Most Holy Trinity Grows
Most Holy Trinity, East Hampton's 103-year-old Roman Catholic Church, will have a parish hall at last. Construction of the 7,200-square-foot multipurpose building, just west of the church's school on Meadow Way, could begin as early as May, church officials confirmed this week.
More than twice the size of the historic Buell Lane church, the proposed structure will accommodate some 600 worshipers at Christmas, Easter, and summer-weekend masses.
The existing building, of wood with a wood shingle roof, seats fewer than 400. In recent years, overflow parishioners have attended the more popular masses via closed-circuit television in the church vestibule.
Most Holy Trinity families number about 1,500, according to Jacqueline Little, its business administrator.
St. Philomena's
The original church was built by George E. Halsey of Water Mill in September 1894 and was named the Church of St. Philomena. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The parish hall will be called the Dempsey-Ryan Pavilion, for the late Steven Dempsey of Amagansett and the late John M. Ryan of Springs, longtime parishioners who left sufficient bequests to cover its roughly $1 million cost. The word "pavilion," church officials noted, is reminiscent of the years when a tent was erected for overflow crowds who were seated outdoors on a concrete slab.
Additional funds will need to be raised, however, for furnishings, carpeting, landscaping, and such.
Dempsey-Ryan Pavilion
The Dempsey-Ryan Pavilion, to be built where the basketball court is now, will contain an altar and sliding doors, permitting its use for social events, meetings of church and community groups, educational gatherings, and wedding and other parish receptions.
A warming kitchen, from which food can be served though not prepared, is also contemplated.
Additional parking for 62 cars is planned for the 8.13-acre property. Including street parking on Buell Lane and Meadow Way, 235 cars will be accommodated.
Center To Rent School
For the past three years, the church has rented its 12,000-square-foot school building to the East Hampton School District for its kindergarten, which moved last month to a new wing of the John Marshall Elementary School.
The Most Holy Trinity school building will again be filled with children's voices, though. Several organizations have expressed interest in using it, but Robert Grau, a church member who handles leasing, confirmed last week that the Child Development Center of the Hamptons probably will occupy it beginning July 1.
The development center, a nonprofit preschool for children with special needs, is raising funds to build its own facility off Industrial Road in East Hampton.
D.R.B. Gets Plans
Also on Most Holy Trinity grounds is a convent building, now the site of the business office, several garages, and a barn used mostly for storage. A baseball field, which East Hampton Town and Village have been using for youth programs, has been rented to the Ross School.
Frank B. Hollenbeck, an East Hampton architect who is a member of the congregation, presented preliminary plans for the new parish hall to the East Hampton Village Design Review Board on March 5.
Its exterior, he said, will be yellow brick, closely matching the school building. Its roof probably will be of Ultraslate, a synthetic material resembling slate but lighter in weight, with a lifespan of at least 40 years.
Permit Process
Robert Hefner, the village's historic-preservation consultant, and village engineers are expected to review the plans and make recommendations to the D.R.B. before it gives the church "conceptual approval."
After that, Most Holy Trinity will need to obtain a special permit from the East Hampton Village Zoning Board of Appeals for any proposed construction in a residential zone.
The D.R.B. will decide on final site-plan approval after the Z.B.A.'s action.
The Diocese of Rockville Centre is reviewing the plans as well and is expected to give its blessing to them within the month.