Skip to main content

A Big-House Fight on Film

Thu, 10/06/2022 - 09:53

Build.In.Kind/East Hampton and the Wainscott Heritage Project will host a screening of “One Big Home,” a 2016 documentary by Thomas Bena, at LTV Studios in Wainscott on Saturday at 4 p.m.

Mr. Bena was a carpenter on Martha’s Vineyard who became alarmed by the impact of ever-larger houses being built there. Over a period of 12 years, he traded his toolbelt for a camera, took aim at the trend toward trophy houses, and worked with his community to pass a law to limit house size.

“The film is a testament to how the active engagement of citizens can achieve constructive change,” Jaine Mehring, who founded Build.In.Kind/East Hampton to slow development activity in the town, said.

The Wainscott Heritage Project was formed in 2021 by citizens resolved to preserve the history and cultural character of the hamlet. Esperanza Leon, a co-founder of the project, said “One Big Home” can “reassure any community threatened by a loss of character and sense of place that it is possible to slow or even halt that process and restore some balance.”

Mr. Bena will be on hand for a discussion after the screening.

Villages

Village’s New Chief Lifeguard Was N.Y.P.D. Diver

Memorial Day weekend was a washout at East Hampton Village’s vaunted beaches, but inclement weather did not dampen the enthusiasm felt by Sean Daly for his new role as the village’s chief lifeguard, succeeding Drew Smith.

May 28, 2026

Item of the Week: Elizabeth Parsons Edwards, a Portrait

Elizabeth Parsons Edwards (1874-1943), seen in this undated photo, worked her family farm on Fireplace Road, canning vegetables and making everything from butter to clothing to music.

May 28, 2026

L.I.R.R. Strike Settled in Time for the Onslaught

New York City residents who plan to spend Memorial Day weekend on the South Fork and commuters who rely on the train to cut through the eastbound morning traffic were breathing easier as of Monday night, when a strike called by a coalition of five Long Island Rail Road unions was settled.

May 21, 2026

 

Your support for The East Hampton Star helps us deliver the news, arts, and community information you need. Whether you are an online subscriber, get the paper in the mail, delivered to your door in Manhattan, or are just passing through, every reader counts. We value you for being part of The Star family.

Your subscription to The Star does more than get you great arts, news, sports, and outdoors stories. It makes everything we do possible.