Oldest House In Hampton Bays To Become Like New Again

By Andrea Aurichio

The efforts underway to restore the house reflect the pronounced increase in civic pride in Hampton Bays evidenced in recent years as the hamlet continues to undergo a dramatic transformation. Photos by Andrea Aurichio

Hampton Bays - What appears to be a boarded up and forgotten little house on Main Street in Hampton Bays will soon become an important historical site when a restoration project now in progress is completed in the Spring of 2009.

The exposed timbers of the structure will be displayed behind
plexiglass for visitors to view.

It's no news that the small white saltbox had seen better days. Located on less than half-an-acre of land in the heart of the Hampton Bays shopping district, it has sat in a state of disrepair for years. Most recently the home of Anna's Attic, a vintage shop, the house is believed to be one of the oldest residences in Hampton Bays dating back to 1790 according to architectural historian Zach Studenroth.

The house, officially known as the Prosper King House, was saved from developers when the Hampton Bays Historical Society bought the property in 2005 with the express plans to save the structure which was originally believed to have been built between 1830 to 1850 by Prosper King. That was before Studenroth was called in on the project and following additional research it was determined that the building was even older than members of the Historical Society had thought.

The efforts underway to restore the house reflect the pronounced increase in civic pride in Hampton Bays evidenced in recent years as the hamlet continues to undergo a dramatic transformation. According to the Historical Society, the entire community rallied to the cause to save the homestead with all of Hampton Bays' civic associations joining in the grassroots effort to raise the funds to buy the building from its former owners.

The Hampton Bays Historical Society led the movement to purchase the building and restore it to its early complexion for use as its headquarters, as well as a fine example for future generations to study the building methods and materials of the past.

In addition to the seed money raised by the Hampton Bays Historical Society (HBHS) through fund-raising efforts, the HBHS has also secured an estimated $58,000 in grant money from Suffolk County. Southampton Town has also pledged an estimated $300,000 for the project that will be paid out over the next 10 years or used on an 'as needed' basis. The money is being allocated from the town's Community Preservation Fund (CPF).

Historic Construction Management, a Huntington based contracting company specializing in the restoration of historic buildings has been hired to do the work.

The exterior work is expected to be completed by the winter of 2009 according to Barbara Moeller, President of the HBHS. The HBHS plans to leave a portion of the historic structure exposed to view, yet protected by plexiglass panels, so visitors to the house can see the rough hewn timbers used in its construction.

Restoration of the house has become a joint venture tapping local support from the
community, town and county.

The HBHS also plans to restore the Lyzon Hat Shop to its former glory. The world famous shop, once a destination for European royalty and well-heeled American industrialists such as the Fords and the Duponts who summered in nearby Southampton and East Hampton, will be connected to the Prosper King house by an enclosed walkway.

The early buildings housed the noted hat shop and historical records indicate the shop too is closely connected to the King Family and the King House.

Historical records, including a map dating back to 1896, indicate this nearby building was just next door to the King House and was operated as a store, known as The King Store. The building has not been examined by architectural historians yet so its exact age remains unclear.

However, there is ample historical record available to the scholars and amateur vintage building buffs that abound on the East End. According to information made available to the Historical Society by Myron Lyzon King, a great-grandson of Prosper King, the Hat Shop began as a general store operated by his grandfather Elisha King.

The store caught fire in 1910, leaving what remained of the building after the fire was put out in need of extensive repair. Local lore has it that the remaining goods that survived the devastating fire were used to make hats, and so the Lyzon Hat Company was erected literally from the ashes of the former general store when Elisha's son Walter Howard King began to make hats.

Architectural details date the structure to the very end of the 1700s.

The rest, as they say, is history. Walter King grew up in Hampton Bays, then called Good Ground, commuted to high school in Patchogue and ultimately graduated from Pratt Institute. King returned home to care for his ailing mother and, along with his wife who had considerable skill as a milliner, set up shop at the Main Street location in the Prosper King House where they worked on the front porch.

As the business grew Walter and his wife Helen rebuilt the burned out building creating a workshop at the rear and adding a second story to the main building. Over the years, the workshop deteriorated as it sat empty and unused on Main Street while traffic breezed by and local residents and tourists bemoaned the building's fate.

In its heyday, the shop had an elite following composed of customers who arrived in cars driven by chauffeurs. The proprietors set up card tables on the lawns where the drivers could wait and watch the Fords go by as their wealthy employers had their custom hats made. The HBHS has miraculously assembled a collection of these hats that will eventually be put on display when the Lyzon Hat Shop is restored to its former glory.

Southampton Town officials had slated the abandoned hat building for demolition in 2006 claiming the structure was so deteriorated it posed a hazard. Yet, eventually the building was saved when it was lifted from its original location and moved 30 feet to the east, where it now sits near the Prosper King house.

The complex when completed will house the Historical Society and will also feature exhibition rooms and a library.

For more information, click here.