Historian Lauds New Rules Protecting Timber Frames

Historic structures were afforded greater protection when the East Hampton Village Board adopted a code amendment on Friday, and two long-serving members of the community were honored. 

Following a public hearing, the board gave unanimous approval to an amendment that will tighten the design review board’s oversight of the demolition of all or part of designated historic buildings. The amendment refers to pre-1880 timber framing, which would have to be maintained in any renovation. 

East Hampton’s first settlers brought the craft of timber-frame construction from England in 1648, Robert Hefner, the village’s director of historic services, said, explaining that it continued here for more than 200 years.

Approximately 70 buildings in the village have 18th and 19th-century timber frames, he said, constituting the most outstanding collection on Long Island. “This is one of East Hampton’s oldest and most distinguished craft traditions,” he said. 

The board had adopted a historic preservation ordinance and designated the Main Street historic district in 1986. Mr. Hefner said it had proven inadequate, however. “It was assumed that if a building were maintained and not torn down, that it would essentially remain in its entirety. No one foresaw the trend, that is just developing now, 30 years later, for the renovation of a designated 18th and 19th century building to include removal of substantial parts of the timber frame.”

  Such a renovation, he said, can result in “an empty shell that looks from the outside like the same building, but has really lost its meaning, its history, and its authenticity.” Now is the time, he said, to clarify that “demolition includes removal of all or part of a structural timber frame of these early buildings.” 

It was noted that the village’s zoning board of appeals had granted approval of a major renovation of the Isaac W. Miller House at 223 Main Street on Oct. 14, attaching a condition that the design review board be involved in decisions about removing or replacing any timber framing, which the property owner agreed to retain.

 Mr. Hefner said after the meeting that in the course of reviewing that application, “the board realized that the kind of clarification the amendment achieves would be very helpful in review of future projects.” 

At the beginning of the meeting, a moment of silence was observed for Elbert T. Edwards, a village board trustee who died on Oct. 6. Mayor Paul F. Rickenbach Jr. read a statement honoring him as “a valued member of our village family” whose legacy “cannot be expressed in words. . . . We cherish his friendship and numerous contributions, which have made our lives much more fulfilling.”

An obituary in which Mr. Edwards was praised by colleagues for his almost 40 years on the board appeared in The East Hampton Star on Oct. 13. The mayor is expected to appoint an interim trustee next month, who would have to stand for election in June to continue in the post. 

The board also recognized Ruth Appelhof, who recently retired after 16 years as the executive director of Guild Hall. Andrea Grover succeeded her last month.

With Ms. Appelhof on hand, the mayor described a “wonderful working relationship the village has always had with ‘Dr. Ruth,’ ” calling her “extremely professional, very proficient, at the same time sprinkled with a lot of common sense.” In the words of a proclamation he then read, the mayor expressed “gratitude for the dedication and vision put forth by Ruth Appelhof throughout her tenure at Guild Hall.”

Ms. Appelhof called her years at Guild Hall an “amazing experience” and said, “I have never had a better time in my life.”  She noted that Enez Whipple, who preceded her, “called Guild Hall an adventure in the arts and it certainly has been for me.” 

She thanked Guild Hall’s staff, several of whom also were in attendance, as well as the village board and the community, all of whom she said were “instrumental in our success.” The cultural center’s staff and budget had tripled since her arrival, she said, “and our programming has been enriched.” 

“The future of Guild Hall is in all of your hands, and in the hands of this fair Village of East Hampton,” she said.