Community Corner
Historic Wading River Home Slated for $200k Rehab Next Month
The Woodhull House, on North Country Road, is getting an exterior facelift after getting a new roof a few years back.
After years of efforts, over $200,000 worth of work is expected to commence by mid-September to clean up the Woodhull House in Wading River, considered to be the oldest standing home in the Shoreham-Wading River area.
The Town of Brookhaven owns the home, which was once the home of Josiah Woodhull, a grandson of one of the founders of Brookhaven Town.
Councilwoman Jane Bonner, C-Rocky Point, outlined on Wednesday the following fixes that will be made at the home, on North Country Road in Wading River:
- floor and wall remediation
- demolition of a dilapidated breezeway and the storage building
- cleaning and repointing of the existing stone and brick
- rehabilitation of the trim surrounding windows, doors, and vents
- replacement of exterior doors, windows, shutters and hardware
- new siding and refinishing of existing siding
- replacement of some damaged roof shingles
- exterior painting
- site grading and drainage
"It was once a beautiful house," he said.
Upon restoring the home, Bail said that while he would like to partner with the town to utilize it as a historic site, keeping care of their current headquarters near the Wading River duck pond is enough of a challenge.
"We would like to partner with the town, but to tell you the truth, we have a tough enough time maintaining that house," he said. "It would be impossible for us to take on the Woodhull House by ourselves."
He's hoping instead to use a portion of the house for a local museum focusing on oral history in the area. The rest, he said, could possibly be rented to another nonprofit; part of the property is currently rented out to the Smithtown Hunt Club, which uses part of the 3.5-acre parcel to train its dogs.
Bonner said the work should take about a month, and landscaping is expected to be done in the spring.
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