Southold teen aims to save house linked to Helen Keller
Helise Flickstein stands in front of a house on Cedar Beach Road in Southold that Helen Keller once stayed in. Credit: Doug Kuntz
A 13-year-old Southolder with a love of old houses is mounting a whirlwind campaign to save a bit of local architectural history.
Ian Toy, an eighth-grader at Southold Jr-Sr High School, wants to stop the planned summer demolition of a now-dilapidated cottage in Cedar Beach County Park, where in 1936 "Miracle Worker" Annie Sullivan spent the last summer before her death with her famous deaf-and-blind pupil, Helen Keller.
So far, he's enlisted the support of the Town of Southold's landmark preservation committee, local county Legis. Edward Romaine (R-Center Moriches), a Facebook group with about 1,200 members, and more than 700 signatures on petitions, including one online with more than 500 names from all over the world.
And on Tuesday, he stood before the Suffolk County Legislature and asked, "Why was this allowed to happen? What other sites have been left to suffer the same fate?"
The answer is many: Dozens of historic structures owned by the county are in disrepair and in danger of disappearing, lawmakers have complained.
The Bavarian Tudor-style house on Shelter Island Sound was taken over from private owners in 1968 and left to decay. Yet, it still impressed Toy, who decided a month ago to push for its renovation even before he found out about its pending demolition.
"Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan stayed there, and it is just unique looking," he said. "I've never seen a house that looks even close to this one."
Romaine said he'd try to get money put into the capital budget to assess what it would take to fix it, and perhaps seek funding from a county hotel and motel room tax with provisions for historic preservation. The town sent a letter to the county indicating the house would get town historic landmark status.
Toy said he's gotten e-mails of support from the producer of the recent Broadway revival of "The Miracle Worker," and from Keller Thompson, the grandniece of Helen Keller. "Helen Keller would be proud of you!!!" she wrote.
With Rick Brand
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