Latting House keeps landmark status

The Visiting Nurse Association of Long Island has withdrawn its request that the Town of Oyster Bay rescind landmark protection for the agency's historic building in Oyster Bay hamlet after the application generated alarm among local preservationists.

The association has closed the Joseph Latting House, part of which dates to the 1750s. It has listed the building it has owned since 1923 for sale at $525,000.

The association had asked the town to reverse its 1987 landmark designation for the structure at 193 South St., apparently to make the building more attractive to potential buyers who might feel constrained by the town designation, which would prohibit exterior alterations.

The Garden City-based group confirmed that it withdrew its application but declined to discuss plans further.

John Bonifacio, president of the Oyster Bay Main Street Association, said, "I'm pleased to see they are not moving forward with it because many groups in the community were ready to get together to show their support for the designation. It sets a bad precedent if we start removing landmark status to sell a building."

Only the small kitchen wing remains from the Latting House, according to research by the Main Street Association. The main section of the house was built in the 1850s in the Italianate and Victorian Gothic styles.