Southampton designates two new landmarks

A turn-of-the-century farmhouse and a former railroad station that became a post office have been designated historic landmarks by Southampton, protecting them from development.

The Southampton Town board last month designated the Shinnecock Hills Train Station and Post Office, 100 Hills Station Rd., built in 1887.

The landmarks board in a statement called it "one of the most aesthetically pleasing and architecturally unusual train structures on Long Island."

When the Long Island Rail Road stopped serving the station in 1932, the property was acquired by the U.S. Postal Service. The building continued to function as a post office until 1966. It is now owned and has been restored by Ellen Kirwin.

She said it's a "wonderful and difficult place to live," with the train tracks 15 feet from the porch and 12 trains each day, according to the Oct. 22 meeting minutes.

At the same meeting, the town board designated as a landmark the home and property at 820 Brick Kiln Rd., Sag Harbor. The site was once part of Spring Farm and is owned by the descendants of Daniel Francis Mulvihill and his wife, Anna C. McDonough, who purchased the circa 1900 property in 1921.

The designation makes the house eligible for possible purchase by Southampton's Community Preservation Fund, or CPF. Its money comes from real estate transaction taxes.

"It's important to recognize, the CPF is not just an open space program," Fleming said on Monday. "It's about community."

Fleming said that by designating the house as a landmark, Southampton can consider purchasing the house and a 10-acre parcel.