Flanders Schoolhouse

The old Flanders Schoolhouse on Route 24 in Flanders has been restored. It is reported to date from 1886 at which time it is believed to have replaced an older building. It is one of the few remaining one room schoolhouses in Suffolk County on its original site. It was in use as a one room school until June, 1959. Presently used as a private house, it was vacant and neglected until rescued. It retains some of the original varnished wainscotting and 10 foot ceilings. (BVL)

Wallace K. Harrison House

In July 2002, the Modernist Wallace K. Harrison House, listed on the National and State Registers in 1985, was designated a Town of Huntington landmark. Located in West Hills, the house was constructed in 1931-32 by architect Wallace K. Harrison, who, with Raymond Hood and Associates had been a key designer of Radio City Music hall (1931) and the Rainbow Room, and would later be key architect for the United Nations (1953), Rockefeller Center ( 1931-1965), Time-Life Building (1960) and Lincoln Center (1962-68). The house, built of concrete over a steel frame, was composed of a series of geometric shapes which hugged its hillside site. Fernand Leger, who lived at the house during the World War II, painted a mural on the bottom of a circular swimming pool built with the house and another mural over the living room mantel.

Sagtikos Manor

Sagtikos Manor, including all structures and 15 acres of property, has been acquired by Suffolk County and the contents of the house have been returned. Bringing the house up to museum standards, and cataloguing and conservation of the furnishings will require a major capital outlay. The Sagtikos Manor Historical Society, and other local groups are taking steps to raise money toward the restoration of the house and the construction of a visitors center.

Underhill Property

A plan for the preservation of the Underhill property, one of the last remaining Quaker farmlands, located on Rte. 107 and Jericho Turnpike in Jericho, has been announced. After more than 20 years of development battles and litigation, an agreement has been reached between by the Town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County and New York State to preserve over 50 acres of this parcel. Together with adjacent donated land and Town parkland landscape architects, a 95 acre “Underhill Preserve” will be created.

Tristram Dodge III House

The Tristram Dodge III house, constructed in 1719 by Sands Point’s first settlers, unless purchased by an interested party and moved off-site, will be demolished within the next few months. After the local landmark commission declined to land mark the property in 1993, it was sold to a new owner, who intends to construct a large house on the property. The property was declared eligible for the National Register in 1991. During hearings before the Sands Point Board of Zoning and Appeals, last Spring, information was presented by SPLIA and other historic preservation advocates regarding the importance of the house and property. Its significance lies not only in its pre-Revolutionary sec tions but also in the sections added by later owners, particularly Vincent Astor. The entire physical, social and cultural development of Sands Point is encapsulated in the house’s history and architecture.

Wallace K. Harrison Studio

The Wallace K. Harrison Guest House/Studio, built about 1950 on Harrison’s West Hills Estate, was demolished in October, 2002. Reflecting the main house, with its flat roof, smooth surfaces, large windows and cylindrical living room, the studio was composed of a single round concrete cylinder with an entrance wall of glass. The studio was situated on a separate lot from the main house, since the property was subdivided in 1983. The owner recently sold the lot, and in spite of efforts to landmark all of the remaining estate structures and property, the Huntington Town Board elected only to designate the main house and its associated features.

Twyford

“Twyford”, the former home of Charles and Natalie Peters Webster, now the Seatuck Wildlife Preserve, has been demolished, in spite of efforts by the Seatuck Environmental Association, SPLIA and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to list the site and its structures on the National Register of Historic Places, and to preserve them for use as an environmental education center. Although the State Board for Historic Preservation nominated the property for National Register listing, the U.S. Department of the Interior, siding with the Fish and Wildlife Service, which manages the property, recently rejected the nomination and the buildings have been cleared from the site.