Opinion: Riverhead needs historic preservation

Don’t you just love Penn Station? Of course not. The demolition of the original grand and glorious Penn Station was the wake-up call that gave birth to the culture of preservation in this country. Why do we need to consider preservation in Riverhead? Just like New York City, there is incredible architecture here and the story of this town’s birth and growth of more than two centuries. Riverhead’s history is what it means to be American, replete with British settlers and waves of immigration, farming, and stage-coach stops. Preservation of that history is how we show our children that where we live matters, in honoring the past we give value to the future.

People are always wary when any level of government comes knocking and proposes change to anything connected to our land. The practice of historic preservation is most simply put-the result of a rather young nation that is starting to lose pieces of its historic past, most notably, architecture. Oh, and by the way, National Register District designation doesn’t tell you what you can and can’t do with your property- participation is completely voluntary.

There are so many benefits to preservation: it is good for local businesses and tourism; it creates high paying construction jobs; 20 percent N.Y. State tax break on renovations for residences; a 40 percent total state & federal tax break on renovations for businesses; has no restrictions (tear your house down or paint it purple), and offers free advice from N.Y. State architects and designers on your renovation (but only if you want it.)

Look at downtown Riverhead. Main Street started as a local historic district and now is also a National Register Historic District. The renovations are coming fast now aren’t they? Why is that? Some would say it’s because of the Town Board but I think it has a lot to do with the local and national districts. It changes the mindset of people coming in to do business and live in the area. It also gives them more options- like the tax savings for adaptive re-use rater than demolition. Five years ago, Main Street looked very different, we now have a culture of preserving what’s beneath the stucco and bringing buildings back to their former glory. Look at Maximus, it was once the 5 and 10, and the new facades where Mazi is getting ready to open, not to mention the crown jewel of Main Street — the incredible restoration of the Suffolk Theater. The efforts of preservation have been seen all over town — from the Jamesport Meetinghouse and Jedediah Hawkins Inn to the local district in Wading River. There is so much to preserve and protect.

Over and over, community after community on Long Island has lost its culture and character and has become Anywhere, USA. But not here, we are like the town that, for a little while, time forgot- and we have the opportunity to research, learn, and re-tell our story. Architecture and community culture is part of that dialogue.

It’s time for the misinformation and distrust to end. Ask property owners within our local districts if they have experienced difficulty. I think you’ll be hard pressed to find anyone that has come before the Landmarks & Preservation Commission and hasn’t received assistance, support or approval for their project. Preservation Commissions all over America are working hard to be the difference between histories that survive and bulldozers that level the land and look like Route 58.

I know we are better off having the historic hamlets and scenic byways of our town preserved. How about you? Are you ready for our hamlets to get swallowed up by corporate greed as they move in to make a buck like most of the rest of Long Island? Or do you want to be a community that works together, just like we did on the Witch’s Hat, to keep the rural roots of farming, agriculture and the seaside life that draw so many to visit- every one of those visitors envious of the life we get to live here in Riverhead.

Georgette Keller, an elementary school teacher, is a member of the Riverhead Landmarks Preservation Commission and a founding member of Save Main Road, a group dedicated to the preservation of the character of the Main Road corridor. She lives in South Jamesport.

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