OBMSA Receives Preservation Grant

National Trust for Historic Preservation Awards the 

Oyster Bay Main Street Association a Preservation Grant 

To Procure Historic Architectural Services for 49 Audrey Avenue

Media Contacts: 

NTHP Public Affairs, 202.588.6141, PR@SavingPlaces.org

OBMSA, Meredith Maus, 516.922.6982, mamaus@oysterbaymainstreet.org

Oyster Bay, New York (August 20, 2015) - The Oyster Bay Main Street Association was awarded a $4,718.75 grant by the National Trust for Historic Preservation from the Johanna Favrot Fund for Historic Preservation. These grant funds will be used to secure the services of Historic Architect John Collins during the initial planning phases of an intended larger renovation of 49 Audrey Avenue by the owner.

49 Audrey Avenue, April 2015
Photos by Meredith Maus

Project Description

Mr. Collins will produce detailed drawings and plans on 49 Audrey Avenue, which will provide a complete overview of the project and will be vital during every phase of the intended renovation.  Record drawings will be completed to the standards of the Historic American Building Survey and will serve to provide a deeper understanding of existing conditions within the building, highlighting important historic features and fabrics.  Should later investigations reveal greater historical importance related to the building, these drawings will serve as a record of the original building prior to renovation.  Preliminary and final design drawings; construction drawings; and code compliance oversight will also be provided and supported through this grant.

49 Audrey Avenue is a large, high-visibility building on the main thoroughfare of Oyster Bay.  The five apartments on the second and third floors have been vacant and out of compliance for over ten years and the commercial spaces have been vacant since the former tenant, The Chocolate Lady, relocated in 2012.  The renovation of this high profile building will help two-fold by combating blight in the downtown, as well as, increasing the number of residential units available in the downtown - giving a boost to the base available to better support local commerce.  "Beyond that," said Meredith Maus, Executive Director of the Main Street Association, "we hope this renovation will also serve as an example of how the proper renovation of an historic building will help attract and sustain appropriate businesses in our downtown."

Grant Information

"Organizations like the Oyster Bay Main Street Association, help to ensure that communities and towns all across America retain their unique sense of place," said Stephanie Meeks, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "We are honored to provide a grant to the Oyster Bay Main Street Association, which will use the funds to help preserve an important piece of our shared national heritage."

Grants from the National Trust Preservation Funds range from $2,500 to $5,000 and have provided over $15 million since 2003. These matching grants are awarded to nonprofit organizations and public agencies across the country to support wide-ranging activities including consultant services for rehabilitating buildings, technical assistance for tourism that promotes historic resources, and the development of materials for education and outreach campaigns.

For more information on National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Preservation Fund grants, visit: www.PreservationNation.org/funding

About the National Trust for Historic Preservation

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately-funded nonprofit organization that works to save America’s historic places to enrich our future. The National Trust for Historic Preservation is committed to protecting America’s rich cultural legacy and helping build vibrant, sustainable communities that reflect our nation’s diversity. Follow us on Twitter @presnation.

About the Oyster Bay Main Street Association

Oyster Bay Main Street Association (OBMSA) is dedicated to enhancing and promoting an attractive and thriving downtown, while maintaining its historic integrity. We are a 501 (c) 3 Non-Profit using the National Main Street Approach® to downtown revitalization.  To learn more or to become a member, please visit: www.oysterbaymainstreet.org.

Sagamore Hill National Historic Site Re-Opening!

Sagamore Hill, Photograph taken by Meredith Maus

Oyster Bay, New York - The main house at Sagamore Hill National Historic Site has been closed to visitors since December 4, 2011.  In the past four years - while the grounds, Visitor Center, and Theodore Roosevelt Museum at Old Orchard have remained open - the 26th President's former home underwent a $10 million renovation.

The pain-staking renovation may not be noticeable to returning visitors - and this is exactly the point.

All of the books, hunting trophies, and furniture were removed from the massive three-story and 28 room mansion during the renovation - which included replacing the roof, repairing the foundation, and rewiring the home's electrical system - and then replaced exactly where they had been.

Sagamore Hill National Historic Site during Renovation
Photograph by Meredith Maus

"We hope that if he walked

through the front door right

now, he would think he was

back during the presidential

years."

- Susan Sarna

Museum Curator

The home is now slated to open its doors again to the public and a grand re-opening celebration has been organized by the staff to commemorate this momentous occasion!

Come one, Come All!

To the Re-opening Celebration & Family Festival! 

Sunday, July 12, 2015 starting at 10 am

• Reopening address to be presented by Roosevelt family members, public officials, and an appearance by Theodore Roosevelt (portrayed by James Foote)
• 10 AM - Tale of Two Teddies - Children's book author, Kathleen Bart will be signing books in the book store
• 11 AM to 4 PM - Children's Activities
• Arts & Crafts
• Old-Fashioned Games
• Pony Rides
• Rough Rider Enlistment
• 1 PM - "Rough Riders" Cavalry Demonstration
• 2 PM - Sagamore Hill Band - Under the direction of Steve Walker
• 11 AM to 4 PM - Other Performances Demonstrations & Services
• Long Island Band Organ under direction of Michael Falco
• Interactive Photobooth provided by Baltimore Photo Social
• Historic Carriages displayed by Paumanok Driving Club
• Antique Automobiles displayed by Long Island Sound Region: Classic Car Club
• Food & Refreshements will be available through vendors on site

Sagamore Hill's gateway community - Oyster Bay - is also busy prepping for the event.  Trolly service will be available from the LIRR station and other parking locations in the downtown to Sagamore Hill to help cut down on congestion at the hill.  Great restaurants and businesses will be open for those interested in making it a whole day affair!

Join us for OBMSA's Annual Meeting!

Please Join Us!

Oyster Bay Main Street Association's

Annual Meeting 

January 29th at 6:00 pm

Thursday, January 29, 2015 join the Oyster Bay Main Street Association for their Annual Meeting to be held at the Christ Church Parish Hall - 61 East Main Street, Oyster Bay, New York 11771.

Enjoy refreshments as we review the accomplishments of the organization over the past year  and what we are looking to accomplish in the year to come.  

The meeting, which is OPEN and FREE to the public, is an excellent opportunity to learn more about the Main Street Association and how you can get involved in the improvement of downtown Oyster Bay or, as the case may be, what we as an organization can do for you as a resident, building owner or business owner in the downtown.

SPECIAL GUEST - JOHN COLLINS

A special presentation will also be given by historic architect John Collins - member of the Town of Oyster Bay Landmarks Commission and President of Raynham Hall.  Mr. Collins will lead a brief discussion on how the maintenance and proper renovation of historic properties helps to sustain and attract appropriate businesses in a downtown, highlighting specific projects he has had an opportunity to work on in and around Oyster Bay.  

For all individuals concerned about local property values, the economic vitality of our downtown, and Oyster Bay's future - this is an event not to be missed!

Oyster Bay Main Street Association Moves Forward With Grant Funding

The Oyster Bay Main Street Association has been quietly working on its mission of revitalizing and preserving Oyster Bay’s historic downtown and is pleased to announce that it has completed administering its 2009 New York State Main Street Grant.

As of May 2012 it has successfully disbursed the entire grant amount of $200,000 back into the Hamlet of Oyster Bay. Funds were used for façade improvements on the Brower House and Townsend Annex Building, now home to two new businesses, the Mill Pond and Spotted Owl Consignment shops. Additional funds were disbursed to several other businesses in the downtown including “Coin Galleries of Oyster Bay”, “Sweet Tomato Healthy Eatery”, “Jack Halyards American Grill”, “Gone Dancing Studio of Dance” and “Shangri La Spa”. Finally, funds were used to purchase 6 recycling receptacles which will be strategically placed in the immediate downtown business district.

In late 2011 the OBMSA was awarded an additional $500,000 grant similar in scope to the 2009 grant and is happy to announce the first projects are underway. These include the purchase and installation of 12 additional streetlamps to be located along South Street, and the purchase of a reproduction antique street clock to grace the outside plaza of the Oyster Bay Railroad Museum.

As it had done with the previous New York Main Street Grant, the organization will use additional grant funds to assist business and building owners with historically appropriate signage and façade improvements. It is the hope of the organization that other business owners will utilize Main Street’s grants to improve their buildings and signage to one that is both appealing and cohesive in a historic downtown like Oyster Bay.

For those who are interested in learning more about the Oyster Bay Main Street Association and how to apply for assistance in signage and facade improvements, please call 516-922-6982 or visit http://www.oysterbaymainstreet.org/.

Contact:

Meredith Maus, Project Manager

oysterbaymsa@gmail.com

(516) 922-6982

Oyster Bay Main Street Association Executive Director Resigns After Four Years of Service

Isaac D. Kremer downtown.
Credit: Danielle Finkelstein/Newsday

Oyster Bay, New York – Nearly four years to the day since he first arrived, Isaac D. Kremer announced that he will be leaving the Oyster Bay Main Street Association where he served as Executive Director to assume a new role with the leading historic preservation organization in Austin, Texas.

“These past four years have provided a remarkable opportunity for personal and professional growth,” Kremer said. “The Main Street Association is now more focused on the historic preservation aspect of their mission than at any time ever before, and they now have the resources to carry out that mission.”

During his tenure several major historic preservation and building renovation projects were undertaken and completed, most notably the restoration of the historic Octagon Hotel. Theodore Roosevelt ran his campaign for Governor from this building and was a frequent guest. Close to another dozen projects followed, resulting in creation of new residential and commercial units downtown.

Several major State and Federal Grants were secured. This included $700,000 through the New York Main Street Grant program, and another $70,000 from the Federal Preserve America program. When private and philanthropic gifts for projects such as the Octagon Hotel and a new interpretive and way-finding signage program are added, the amount raised in support of historic preservation and heritage tourism in Oyster Bay during Kremer’s tenure topped out at nearly $1 million.

Before and after photos of the Octagon Hotel, in 2008 and today. 

Partnerships were an important key to success. Projects with Sagamore Hill National Historic Site helped to highlight the many buildings with Theodore Roosevelt ties in the downtown. Oyster Bay was a founding member of the Gold Coast Mansions Historic Long Island Alliance to market and promote historic sites on Long Island. At the Federal level, Kremer participated in advocacy efforts for historic preservation through membership in Preservation Action and the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Main Street Center. He was also a member of the Rotary Club of Oyster Bay serving as Community Service Chair and President Elect.

The Main Street Association membership has undergone a remarkable transformation and growth over the past four years. The level of member giving reached the highest level in the history of the organization in fiscal year 2011, following upon four consecutive years of growth.

“What this shows is that the level of support for the Main Street organization mission among our members is the strongest it has ever been,” said John Bonifacio, Oyster Bay Main Street Association President. “This is a tribute to Isaac and his tenacity to lift up downtown Oyster Bay, by re-affirming our commitment to historic preservation.”

Dancing in the Street started in 2011.

The success in Oyster Bay is not measured merely by renovated buildings. Several new initiatives were started while Isaac was in Oyster Bay including the Oyster Bay Farmers’ Market, the Sundown Concert Series, Dancing in the Street, and many others. Individually and collectively these helped to attract people downtown once again.

Thirty businesses have opened or expanded in the downtown. Several of these business opened in under-utilized or previously vacant buildings that were upgraded and renovated thanks to State and Federal grants, as well as significant private investment.

Renderings from 1913 of "Hillside," a house at 198 East Main Street awaiting restoration.

This is a pattern that will hopefully continue moving forward. There are several large-scale projects such as restoration of the Hillside mansion (formerly the Trousdell House on East Main Street), as well as restoration of the Snouder’s Drug Store, and the Oyster Bay Long Island Railroad Station that will continue. By conservative estimates, close to $10 million in active or pending projects are underway that add to the over $30 million of investment made over the past decade.

“None of our success in Oyster Bay would have been possible without the support of the Oyster Bay Community Foundation, the Bahnik Foundation, and, most importantly, the time, passion, energy, and commitment of our Board of Directors and Members,” Kremer said. He added that on a personal level, “Oyster Bay gave me the greatest possible gift – I met my wife here and we have two beautiful sons. This is the legacy that I will forever be proudest of.”

Despite leaving, Kremer will seek to maintain a connection with Oyster Bay by continuing to advocate for support of revitalization of downtown areas across Long Island. Further, he will maintain his ties with the Underhill Burying Ground in Lattingtown, where Captain John Underhill was buried in 1672. Underhill helped to settle Oyster Bay in the 1650’s, and Kremer married his wife in Oyster Bay 350 years after Captain John Underhill married his wife in the same place.

Kremer hopes to come back a couple of times a year and to keep track of continued change and improvement in Oyster Bay. “Nothing would please me more than being able to stay at a bed and breakfast in a beautifully restored historic building near the downtown, and see Oyster Bay fully realize its potential to become one of the leading and most highly regarded small towns in America. The home town of Theodore Roosevelt deserves nothing less,” Kremer said.

In lieu of any gifts, Kremer has asked that financial contributions be made, in his name, to the Oyster Bay Main Street Association, P.O. Box 116, Oyster Bay, NY 11771.

Sagamore Hill offers tour of Theodore Roosevelt's Oyster Bay, Sunday, 2/19, 2pm

Oyster Bay– Join Park Ranger Howard Ehrlich on Sunday, February 19, 2012 on an easy walk through historic Oyster Bay. The walk will highlight the major sites in the hamlet connected to Theodore Roosevelt and his family. The one hour program is free and begins at 2:00 p.m. in the Long Island Railroad parking lot at the Oyster Bay station. Please wear comfortable walking shoes and dress appropriately for the weather.

Roosevelts’ have lived in Oyster Bay since the 1860s. In 1885, Theodore Roosevelt built Sagamore Hill two and a half miles east of the hamlet center. Oyster Bay came to national prominence when Theodore Roosevelt became the 26th President of the United States. Roosevelt frequented Oyster Bay for goods, services, transportation and business. The ranger guided walk will highlight the major locations and structures in the hamlet connected to Theodore Roosevelt and his family. The walk is one of the best ways for visitors to become acquainted with the rich history of a presidential tour just a stone’s throw away Sagamore Hill, Theodore Roosevelt’s “Summer White House.”

Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, located at 12 Sagamore Hill Road, Oyster Bay, New York, is a unit of the National Park Service.  The site was established by Congress in 1962 to preserve and interpret the structures, landscape, collections and other cultural resources associated with Theodore Roosevelt’s home in Oyster Bay, New York, and to ensure that future generations understand and appreciate the life and legacy of Theodore Roosevelt, his family and the significant events associated with him. NOTE: The Roosevelt Home was closed to the public for a two- to three-year period beginning December 5, 2011 due to a major rehabilitation of the home.  However, the Visitor Center, Theodore Roosevelt Museum at Old Orchard and the grounds will continue to be open and free interpretive programs will be offered.  For further information, visit our website at www.nps.gov/sahi, or call 516-922-4788. Be sure to follow us on twitter for updates at http://twitter.com/SagamoreHillNHS and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sagamore-Hill-National-Historic-Site/127271867334480

Oyster Bay Groups Plan Shadow Ball to Aid with Preservation of Historic House

Oyster Bay, NY – The Oyster Bay Historic Preservation Roundtable has launched a community-wide campaign to raise $60,000 to address the pressing stabilization needs of the Adelia and Cornelius McCoon House, the 1844 summer cottage that served most recently as the home of Dr. James Trousdell and family. The house and two-acre property at 198 East Main Street and the corner of Sandy Hill Road was purchased this spring by the North Shore Land Alliance. They are in the process of placing a conservation easement on the property, and making the property available to purchase by a private buyer. The campaign will culminate in a final community thank-you reception held at the house on September 18 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., where all supporters will gather to celebrate the success of their mission.

At the heart of the campaign is the Shadow Ball—a “danceless” fundraiser for which donors purchase tickets to an imaginary ball as their contribution to the McCoon House’s stabilization fund. Such a stay-at-home event is an Oyster Bay fundraising tradition of sorts. Mrs. Chauncey B. Garver, who owned the house with her husband from 1920 to1949, put on shadow balls to raise funds for charity. And, more recently, Angela Koenig arranged stay-at-home Mother’s Day events in support of the Doubleday-Babcock Senior Center (now the Life Enrichment Center).

Lisa Ott, President of the North Shore Alliance said about the event and also the fundraising effort, “I could not imagine a better way to protect this notable house and the land it rests on, then by taking a page from Mrs. Chauncey B. Garver’s fundraising playbook. The Shadow Ball will give us the resources needed to stabilize this important house, so it may be passed on to a buyer with an interest in conservation of the land and preservation of this important building.”

The Cornelius & Adelia McCoon House was originally a Greek revival home with Colonial Revival details added later around 1913. This is one of Oyster Bay’s last remaining examples of a summer colony destination for nineteenth-century visitors that included members of the Roosevelt and Irvin families. The Oyster Bay Historic Preservation Roundtable’s campaign to raise funds for immediate repair and stabilization work represents the first crucial step in preserving such a vital symbol of Oyster Bay history.

The Oyster Bay Preservation Roundtable represents the collaborative efforts of many community organizations, including the North Shore Land Alliance, Oyster Bay Historical Society, Oyster Bay Main Street Association, Oyster Bay Railroad Museum, Raynham Hall, Save the Jewel, and the Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities.

The Host Committee for the Shadow Ball fundraiser at this time includes: Phillip Blocklyn, John Bonifacio, Harriet Gerard Clark, Ben Jankowski, Isaac Kremer, Lisa Ott, Rita Pecora, and Alexandra Wolfe.

For more information please contact the North Shore Land Alliance at (516) 484-4419 or visit www.northshorelandalliance.org.

Sagamore Hill National Historic Site to continue the next phase of its Cultural Landscape Rehabilitation Work

Oyster Bay, NY—Work at Sagamore Hill National Historic Site to rehabilitate the site’s cultural landscape as recommended in the park’s 2008 General Management Plan will continue this spring. The work will include the rehabilitation of historic farm fields and installation of historic landscape features such as historic split rail fences and a historically accurate arbor at the Pet Cemetery. The National Park Service has awarded contracts to Four Mile River Farm Landscape, Inc. of Connecticut and Woven Steel, Inc. of Massachusetts amounting to $90,000 to carry out the landscape work and fabrication and installation of the arbor, respectively.

The first phase of the project which took place in spring 2010 included the re-planting of the site’s historic fruit orchard with 46 new trees; removal of non-historic trees, shrubs and brush in the southeast field and re-planting with native grass varieties; and removal of non-native invasive plants throughout the farm fields and forested areas.

The second phase this spring will rehabilitate an historic farm field adjacent to the site’s main parking lot and better define the south side of the west lawn by removing non-historic trees, undergrowth and invasive plants and replanting the fields with native grass varieties. A total of 620 feet of split rail fence will be re-introduced to its historic locations on the property. The fields will be maintained to preserve an open character and to protect wildlife habitat for nesting birds and turtles to name a few. Visitors will gain a better understanding and appreciation of the farm landscape that Roosevelt enjoyed so much through horseback riding and his famous “point to point walks” with his children.

The current non-historic pet cemetery arbor will be replaced with a more historically accurate one. The new arch shaped arbor will stand 7.5’ tall, 9’ wide, and 6’ long and contain two wooden benches flanking either side. Historic photographs and video were used by the landscape architect to design the feature. A creeping rose variety will be planted on either side of the arbor and trained to cover the structure as it had been historically.

According to Superintendent Tom Ross, the overarching goal of the landscape rehabilitation work is to present the farming landscape that Theodore Roosevelt and his family knew when they lived at the site. “Sagamore Hill was a working farm when the Roosevelt family resided there, with fence lined pastures and open fields, an orchard, and garden, but over time many of these open areas were overgrown and fences deteriorated,” said Ross.

“This work is a significant step in rehabilitating the landscape that Roosevelt knew and I think the visitors will be very pleased to experience the beautiful, split rail fenced farm fields and the return of the historic pet cemetery arbor.” He added, “These changes will go a long way in enhancing our ability to interpret the landscape that the Roosevelt family farmed, hiked, played and rode horse-back when they resided here.”

The landscape rehabilitation project complements the recently completed rehabilitation of four historic farm outbuildings and several cultural landscape projects including the reconstruction of the site’s windmill, rehabilitation of the historic macadam road stone wall and the rehabilitation of the herring bone pattern brick driveway under the Roosevelt home’s porte-cochere. All of these historic landscape projects are a cornerstone of the park’s 2008 General Management Plan.

The site’s cultural landscape rehabilitation is one of the major initiatives called for in the park’s General Management Plan (GMP) and Environmental Impact Statement. The plan is the result of a multi-year planning process (2003-2008), during the course of which the NPS held numerous public meetings and considered written comments from the public which was overwhelming supportive of the plan. The cultural landscape rehabilitation projects have been planned and designed by the National Park Service’s Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation based on the recommendations from the GMP and the site’s Cultural Landscape Treatment Plan. To view a copy of Sagamore Hill’s General Management Plan visit www.nps.gov/sahi and then search under management and then park planning. For more information on the projects, please contact Chief of Cultural Resources Amy Verone at 516-922-4271 x-17.

--NPS—

Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, located at 12 Sagamore Hill Road, Oyster Bay, New York, is a unit of the National Park Service. The site was established by Congress in 1962 to preserve and interpret the structures, landscape, collections and other cultural resources associated with Theodore Roosevelt’s home in Oyster Bay, New York, to ensure that future generations understand and appreciate the life and legacy of Theodore Roosevelt, his family and the significant events associated with him. Tours of the Theodore Roosevelt Home are by guided tour only. Visitors may only enter the Theodore Roosevelt Home by guided tour with a National Park Ranger or NPS volunteer. Tours of the house are offered on the hour beginning at 10:00am. The last tour of the day is offered at 4:00pm. Please note: Tours are limited to fourteen persons per group. On weekends and holidays tours often sell out 1 to 2 hours in advance. Admission is $5.00 for adults while 15 and younger are free.

Oyster Bay is the Place To Be this Spring and Summer!

Workers removing vinyl siding from the Brower House at 39-41 East Main Street in preparation for rehabilitation with support from a New York Main Street grant.

New York Main Street Grant
Since receiving a grant from the New York Main Street Grant program of the NYS Office of Community Renewal, we have invested $200,000 in five projects. Goals of this program include taking actions to prevent dangers to public health and safety, to preserve historic properties in danger of being lost, to reduce blight and contribute to the economic recovery of the area, and to improve properties with a residential component. The Brower House rehab at 39-41 East Main Street, and Fiddleheads restaurant expansion are underway. Other projects include adding signs, awning, and lighting to the North Shore Bank Building (Coin Galleries of Oyster Bay) at 90 South Street, renovation of the Townsend Inn Annex (9 Audrey Avenue), and tuck-pointing of the building at 63 Audrey Avenue now housing Shangri La Spa.

These projects build on the success of recent efforts to restore the Octagon Hotel. This building at Spring and West Main Streets is rapidly nearing completion, and will have 6 apartments and 3 retail units when finished.

---

Main Street Member Meeting at Oakcliff Sailing Center on April 15
Recently a non-profit organization was formed to train the next generation of competitive sailors in the U.S. The headquarters of this organization are at 4 South Street, just north of the downtown area. There will be a Main Street Member Meeting on April 15, from 7-9pm at Oakcliff Sailing Center. Their new director will be present to share more about the work of the organization. David Waldo, Executive Director of The WaterFront Center will also be on hand to discuss some of the work WFC is doing.

You may RSVP for this meeting on our Facebook fan page.

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Preserve America Grant

Presently Oyster Bay is being considered for a $250,000 grant from the Preserve America program of the National Parks Service to go towards a $500,000 project. This would allow us to improve existing signage and to add new way-finding and interpretive signage downtown, and to produce a website and brochure promoting Oyster Bay. Partners in this effort include the Town of Oyster Bay, Oyster Bay-East Norwich Central School District, and the Long Island North Shore Heritage Area. We should know by early summer whether these funds are awarded.

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Beautification Cocktail Fundraiser on April 19
A cocktail fundraiser with food tasting from local restaurants will be held Monday, April 19, 2010 at Dodds & Eder (221 South Street). Proceeds from the event which costs $65 per person, will go towards efforts to beautify downtown Oyster Bay. The fundraiser is being organized by the Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce. Reservations may be made by contacting them at (516) 922-6464.

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Oyster Bay Sundown
A live music series is being planned again for downtown Oyster Bay. Three restaurants: Canterbury’s, Fiddleheads, and The Homestead are all arranging to have live music every Thursday night. Live outdoor music will be provided the 1st Thursday of each month at Renaissance Plaza (24 Audrey Avenue) on June 3, July 1, & August 5, from 7-9pm each night. The kick-off for Oyster Bay Sundown will be held on May 3 at the Teaching Studios of Art to coincide with their spring registration drive. The last concert will be September 2 at The Homestead. These concerts are free and open to the public.

Sagamore Hill National Historic Site to re-plant historic Orchard and undertake other cultural landscape rehabilitation work

Oyster Bay, NY — Work at Sagamore Hill National Historic Site will begin this spring to replant the historic fruit orchard, rehabilitate historic farm fields, and install historic landscape features including split rail fences and an arbor at the Pet Cemetery.

According to Superintendent Tom Ross, the goal of the landscape rehabilitation work is to present the farming landscape that Theodore Roosevelt knew when he lived at the site. “Sagamore Hill was a working farm during Roosevelt’s lifetime, with fenced pastures, open fields and a large orchard, but over time, the fruit trees reached the end of their life spans and open areas were overgrown,” said Ross. “I think the visitors will be very pleased to see a flourishing orchard, beautiful farm fields and the return of historic features such as split rail fences and the historic pet cemetery arbor.”

The orchard project will remove dead and dying trees and replant approximately 40 trees, selected from historic varieties which would have been available during Roosevelt’s lifetime. The newly replanted trees will stand between 4’-6’ feet tall and include Baldwin, Roxbury Russetts, and Winesap apple and Seckel pear varieties. The trees will be planted among 20 surviving fruit trees to reestablish the historic grid pattern of the orchard. Over time the orchard will become an important interpretive feature to learn about historic orchards and fruit varieties which the family would have enjoyed.

Other landscape projects will rehabilitate historic farm fields by removing non-historic trees, undergrowth and invasive plants and replanting with native grass varieties. Historic split rail fence sections will be re-introduced to their original locations on the property. Fields will be maintained to preserve an open character and to protect wildlife habitat for nesting birds and terrapins. Visitors will gain a better understanding and appreciation of the farm landscape that Roosevelt enjoyed so much through horseback riding and his famous “point to point walks” with his children.

The current non-historic pet cemetery arbor will be replaced with a more historically accurate arbor. The new arch shaped arbor will stand 7.5’ tall, 9’ wide, and 6’ long and contain two wooden benches flanking either side. A creeping rose variety will be planted on either side of the arbor and trained to eventually cover the structure as it had been historically.

Several aspects of the work will be integrated with National Park Service training programs that are designed to strengthen the knowledge and skills of field staff. Using these projects as learning opportunities, employees from parks in the greater northeast will be assisting with accomplishing the work while learning valuable skills in orchard and landscape management.

The landscape rehabilitation projects will complement the recently completed rehabilitation of four historic farm outbuildings and several cultural landscape projects including the reconstruction of the site’s windmill, rehabilitation of the historic macadam road stone wall and the rehabilitation of the herring bone pattern brick driveway under the Roosevelt home’s porte-cochere. The historic landscape projects are a cornerstone of the park’s 2008 General Management Plan.

The site’s cultural landscape rehabilitation is one of the major initiatives called for in the park’s General Management Plan (GMP) and Environmental Impact Statement. The plan is the result of a multi-year planning process (2003-2008), during the course of which the NPS held numerous public meetings and considered written comments from the public which was overwhelming supportive of the plan. The cultural landscape rehabilitation projects have been planned and designed by the National Park Service’s Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation based on the recommendations from the GMP and the site’s Cultural Landscape Treatment Plan. To view a copy of Sagamore Hill’s General Management Plan visit www.nps.gov/sahi and then search under management and then park planning. For more information on the projects, please contact Chief of Cultural Resources Amy Verone at 516-922-4271 x-17.

--NPS—
Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, located at 12 Sagamore Hill Road, Oyster Bay, New York, is a unit of the National Park Service. The site was established by Congress in 1962 to preserve and interpret the structures, landscape, collections and other cultural resources associated with Theodore Roosevelt’s home in Oyster Bay, New York, to ensure that future generations understand and appreciate the life and legacy of Theodore Roosevelt, his family and the significant events associated with him. Tours of the Theodore Roosevelt Home are by guided tour only. Visitors may only enter the Theodore Roosevelt Home by guided tour with a National Park Ranger or NPS volunteer. Tours of the house are offered on the hour beginning at 10:00am. The last tour of the day is offered at 4:00pm. Please note: Tours are limited to fourteen persons per group. On weekends and holidays tours often sell out 1 to 2 hours in advance. Admission is $5.00 for adults while 15 and younger are free.

Oyster Bay Made Eligible for $200,000 in New York Main Street Funds

Oyster Bay, New York – The Oyster Bay Main Street Association is pleased announce that their organization will receive $200,000 from the New York State Main Street program for building renovation and streetscape improvements in downtown Oyster Bay.

This grant was among more than $30 million for community development and Main Street revitalization announced by Governor David A. Paterson. “Revitalizing traditional downtown business districts, and rehabilitating and renovating housing for working families will provide much-needed investment and make New York a better place to live, work and raise a family”, according to Governor Paterson.

More details about this exciting grant program and how business owners and building owners might apply for these funds will be announced at the Oyster Bay Main Street Annual Meeting on September 15, 2009, at 7pm, in Christ Church Parish Hall, 55 East Main Street.

Projects eligible for funding are located in a three block “target area” including the main intersection of Audrey Ave, East Main Street, and South Street, and bounded by Spring Street and Audrey Avenue to the West, Hamilton Avenue to the North, White Street to the East, and East Main Street & West Main Street to the south.

Building or business owners in the target area are eligible to apply for up to $40,000 per building, with an additional $20,000 per assisted residential unit available up to a maximum total of $100,000 per project. The grant will require at least a 25% cash match on the part of the owner.

Oyster Bay Main Street Association will be responsible for selecting projects from applications received. Main Street President Ellen Roché said, “At the direction of the state we are especially looking for projects in the target area that have historic value, are visually prominent on Main Street, or that will, with the assistance of grant funds, realize a stabilization or expansion of a Main Street business.”

The application that made Oyster Bay eligible for these funds was submitted in April, and received supporting letters from Raynham Hall Museum, Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, Save the Jewel By the Bay, and the Oyster Bay Historical Society. Sagamore Hill Superintendent Thomas E. Ross in their letter of support wrote, "The grant you are seeking is a critical piece in preserving and presenting the hamlet to thousands of visitors seeking to learn more about Theodore Roosevelt and the area's rich history."

Business and building owners considering applying for a grant are requested to attend a public workshop on Thursday, September 24, at 8:30am in the Christ Church Parish Hall, at 55 East Main Street. This will give people an opportunity to hear more about the program and to ask questions.

Completed applications are due by 4pm on Thursday, October 8, 2009, and may be delivered to the Main Street program office at 55 East Main Street, Oyster Bay. The grant application may be downloaded at the link that follows or by contacting Main Street at the information below: http://www.oysterbaymainstreet.org/OBMSA_Building_Renovation_Grant_Application.pdf

Contact: Isaac D. Kremer
P.O. Box 116, Oyster Bay, NY 11771
Phone: (516) 922-6982
Email: oysterbaymsa@gmail.com