East End Arts holds grand opening at temporary Annex Building space
A podcast room, a print-making press, a piano from 1863, various classrooms, a library space, art supplies and multiple other areas for artistic creation are just a few things you’ll find at the East End Arts Council‘s new temporary space in Riverhead Town’s Annex Building at 206 Griffing Ave.
The town offered the building as an alternative space for the organization to occupy while the construction is taking place at its Main Street campus for the Town Square project. The annex building was part of the 2022 Riverhead Town Hall purchase and allows the arts school, recording studio and administrative offices to be housed in one building.
The whole move-in process took about a month and was an all-hands-on-deck transition, said Wendy Weiss, president of the organization. At the ribbon-cutting Monday morning, she thanked everyone involved in making it a smooth transition to the new space.
“East End Arts Council moved into the campus at 133 East Main St. back in the late ’70s, early ’80s, so it’s been many decades that it has nestled and grown there,” Ms. Weiss said. “This is such an exciting time to celebrate a new chapter that is connected to the revitalization of East Main Street, which will be the new arts district of the East End, I hope.”
Ms. Weiss said in a text following the ribbon-cutting that the town subsidized the move and provided a dumpster at the Main Street campus to aid in the clean-out. In addition, the town made a few enhancements to the Griffing Avenue building, such as adding a ramp at the main entrance, implementing an ADA-accessible restroom, repairing the rear entrance step and upgrading the lights.
EEAC pays the town $1 per year for rent, which allows its income to go toward programming, operations and culture-building initiatives, Ms. Weiss added.
Ms. Weiss also said the new, fully functioning headquarters and school will offer more accessibility than the previous location, which she called “exciting” for the organization’s overall programming. She thanked her dedicated EEA team, as well Riverhead Town officials and employees, for their community partnership.
“We’re pleased the annex proved a suitable space for programs, classes, courses and camps, as your programming affords the community invaluable access to music and the arts,” Riverhead Supervisor Tim Hubbard said before awarding East End Arts an official proclamation. “We wish you great success in continuing to support, advocate and inspire our community of artists and performers — congratulations on your new home.”
The gallery will remain open through early 2026 for the annual members show. This gives EEAC time to find another gallery space in or around Riverhead.
