Southampton Town Designates Two Historic Landmarks
Southampton Town has named a private home in Sag Harbor and the former Shinnecock Hills train station as landmarks, preserving both for the future.
The White-Collins-Mulvihill Residence in Sag Harbor, at 820 Brick Kiln Road, was once part of Spring Farm, which had encompassed 110 acres. In 2001, a 75-acre preserve was dedicated in the memory of the former owners, of Daniel Francis Mulvihill and wife Anna C. McDonough, and then in 2006 an additional 25 acres was preserved in memory of their son, William P. Mulvihill, an author whose published works include South Fork Place Names.
The cedar shingled residence with its original windows in tact was built around 1900 on a moraine stone foundation in the form of an “I-House.” “The home retains a very high level of historic integrity,” according to the Southampton Landmarks & Historic Districts Board.
Southampton Town Councilman Bridget Fleming said now that the White-Collins-Mulvihill Residence is a designated landmark, it opens up the possibility of further preserving it and the 10 acres it sits on by purchasing it through the town’s Community Preservation Fund. The CPF is financed through a 2 percent real estate transfer tax, and the money is used for purchasing and maintaining parkland, buying development rights, and protecting historic properties of community interest.
At 100 Hills Station Road, the Shinnecock Hills Train Station and Post Office dates back to 1887. “With its cylindrical two-story tower based with stonework and topped with a turned wood finial, the Shingle-style building with jack-arched windows on the western half survives as one of the most aesthetically pleasing and architecturally unusual train structures on Long Island,” the landmarks board stated.
The LIRR quit stopping there in 1932, then it was bought by the U.S. Postal Service. It was a post office until 1966. Ellen Kirwin and her late husband bought the facility and over the course of 40 years it has been systematically restored and maintained, the town stated.
Town landmarks are eligible for tax abatement and preservation easement acquisition.
Landmarks & Historic Districts Board Chair Sally Spanburgh said landmark designation often enhances property values, increases the historic integrity of the neighborhood and promotes its unique architectural character.