Farmhouse on Main Road in Aquebogue demolished
A nearly 150-year-old house on six acres in Aquebogue was demolished last Wednesday.
The house at 190 Main Road was built by Edgar Fanning in 1870. Mr. Fanning was a farmer, according to Richard Wines, chair of Riverhead Town’s Landmarks Preservation Committee.
It was later sold to the Goodale family, who also were farmers at the time.
The property is owned by Tri-State Horticultural Services, based in Melville, according to Riverhead Town records. Representatives of that company could not be reached for comment. Tri-State also owns about 20 acres of agricultural land north of the demolished house.
Back in 2014, Mr. Wines said, he tried to get a stretch of Main Road — from Aquebogue to Laurel — included in the National Register of Historic Places, but the proposal encountered opposition and was dropped.
Mr. Wines said owners of historic properties listed in the National Register are eligible for 40 percent tax credits if they restore the homes.
“We might have been able to prevent the demolition if we were able to put Main Road on the National Register and provide the tax credits,” he said. “We don’t want to lose any more of those wonderful old houses, and there are some more that are threatened.”
The home was falling into disrepair and had not been occupied for a long time, Mr. Wines said.
“But it’s one of the grand old houses along Main Road that give the road so much character,” he added. “It’s always sad to lose one.”
Photo caption: A photo of the Main Road home prior to its demolition. (Tim Gannon photo)
