In 2004 an historic building (Ada’s Attic)
was put on the market for sale. Title research undertaken by Henry Moeller, member
of the HBH&PS’ board of directors, showed this house was built circa 1830 by Prosper
King, a member of a prominent Southampton Town family. Members of the historical
society approached the owners of Ada’s Attic and obtained a promise from them not
to sell the structure until the society had an opportunity to raise monies to purchase
it for their headquarters. All of the Hampton Bays’ civic organizations united behind
the society in its fundraising efforts. There was a groundswell of public sentiment
to save the King house from demolition. At this time the Southampton Town Council
voted to purchase the building with Community Preservation Funds and to have the
historical society act as stewards in its restoration. The house was purchased in
2005 and landmarked by the Southampton Landmarks and Historic Districts Board.
The stewardship agreement between the Town
and HBH&PS explains that the building will be used as an historical, educational,
and cultural center, which may include exhibits in a museum setting, art galleries,
and a local history repository library. The King House will become the home of the
historical society in which state of the arts preservation facilities will insure
proper storage of the society’s archives to benefit future generations.
An architectural historian, Zach Studenroth,
examined the building after it was gutted and determined that the structure was
older than first estimated. Instead of dating to 1830, the construction methods
and materials indicated that the building dated to circa 1790—making it one of the
oldest buildings in Hampton Bays.
Archaeologists, Chris Matthews and Jenna
Coplin, from Hofstra University conducted research on the site and obtained numerous
artifacts that assist in the dating of the building and in showing the material
culture that existed in its early history.
Restoration of the building to date has
included lifting the structure to install a new foundation and new supporting beams.
The goal of continuing restoration efforts is to return the building to its appearance
in 1850 which has been documented from a Chace map (1850) of Suffolk County, NY.
The Prosper King
House Restoration
Wall behind the staircase shows
supporting studs hand-hewn
(Note the lack of uniformity)
Interior view of walls with lathing
strips to support plaster walls
Old beams resting on stones to
support the floor. (Note how the
beams are hand-hewn and joined
together with notches, not nails)
View of the basement constructed of
large stones with floor beams above
