“The Partnership has continuously thrown its energy behind initiatives that need support in the community.”
Sag Harbor Express | September 22, 2022
SAVing THE
FIREHOUSE MUSEUM!
Efforts are now officially underway to restore a wonderful Sag Harbor Village asset, which served as a museum honoring the extraordinary history of the first volunteer Fire Department on the East End of Long Island, also acknowledged to be the first Volunteer Fire Department in New York State.
This handsome 1833 building was originally built by the Presbyterian Church as a lecture hall and community meeting space before the Old Whaler’s Church opened its doors. It was acquired by the village in 1856 and served a variety of functions over the years, including as a village hall and jail, with a bell which will toll again!
The Sag Harbor Firehouse Museum functioned as a dream-come-true museum for children, with firetrucks, both miniature and full-scale, to be enjoyed; old leather fire buckets used in fire brigades; a colorful 20-foot mural hailing from a renovation that took place in the 1970s; filigrees and old fonts on elegant ancient proclamations; and many other charming, mysterious and colorful objects that made its history a joy to experience for people of all ages.
The Partnership is honored to have been chosen to shepherd its renovation and reopening, so that it will remain in the Village in perpetuity as a monument to the extraordinary history and heroism of our Fire Department here in Sag Harbor. It will also stand as an acknowledgement that reflects our history of pulling together in good times and bad, to keep our Village strong, and its community safe. It is a project we can all celebrate together!
We cannot do this without you!
Buying and REbuilding the Sag Harbor cinema
We are best known for the buying and rebuilding of the Sag Harbor Cinema. The project was begun in the summer of 2016 when our all-volunteer Board voted to negotiate with its owner to buy and preserve it as an arthouse cinema. But at the end of the year a fire on December 16, 2016, changed our plans and left us with a charred emergency of a project. However daunting, we continued to fundraise throughout its reconstruction, to complete the purchase and to finish the build-out.
Over the next several years, we raised well over 10 million dollars, including a grant from the Empire State Development Corporation of New York, funds from the Town of Southampton’s Community Preservation Fund, and other public institutions. Approximately 2,000 private citizens donated from thirty-five cents to over a million dollars to help save it. We oversaw its reconstruction, and finally created a new not-for-profit with a new Board , eventually transferring the property to the Sag Harbor Cinema, Inc.
We watched with the greatest satisfaction when we were able to open our doors to the public in April, 2021. And the word “Partnership” came to have a profound meaning for us, since we were able to accomplish this because of our incredible community.
The john and elaine Steinbeck House
Local bookstore owner Kathryn Szoka of Canio’s Books first told us about John and Elaine Steinbeck’s house in Sag Harbor being on the market, raising the alarm that the home of one of America’s greatest authors, and a Nobel Prize-winner, could be lost.
The Partnership negotiated a contract to purchase the Steinbeck property over many months. We raised over two million dollars and again worked with the Town of Southampton’s Community Preservation Fund and aNew York State grant to acquire the property, understanding that it was subject to a public access requirement, public tours and Town oversight.
The Partnership again set up another not-for-profit organization, asking individuals and representatives from area institutions and the Town to join the new Board. The Partnership has transferred ownership to the new Steinbeck House organization, and the home has been reborn as a writers’ retreat, as John and Elaine Steinbeck would have wanted it, preserved for future generations.
“Havens Beach is not just a picturesque locale; it’s a critical component of our local ecosystem.”
- Aidan Corish, Sag Harbor Village Trustee
We fund essential local research
On the East End, our way of life has historically been intertwined with our waterways. Serving not only as places of recreation and relaxation, but also of industry, our ocean and bays play crucial roles in the lives of residents. Sag Harbor, in particular, is a village steeped in its own nautical past and present.
We at the Sag Harbor Partnership believe that ensuring the continued health and vitality of our local waterways and their surrounding environments is crucial to protecting our community, its health, and its economy.
For this reason, we have partnered with Sag Harbor Village Trustee, Aidan Corish, to help raise funds for a comprehensive study of the Havens Beach watershed and its surrounding environment.
While the Village of Sag Harbor did receive a partial grant from the New York State LWRP Program, Mr. Corish anticipates that $30,000 more in additional funds will be required as, “unforeseen opportunities and challenges will arise.”
This critical research will help identify the countless ways we can help preserve and protect the overall ecological health of a valued waterway in our community. Havens Beach holds a special place in our hearts here at the Partnership, as we’re sure it does for so many of you, our dear supporters.
Please join us by making your contribution today and be a part of a local environmental conservation effort!
To learn more about the nature of this research, click the link below to read a full letter from Aidan detailing the various purposes of the study.
IN THE NEWS
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A NEW CLOCK FOR MAIN STREET
The old clock, which had been in place for years, finally gave up the ghost in 2024. At the request of Mayor Tom Gardella, the Sag Harbor Partnership, which underwrites good causes, large and small, throughout the village, stepped in to buy a new one.
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Fred Thiele AS COMMUNITY AWARD RECIPIENT
The Board of the Sag Harbor Partnership was tremendously proud to honor Fred Thiele in 2024 with its annual Community Service Award upon notice of his retirement as First New York Assemblyman, after 29 years of service.
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Party Helping to Buy Sag Harbor A Proper Fireboat
The “Rock the Boat” community party took place at the firehouse on Brick Kiln Road on Sunday, September 18, 2022.
“It’s time to celebrate our volunteers and upgrade our internal village services that protect residents and visitors who are drawn to Sag Harbor for its historic charm, beautiful water access, and boating,” said Susan Mead, co-president of the Partnership, in a release.
The event included a barbecue, raffle, face-painting for children, and dancing to the music of the HooDoo Loungers. -
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NATIONAL FOCUS on SANS
Season 2, Episode 5 of Apple TV’s Home looked at one of the few remaining Black beachfront communities In Sag Harbor in its ongoing fight to preserve the neighborhood’s history and future.
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Thiele Nominates Steinbeck Writer’s Center For $500,000 State Grant
State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. nominated the former home of Nobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck on Bluff Point Lane in Sag Harbor for $500,000 in state funding to help turn it into the John Steinbeck Writers Center.
—Sag Harbor Express
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Panel Outlines Goal Of Preserving Steinbeck’s Sag Harbor Home
The novelist Bret Anthony Johnston, who is also the director of the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas, gave Sag Harbor residents a preview of his vision for the John Steinbeck Writer’s Center that had been been proposed for the Nobel Prize-winning author’s Sag Harbor home at a “Projections” panel discussion at the Sag Harbor Cinema on May 1. —Sag Harbor Express
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Sag Harbor Partnership In Push To Preserve Steinbeck House
In this article, the Sag Harbor Partnership announced its work with a then-unnamed university to create The Steinbeck Writers Retreat at the site and launched a fundraising drive to help cover the cost of buying the property, the price of which has been reduced by about $1.2 million. —Sag Harbor Express
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NEARLY $400,000 IN HAND FOR SAG HARBOR’S STEINBECK PARK
SHP collected donations on behalf of the village of Sag Harbor for the creation of John Steinbeck Park, a 9-year effort, along the waterfront.
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VIRTUAL ART SALE
This vibrant collection of works commemorated the 175th Anniversary of our beloved Sag Harbor Village as we celebrated the people and beauty of the East End.
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SAG HARBOR CARES
The Sag Harbor Partnership proudly helped provide financial support for the Mask Project, conceived by Bob Weinstein, to help residents stay safe in Sag Harbor and the East End during the Covid pandemic.
Community Impact
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Projects
SHP is hands-on in the village of Sag Harbor. Click through for more information about community projects SHP has spearheaded, and organizations we’ve partnered with.
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Grants
SHP provides grants directly to community organizations and non-profits to aid their important efforts. Learn more about the grant application process and who we support.
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Support
We invite you to join with us. Partner with the Partnership as we work together to support our community.
OUR MISSION
Sag Harbor Partnership is a 501(c)3 designated not-for-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of the quality of life in Sag Harbor, New York.
Our mission is to preserve the natural, historic, and built environments of Sag Harbor; enhance its cultural life; address social concerns; and maintain the unique character of the village and its locally owned small businesses.
We provide direct support in the form of small grants to community organizations whose work aligns with our mission.
Through partnerships with local governments, the private sector, and concerned citizens, we strive to enrich Sag Harbor for future generations.