Sagamore Hill mansion to close in December
Theodore Roosevelt’s Sagamore Hill home will close in December for as long as three years while the popular tourist destination undergoes a $6.2-million rehabilitation.
It will be the largest construction project at Sagamore Hill National Historic Site since Roosevelt built the Victorian mansion in Cove Neck in the 1880s.
Guided tours of the home will continue through Dec. 4. But the mansion’s third floor will be closed by the end of this month.
The renovation project will update mechanical systems in the house, some dating back to the early 20th Century, and restore more of the home to its original appearance. A porch added in the 1950s will be removed, and an original light and ventilation shaft running from the roof to the second floor will be recreated.
The property along with the visitor center and Old Orchard Museum will remain open while the mansion is closed. And the National Park Service is planning additional programs on-site and in Oyster Bay hamlet during the closure.
New offerings include talks about the site as a working farm, illustrated programs, self-guided cellular phone tours, and an 18-minute narrated video tour of the Roosevelt home which takes visitors room by room through the house.
“This project represents a significant investment by the American people ensuring that the Roosevelt home and its irreplaceable collection are protected for future generations to appreciate, gain inspiration and learn from,” site Superintendent Tom Ross said.
The renovation includes interior woodwork, flooring, and lighting, as well as upgrades to electrical, heating and ventilation, fire suppression and security systems.
Exterior work includes installing a new roof, gutter and drainage system, waterproofing the foundation, and bringing windows, doors, siding and porches to historic preservation standards.
In addition, an accessible ramp along with a walkway from the site’s visitor center will be installed.
Other project components include rehabilitating the adjacent ice house, upgrading the site’s fire hydrants and electrical service, installing standby generators and upgrading the site’s outdoor security lighting.
For more information go to http://parkplanning.nps.gov.
'I'm going to try to avoid it' A trip to the emergency room in a Long Island hospital now averages nearly 4 hours, data shows. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.
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