Historic LGBTQ Club Swamp Memorial Advances in Wainscott

East Hampton Town lawmakers passed a measure that paves the way for historical installations at the site of the former LGBTQ+ Club Swamp at the Rick Delm Memorial Park in Wainscott.

The East Hampton Town Board unanimously voted on Feb. 5 to authorize the nonprofit Hamptons Pride to fund, design, construct, and maintain the memorial project at Wayne Scott Green in the park to raise awareness of the site’s historic significance as a pioneering LGBTQ+ establishment that ran from 1977 to 2001.

“The project includes the creation of a celebratory outdoor social area, installation of a historical marker, and the establishment of a memorial garden to remember those community members who died from AIDS,” East Hampton Town Councilmember Cate Rogers said while reading the resolution before the vote. “The town board reviewed and is supportive of the project goals and design proposed.”

Hamptons Pride published an artist rendering of the memorial, which features multicolor statues of people around a pyramid of pink disco balls placed through the park’s walking path and decking. The plans were designed by prominent architect Gustavo Bonevardi.