Stevens Home Landmarking Hearing Scheduled Tuesday

The Stevens Home, a 1920’s vernacular architectural-style bungalow that resides on a large plot of land in Bellmore, has been at the center of the an effort by local residents Christine Keller and Theresa Greene to have it declared a landmark in Bellmore.

The Town of Hempstead (TOH) Landmarks Commission recently approved the landmarking of the home. Now, the final decision of the home's historical status will be decided by the Hempstead Town Board in a public hearing to be held on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. The meeting will he held at Hempstead Town Hall Pavilion in Hempstead.

Keller and Greene started their crusade in October of 2010 when they heard that the nearly century-old house was up for sale. Concerned that the home should be preserved as a product of a bygone era, Keller went to work petitioning the Town Board to save it from alteration by having it declared a landmark.

"I loved the way that it was maintained and I always felt this connection to it," Keller told Patch. "The first time I went inside the house I was amazed. It was like a time capsule of the 1920s."

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An application for landmark status was submitted to the Town of Hempstead Landmark Preservations Commission in December of 2010. Keller submitted the application after having researched and located historic information about the Stevens Home property and family.

“Once I spoke with the Lorenzens and Hardings, Stevens family friends, I was confident that I had to do something to save the property," she said.

Supporters of saving the historic house include Legis. Dave Denenberg, D-Merrick, and local organizations such as the Bellmore Preservation Group, Wantagh Preservation Society, Bellmore Historical Society, Bellmore Memorial Library, and The Garden at St. Marks.

Located at 2396 Bellmore Ave., the house was built by local bay-man Charles Stevens in 1923. The plan is to restore the Stevens Home and property and maintain it in the character in which it was first built.

What do you think should be the future for the Stevens Home and property? Tell us in the comments.