RSS 2.0 FeedMay 27, 2011, Bellmore Life
Stevens home to get public hearing on landmark status
The historic Stevens bungalow at 2396 Bellmore Avenue.
Christine Keller got what she was after: the Hempstead Landmarks Commission last week recommended that the historic Stevens bungalow at 2396 Bellmore Avenue be brought before the public to debate whether it should receive landmark status.
Ms. Keller, a teacher of the history of philosophy at State University of New York at Old Westbury who has spearheaded a move to save the 1920s house from the wrecking ball and have it landmarked, said, “It’s wonderful they have made the recommendation for landmarking.”
“It’s a move in the right direction,” remarked Eileen Casazza, a vice-president of the Bellmore Preservation Group, who added that “We’d rather be in a position to preserve something of importance than have to fight for it.”
One member of the commission was overheard to say after the recommendation that bestowing landmark status could be “a shoe-in.”
Not everyone in Bellmore is in total agreement with bestowing landmark status on the house. Bellmore attorney Dave Weiss, who represents the Stevens family, wrote a letter that was read aloud during the hearing, attended by several neighbors interested in landmarking the bungalow.
Mr. Weiss said that as the fiduciary of the house, he did not wish to see it landmarked because it would diminish its value for the owners. The letter added that there is little that distinguishes the house from others in Bellmore.
The letter suggested instead that a plaque commemorating the history of the house be placed on the property. The letter added that there were no plans to sell the property to anyone whose intention it was to subdivide the property.
As chairman of the Town of Hempstead zoning Board of Appeals, Mr. Weiss is intimate with the town’s new ordinance that discourages subdivisions that could change the character of the neighborhood.
The Bellmore Preservation Group has fought successfully twice in front of the zoning Board of Appeals to prevent developers from subdividing plots on both Washington and St. Marks Avenue.
But with no discernible “neighborhood” character along the two-lane avenue, Ms. Heller pointed to a survey written by Nancy Solomon of Long Island Traditions (LIT) that she said proves the bungalow reflects very much the historical values of the surrounding area, and is unlike the vast majority of Bellmore houses Mr. Weiss refers to.
The bungalow is constructed of materials found in the vicinity, and the gardens reflect flora from the vicinity, the survey says.
The report maintains that the bungalow was built in 1923 and is the one of the most well-preserved bungalows in the area built during that time period. LIT supports landmark status on the bungalow.
In the architectural style of vernacular bungalow, with high architectural integrity, the 2-1/2-floor bungalow has stood without a tenant since the owner, Joan Stevens, died in 2010.
The house was built by her grandfather Charles and his wife Pauline Anne for their son Stan and wife Lucy, Joan’s mother and father. Stanley and Lucy worshiped at the Quaker Meeting House in Wantagh.
Grandfather Charles owned a Bellmore ferry service, which regularly ferried people to the community of High Hill Beach, on what is now the eastern flank of Zach’s Bay. Pauline Anne managed The Breakers Hotel on High Hill Beach.
While Joan and her mother Lucy tended to beautiful gardens they built on the wide-open spaces of the property – which included flora and fauna native to Long Island’s South Shore. Mr. Stevens got into the boating scene by owning a tugboat company and, as records have it, helped build Wantagh Parkway and the Jones Beach water tower using his tugboats to ferry supplies around the East Bay.
His tugs also helped dredge land for the building of South Bellmore, and helped carry steel that built the Fire Island causeway.
The commission says on its website that it welcomes public officials to make endorsements for landmark status, and Town Clerk Mark Bonilla of Bellmore did just that: He wrote a letter endorsing landmark status. County Legislator Dave Denenberg has also endorsed landmark status, as has the Bellmore Historical Society
No date has been set for public discussion that would lead to landmark status.
