Part of a Further Lane house that an anonymous donor gifted to Project Most to be used in a hub for its children's programs on Three Mile Harbor Road in East Hampton has been demolished and discarded, having been exposed to weather conditions that allowed it to deteriorate.
It has been nearly two and a half years since the donation was announced, and now the clock is ticking. "The usable portions were transferred to containers and transported off of the donor's property to ensure their long-term viability," Project Most said in a statement on Friday afternoon.
As The Star previously reported, that structure, which had been designed by Francis Fleetwood, had been dismantled and put into storage on the donor's Further Lane property in East Hampton while Project Most went through the lengthy process of obtaining approval for the construction project from the East Hampton Town Planning Board.
The original plan was to redevelop the site of the East Hampton Neighborhood House, using the donated structure, into a 7,623-square-foot facility with a 4,418-square-foot basement. Town officials declined to allow Project Most to move the pieces of the house to the Neighborhood House property before its project formally achieved site-plan approval, so the donated structure remained, stored precariously, at its original location.
Now, however, the nonprofit Project Most has found itself adjusting the design of the new facility "to account for the decrease in the amount of repurposed material that will be able to be used in construction," its statement continued.
"Though revised, the plans will be no less ambitious," Project Most said as it acknowledged the need to submit revised blueprints and details to the town planning board in the coming months. "As always, we strive for nothing but the best for the East Hampton children and families we proudly serve."
The organization has also conducted an archaeological study of the Neighborhood House site, which sits in the Freetown community in East Hampton just north of the incorporated village.
The plan to move the house and use it for a new larger facility has been the target of opposition from a handful of community members living nearby, based on the size, appearance, and location of the planned project in such a historic area.
This is a developing story that will be updated with more information when it becomes available.