Sag Harbor Landmarks Vie for Legit Landmark Status

By Tiffany Razzano

After a recent flurry of activity in the Village of Sag Harbor - including the iconic Sag Harbor Cinema being put on the market for $12 million, the pending expiration of the village's year-long site plan review moratorium and a handful of condo projects that could mar the village's waterfront - residents finally have a bit of good news.

The village's Historic Preservation and Architectural Review Board (ARB) unanimously voted to send a resolution to the Village's Board of Trustees recommending they ask the state for historic landmark status for the Sag Harbor Cinema, whose bright deco signage is an integral part of the village's Main Street landscape, and for John Steinbeck's writing studio, located on Bluff Point Lane. A public hearing must be held regarding the naming of either property as a landmark before the designation can take place.

The Cinema is already located in a historic district of the village, where any alteration, reconstruction, demolition or new construction needs to be approved by the ARB. Since it already has some protection from its very location in the historic district, naming the Cinema a landmark simply gives it more legal cache. Steinbeck's writing studio, however, is not located in an historic district and would benefit more from being named an historic landmark. Any alterations to landmarks need approval from the ARB, much like buildings in historic districts. Owners of historic landmarks are also eligible for tax credits and historic preservation grants from the state.

The ARB also hopes a historic census of village properties will take place, in order to ensure the longevity of other historic and important buildings located throughout the village. The board hopes the Sag Harbor Historical Society might be up for the job. There might even be grant money available for the study, the ARB has surmised, estimating that such a project would take approximately six months to complete.

April Gornik, a board member of Save Sag Harbor, a group of 1,500 residents intent on retaining the small town feel of the village, has already said the group is optimistic that the Cinema will remain an art house and independent community theater. She said that numerous residents have already implied that they were interested in donating money towards purchasing and operating the theater and that there's the possibility of the Cinema being run by a consortium of benefactors in the future.

Sag Harbor residents have a history of protesting big box and chain stores coming in and changing the shape of their village. In fact, Save Sag Harbor formed a couple of years ago with the specific intent of keeping a CVS from coming in to Sag Harbor.

For more information about upcoming Board of Trustee meetings and public hearings regarding naming the Cinema and Steinbeck's studio historic landmarks, go to www.sagharborny.gov.

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