Huntington African American Museum is denied Halesite location, plans to build in Huntington Station

The planned site of the Huntington African American Museum is moving from Halesite to Huntington Station, according to local officials and the museum's board chairman.

The new location was selected recently by museum officials after the state declined to remove parkland protections for a 1½-acre plot of town-owned land at the corner of New York Avenue and Mill Dam Road in Halesite. That area held significance because African Americans once settled there.

On Monday, the State Legislature approved a bill allowing the removal of the parkland designation from Fair Meadow Park, which moves the museum one step closer to having that site on which to construct a building, Assemb. Steve Stern (D-Huntington Station) and town officials said.

That park comprises 9.73 acres on the northwest corner of Pulaski Road and Park Avenue.

Stern, who represents that area and sponsored the bill, said the measure now needs to be signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul.

“I was proud to sponsor this bill," he said. "It’s something our town, our entire Long Island region can be proud of; we’re on our way to making the Huntington African American Museum a reality.” 

Once the governor signs off, town officials can transfer the park to the museum committee for the purpose of building the museum, town spokesperson Christine Geed said.

Another development project is also being considered for the Pulaski Road-Park Avenue intersection. The town’s zoning board of appeals on Thursday is scheduled to consider an application for the construction of a McDonald’s on the northeast corner, across Park Avenue from the park. 

Barry Lites, the museum’s board chair, said the additional acreage at the new site will allow the museum to offer more services and potentially for a one-story structure to be built.

“This site creates a tremendous opportunity to develop public space for the community and build a world-class museum,” Lites said. “We can create open space, we can have ample parking, EV charging stations for the community. We can do a lot of things here.”

In 2022, the museum was created to be a vehicle to share the stories of the town's African Americans who have been a part of the community since 1653.

In 2023, the town board approved a 99-year license agreement with the museum to allow it to be constructed at the Halesite location.

But the town needed approval from the state to remove the parkland designation from that parcel, which is part of Mill Dam Park, Geed said.

Assemb. Keith Brown (R-Northport) had been working on the transfer of the Halesite property to the museum last year and earlier this year but was unsuccessful. “It was a legal issue” regarding a license agreement versus a lease, Brown said in a text without elaborating. 

Lites said that last month, the museum board was advised the Halesite location wasn't going to work, so they needed to pick an alternate site.

Fair Meadow Park and a parcel in Cold Spring Harbor had been suggested for the museum prior to the approval of the Halesite location in 2023, Geed said. Lites said the board decided Fair Meadow Park was the option.  

Town Supervisor Ed Smyth, in a statement to Newsday, said the town continues to be  supportive of the museum.

“This museum will only enrich our Town’s already diverse cultural history,” the statement said. “Whenever it happens, the entire Town of Huntington looks forward to the ribbon cutting.”

By Deborah S. Morris

deborah.morris@newsday.comdsvmorris

Deborah Morris is a native Long Islander and covers the town of Huntington.