Years erode Moses' vision for Jones Beach

But an advocacy group is pushing renovations to return the destination to its former glory

BY BILL BLEYER | STAFF WRITER

August 4, 2004

As state officials celebrate the 75th anniversary of Jones Beach today with birthday cake and special activities, a respected preservation group is focusing attention on the loss of many historic architectural details that made the park unique.

The Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities has completed a two-year study that lists numerous examples of original design elements from Robert Moses' vision that have been lost or compromised by unsympathetic alterations or repairs. They range from the removal of reflecting pools along Ocean Parkway, and the mahogany boardwalk railing, to wooden windows and doors replaced by modern aluminum designs, to improper patching of original tile mosaics.

The report also points out that most of the problems were caused by previous park administrations and credits Parks Commissioner Bernadette Castro and her staff for working to reverse the deterioration.

Castro pledged yesterday to carry out key recommendations of the report, such as preparing a master plan to better preserve the park and getting Jones Beach listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The designation would have no affect on the public's use of the beach but would require repairs and maintenance to be historically accurate.

After those steps are completed, Castro said, additional recommendations will be considered such as declaring Jones Beach a state historic park like Planting Fields so it will be eligible for more historic management expertise from the parks department.

"The problem with Jones Beach is that no one has seen it as historic and there has been a long history of unsympathetic changes that have eroded Robert Moses' design features," said SPLIA Director Robert MacKay. "Very much Jones Beach is the sum of its details. It's in the signs, the water fountains, the detailing around the buildings."

Castro said her goal is to have the park on the National Register by the end of the year. She said no master plan has been prepared because the state didn't have the $100,000 it would cost, but she committed to completing the document within two years.

"Preservation is very important to this administration," Castro said.

The report was prepared by historic preservation consultant Alexandra Parsons Wolfe of Douglaston.

During a tour of the park this week, Wolfe pointed out at the West Bathhouse where the concrete has cracked, allowing steel reinforcing bars to show through; where glass panes are missing, allowing birds inside the structure; and where mismatching concrete and bricks have been used to patch gaps in the walls. The clock on the exterior wall is missing its hands. The awning is missing from around the pool area and the fencing has been altered. Decorative moldings have been removed from the exterior.

The report summarizes the positive steps the state has taken in the past four years at the park. Thirteen interpretive signs have been installed on the boardwalk, as well as replicas of early wooden benches. A permanent park history exhibit, "Castles in the Sand," was placed in the East Bathhouse. This year, replicas of the original striped canvas awnings on the Central Mall buildings were installed. The park also placed more steamship funnel covers on boardwalk garbage cans, erected replica metal silhouette signs and re-created some original landscaping.

Castro said additional historic interpretation signs will be erected around the park. She added that $50,000 has been set aside to repair the historic mosaics on the Central Mall. Castro added that some missing details, such as the hands on the West Bathhouse clock, also will be replaced. "It shows the public we do care about preservation," she said.