. The Caroline church building was erected in 1729.
 
The church, its barn and the carriage shed is listed on the national register of historic places nominated in 1991.

The Carriage shed was develop in 1878 and up until a few years ago remained unchanged.

The church facility staff removed boards from the upper level of the timber frame to prevent teens from using it as a sheltered “hang out”.
This change set off a series of structural failures. Combined with age and its open air exposed condition it got to the point of near collapse.

Barbara Russell, our Town historian and parishioner of the Caroline church spear headed a fundraising effort and grant effort to obtain the funds to start the rehabilitation and reconstruction effort. 

Our Role: Documenting the existing structure. Proposing alterations for new posting, footing and stabilization work scope, permitting with The Town of Brookhaven’s HDAC and the Building Department Division  for what is an unusual project with non-standard  detailing. Participated in a walking tour of the grounds with a representative of the Robert David Lion Gardner Foundation for an interview and successful matching grant fund award for what was a Planned Phase 1 of 2.
 

Bates Barn AKA Red barn – Setauket

The barn has used as a utility barn for support of the parks grounds. It is also used as a backdrop for free music performances on most Sundays  during the summer time. It has also appeared in a few Christmas cards as a runner up backdrop,  second to the Setauket Mill in the park. The barn is a go between marker to and from enchanted garden and short hiking trail the park offers.   Its significance matters to the public.

The “Bates Barn” was once part of the attached Bates property and was originally a Camp Upton building from WWI mobilization army barracks at Calverton . Our community has many buildings from the camp.
 
As a humble building with the intentions of utility only it was built in a rather frail but resourceful way and with time…. began to see structural damage to its basic frame, water damage and insect damage followed.