East End Arts unveils plans for redesigned Riverhead campus amid downtown redevelopment

East End Arts is entering a new era.

The art council’s home on East Main Street in downtown Riverhead is under construction, and newly revealed conceptual plans aim to modernize the campus while preserving its historic character.

Wendy Weiss, executive director of the East End Arts and Humanities Council, and Wayne Norbeck, co-founder of DXA Studio, met with the Riverhead Town Board on Thursday to discuss what the future holds for the historic campus on East Main Street as the Town Square redevelopment is underway. 

“I know what this place has been, and I also see what it can be,” Ms. Weiss said. “It’s about the preservation —  the preservation of the historical buildings, the preservation of arts and culture here in downtown. Since I got here, I’ve been calling it the ‘Parks District of the East End,’ because I believe it can be that and this is all moving closer to that direction.” 

The East End Arts campus sits between the J. Petrocelli five-story hotel condominium and Heatherwood development, both currently under construction downtown. The property contains two centerpieces within the “bathtub” of the campus — the pre-1870 Benjamin House at 141 Main St. and the 1840s Davis Corwin House at 133 Main St. Both buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and are part of the Downtown Riverhead Historic District.

Both structures are slated to be repositioned and elevated to meet the Main Street sidewalk and protect against future flooding. At the same time, planners said the goal is to make the campus more accessible, visible and connected.

Along with the standout historic homes, the property also includes the carriage house, the 1821 red Fresh Pond schoolhouse and a barn. Those structures will also be elevated as part of the town’s larger flood mitigation efforts tied to the Town Square project.

Buildings across the campus would also shift locations. The Corwin House is expected to move slightly east, closer to the Main Street border, to accommodate an access road to the proposed hotel. The Benjamin House would largely remain in place.

The carriage house would rotate 180 degrees and settle behind the Benjamin House, while the barn would trade places and sit behind the Corwin House. The schoolhouse would also move farther east on the property, away from the Peconic River side.

The proposed East End Arts layout allows for ADA-compliant access from the sidewalk and between buildings, expanded landscaped areas and gardens, flexible outdoor gathering space and a formal route through the campus.

The southern portion of the site is also being envisioned for future outdoor performances, including a possible amphitheater.

“The goal really here is to continue to have this open space between the Corwin House and the Benjamin House, which is the current sort of framing of the site, and we want to maintain that,” Mr. Norbeck said. “But, then to think of almost like a quad [and] in almost like a college campus kind of situation.”

One proposed addition to the campus is an “iconic” open pavilion that would create more space for exhibitions and events. Mr. Norbeck also said planners hope to connect the Benjamin House to the carriage house with an elevator to improve accessibility. If the opportunity presents itself, planners would also like to expand the Corwin House farther south.

“As wonderful as it is having that large campus with all those buildings, it was a challenge operationally to be managing them at such a distance,” Ms. Weiss said. “I especially love the accessibility building, I think that really opens up a lot and it’s a very smart way to have one elevator to access two buildings and bridge the educational programs.” 

Councilman Bob Kern expressed excitement about the newly envisioned East End Arts campus.

“With the quality of the art that’s going in there, these buildings match that quality,” Mr. Kern said. “It’s very difficult in the older buildings, with lower ceilings, to really appreciate the art that’s there…I love the idea of the flexible space.” 

Dawn Thomas, the town’s community development administrator, said the next step would be to issue a request for proposals, or RFP, from a construction engineer to design the move of the buildings. 

“I think it would be a short window and it’s really for the engineering piece,” Ms. Thomas explained. “The bid would be to hire to build, which would be probably a moving company that does the moving — they have to follow the plans, lift the buildings up, support them, bring the fill in and then the rest of it has to happen from there.”

Councilwoman Joann Waski agreed the short RFP time would be a “no brainer.” 

“I think that this campus is going to be beautiful, and I think that it’s something that downtown has always needed and something that the East End Arts is going to be so proud of when this is complete,” Ms. Waski said. “It’s going to bring new life to these buildings, to the campus, and people are going to be drawn to this from all over.” 

For now, East End Arts is temporarily operating out of Riverhead Town’s Annex Building at 206 Griffing Ave. The buildout of the group’s temporary gallery space at 48 W. Main St. recently began and will host the signature DETOUR VII summer exhibition June 13. The Mosaic Festival is coming up May 31 at the Riverhead Town Hall campus.

“We want to keep things going, we’re not just sitting idly,” Ms. Weiss said. “We want to keep it moving and shaking…I like change, I think change is good.”