Huntington Historical Society Thriving Following Renovation Project
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Huntington Historical Society Executive Board Treasurer Toby Kissam and HHS Executive Director Claudia Fortunato-Napolitano show off the renovated research area in the society’s 209 Main St. building in Huntington. Long Islander News photos/Connor Beach
By Connor Beach
cbeach@longislandergroup.com
The Huntington Historical Society has renovated its 1905 Trade School Building in Huntington village.
The renovation project, which cost just under $1.5 million, was fully funded by private donations. Work began in July 2014 and concluded this past January.
The 209 Main St. building, originally purchased by HHS in 1982, is used to house administrative offices, archives and a library resource center. During the two-and-a-half-year construction period, HHS was forced to move its extensive archives off site.
Changes to the more-than-a-century-old building include a new entrance, a two-story addition and renovations to the original structure.
The new entranceway provides handicap access while preserving the building’s original foyer and historic streetscape.
The addition is around 1,200 square feet across two stories, according to the HHS Executive Board Treasurer Toby Kissam and HHS Executive Director Claudia Fortunato-Napolitano. Kissam and Fortunato-Napolitano attribute the success of the restoration project to the hard work and dedication of the volunteers at HHS.
Kissam said that one of the biggest benefits has been the added storage space that the new addition provides. The space has allowed HHS to create better research areas and take in more historic documents from residents.
“We are now able to store, access, and then have space to do research with the materials,” Kissam said. “The building was long in coming. It was much needed. In the end, the process has given us this great facility to do research on the history of Huntington.”
In addition to the added space, Kissam stated that the renovation is already creating increased interest from Huntington residents.
“Greater exposure gives us a better opportunity to sustain the programs, the collections and the properties,” Kissam said. “That’s the goal, the sustainability of the society.”
The Trade School Building has been open to the public for several months, but HHS officials are looking forward to publicly acknowledging the contributions of donors.
“We are planning a dedication to the building this fall,” Kissam said, adding that the plan is to have the ceremony in October. “It’s hardly an opening because we have been open, but we’ll call it a ‘grand dedication.’”
The archives and research facilities at 209 Main St. are available to the public on Mondays and Thursdays, 1-4 p.m.
