Derelict Former Swamp Nightclub Parcel Sold To Town

WAINSCOTT, NY — It was a day of celebration Tuesday as East Hampton Town completed the purchase of the blighted former Swamp nightclub property on Montauk Highway in Wainscott this week.

The purchase price of the 1.1-acre commercially-zoned property was $2.1 million; a $300,000 contribution toward the purchase price was provided by the not-for-profit Friends of Georgica Pond Foundation, Inc., which raised the funds from neighbors, the town said.

The remainder of the purchase price came from the town’s Community Preservation Fund, town officials said.

Sara Davis, executive director of the Friends of Georgica Pond Foundation, presented a ceremonial check to the Town at a closing on the parcel.

“We appreciate the generous support of the Friends of Georgica Pond Foundation, and neighbors, who contributed to make this purchase possible, and to enable us to preserve this important property at the gateway to Wainscott,” said East Hampton Town Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc.

Next, the town will develop a management plan for the property that will address the open space values and potential use of the land as part of the soon-to-be-finalized Wainscott hamlet study and plan.

The derelict buildings on the property, which most recently housed the Star Room nightclub, will be demolished and removed, town officials said.

The blighted parcel has been an eyesore and a source of contention for years.

Back in 2012, an application for a car wash was pitched for the parcel, also the site of the old Star Room property and SWA, as well as the Swamp, located just west of the Wainscott Shopping Village.

For years, the site was a bane to neighbors, who complained about noise and traffic. The club has been closed for about 10 years.

Resident Diana Weir spoke out about the property in 2012: "First of all it's an eyesore right now," she said. "It has been a very contentious site because it was a disco, a bar and a restaurant. That traffic was horrendous," she said, adding that limos used to line the streets.

Patch file photo of the building by Taylor Vecsey.

Lead photo courtesy East Hampton Town.