Assemblymen Raia & Lupinacci Tour Historic Vanderbilt Museum

Assemblymen Lupinacci and Raia stand with Vanderbilt Museum Curator Stephanie Gress and Vanderbilt Museum & Planetarium Executive Director Lance Reinheimer near a bust of Cornelius Vanderbilt in the mansion on March 24.
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New York State Andrew P. Raia (R,I,C-East Northport) and Assemblymen Chad A. Lupinacci (R,C,I-South Huntington) visited the historic Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum & Planetarium in Centerport on March 24, where they received a first-hand look at maintenance and improvements being performed ahead of the busy spring season.

The tour of the 43-acre grounds, which included visits to the Vanderbilt mansion, several natural history exhibits and the famous Planetarium, was led by Lance Reinheimer, the museum’s Executive Director.

“The Vanderbilt Museum & Planetarium is a wonderful gem right here in our backyard. It is a beautiful piece of American history, and I was honored to participate in a personal tour with Vanderbilt Museum Curator Stephanie Gress and Executive Director Lance Reinheimer,” Raia said. “I encourage all members of the community to take advantage of the opportunity to visit this wonderful Long Island landmark.”

The Vanderbilt Museum was the brainchild of William K. Vanderbilt II, who traveled the world by sea and collected marine life, birds, and cultural artifacts. He first displayed his marine specimens to the public when he opened the Hall of Fishes in 1922. After Vanderbilt deeded the museum to Suffolk County upon his death in 1944, Suffolk County opened the museum in 1950.

Today, the Vanderbilt’s collection of more than 30,000 objects includes Vanderbilt’s mansion, the curator’s cottage, a seaplane hangar and boathouse, antique household furnishings, rare decorative and fine art, the archives and photographic record of Vanderbilt’s circumnavigations of the globe, and published books of his travels. The Charles and Helen Reichert Planetarium, which reopened in 2013 following a $4 million makeover, is one of the major attractions that has made the Vanderbilt a destination for schoolchildren and tourists alike for decades.

While thousands of students each year come to the Vanderbilt to see the stars, the museum also has the ability to bring the cosmos directly to students. Earlier this year, Reinheimer and museum leaders dazzled lawmakers in Albany by bringing their National Grid Foundation-sponsored “Discovering the Universe” mobile classroom to the Capitol.

“For generations, the Vanderbilt Museum & Planetarium has provided innovative, one-of-a-kind educational opportunities for Long Island teachers and schoolchildren,” Lupinacci said. “After our recent tour, I am pleased to say that the Vanderbilt is better than ever and ready for another successful season.”