Hallockville Museum Farm gets $16K grant to assess historic homestead

The centerpiece of the historic Hallockville Museum Farm in Riverhead will get more than $16,000 in state aid for a professional assessment to help guide future maintenance and restoration.

Hallockville’s new executive director Marianne Della Croce announced Monday that the museum received a $16,561 grant to fund a building condition report for the 261-year-old Hallock Homestead.

The award comes through Preserve New York Arts + Culture’s Support for Pre-Construction Studies program, supported by the New York State Council on the Arts and administered by the Preservation League of New York State.

“The Hallock Homestead is an important part of the North Fork’s agricultural history, and preserving it means ensuring that future generations can continue to experience and learn from this remarkable place,” Ms. Della Croce said in a statement. “This grant will give us the professional assessment we need to understand the building’s condition, prioritize its preservation needs, and plan responsibly for its future.”

The report is a key first step in Hallockville Museum Farm’s long-term stewardship of the homestead, officials said. The most recent assessment, conducted more than a decade ago, focused on exhibit content rather than building conditions. The museum currently lacks a documented understanding of the homestead’s structural and physical needs.

With this grant, consultants from Jablonski Building Conservation Inc. will assess the building’s interior and exterior. The report will identify areas of concern and recommend priorities for preservation, maintenance and repair.

It will also include preliminary cost estimates for the recommended work, which Ms. Della Croce said will serve as the foundation for future fundraising and grant applications.

Located on Sound Avenue in Riverhead, Hallockville Museum Farm encompasses 28 acres and 19 historic buildings and structures, bringing together Long Island history, agriculture, education and community life.

The Hallock Homestead is where its mission began. The original portion was built by Ruben Brown in 1765. Ezra Hallock later purchased the farm, and the house passed to another branch of the family in 1801, according to the museum’s history.

Hallock descendants lived in the home until 1979, when Ella Hallock moved to a Riverhead nursing home at age 95.

Hallockville Museum Farm is committed to preserving its 19 historic structures as active, accessible cultural and educational resources for the North Fork community. Last year, the museum celebrated its 50th anniversary, with a June ribbon-cutting marking the completion of major renovations to the 1937 Naugles Barn.

Made possible through a $500,000 matching state grant from the arts council, the upgrades included restrooms, first-floor windows and doors, insulation, a new HVAC system and fire-safety improvements.

Naugles Barn is now a year-round community hub that can host weddings, workshops, dances and community events. Starting Nov. 7, it will also host the Riverhead Farmers Market.

Preserve New York has been providing funds to municipalities and nonprofit organizations for professional preservation studies for more than three decades. With the 2026 awards, the program has distributed more than $4.1 million to 563 projects statewide since 1993.

The New York State Council on the Arts is on track to award more than $161 million in FY 2027, serving organizations and artists across all 10 state regions.

“When it comes to sustainable and impactful preservation work, the importance of foundational building studies cannot be overstated,” said Jay DiLorenzo, president of the Preservation League of New York State, in a statement. “The League is honored to be able to continue providing this critical funding to bolster such a diversity of projects and communities. We are grateful for our longstanding partnership with NYSCA and support from the Hudson River Valley Greenway for making this work possible.”