Refurbishment planned for Heckscher Museum of Art in Huntington

The keepers of Huntington’s Heckscher Museum of Art are planning a face-lift for the building in preparation for its 100th birthday.

The Huntington Town Board recently gave approval for the nonprofit arm of the museum, Heckscher Museum Inc., to raise funds for a historically appropriate restoration project for the exterior of the museum for its 2020 centennial.

The approval will allow museum trustees to apply for grants, including from New York State agencies, town officials said.

“Hecksher Park turned 100 this year and the museum is going to turn 100 in two years,” Town Supervisor Chad Lupinacci said. “This is basically for the centennial celebration and such to start to organize and raise money for an expansion and resurfacing.”

The museum, which is on the New York State and National Registers of Historic Places, was designed in the Renaissance Revival style of architecture and constructed of French limestone.

August and Anna Heckscher created the Heckscher Trust in 1917 and donated what is now Heckscher Park and announced their intention to establish a museum for the benefit of the community, town documents said.

The museum sits within the 18.5-acre Heckscher Park, which was conveyed to the town by the Heckscher Trust in 1954 in exchange for town officials maintaining and operating the property, including the museum, in perpetuity. The nonprofit corporation Heckscher Museum Inc. was created in 1957 to assist the town with the management of the museum. The corporation has, since 1964, had formal responsibility for operating the museum.

Town Historian Robert Hughes said the restoration is a good idea, given the building’s significance to the town.

“The museum is a real gem in Huntington, and it’s going to be 100 years old and you want it to look its best for its big celebration in 2020,” Hughes said.

The town board approved the fundraising effort in a 5-0 vote at the July 17 meeting.