Bay Avenue Center to Open Early 2011

A makeover of the old Winona House, which will transform the former halfway house into a community center for seniors and various nonprofit groups, is in its final stages.

Patchogue Village officials said the $700,000 worth of renovations to the first floor of the Bay Avenue building are almost complete, and the new occupants, including the Patchogue Parks & Recreation Department, should move in early next year.

"The progress has been extremely slow because we were immediately faced with a frightfully expensive asbestos removal project," said Village Trustee Bill Hilton. The house has been under renovation for four years.

The building's facelift still needs finishing touches, including an upgrade to the electrical system and air-conditioning installation, and Hilton said an elevator will eventually be added, though he didn't know when.

Patchogue's Community Development Agency said at last Thursday's meeting it is calling out for companies to bid on installing two bathrooms compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act for the house. The money for the project will come from community block grant funds, according to Marian Russo, executive director of the CDA.

Village Trustee Joseph Keyes said the village chose to create the community center at the Winona House because the new occupants needed a central location for their operations. The Parks & Recreation Department, for example, currently has several offices throughout the village.

But that wasn't the only proposal for the building. Hilton said some wanted to tear down the Winona House and create a green, energy-efficient building. That, he added, would have been cost prohibitive.

"Even though cosmetically it was destroyed by being a halfway house, structurally the building is incredibly sound," Hilton noted.

Dating back to the 1880s, the four-story Winona House, as it was originally named, started as a seasonal lodging place, according to historical documents obtained from the village.

After World War I, the house became a more "blue-collar, working-class hotel," Hilton said.

The advent of the automobile and eastern extension of train lines slowed the resort hotel industry in Patchogue, according to village documents, and the Winona House wasn't immune to the slump.

A fire in 1951 further complicated matters by completely destroying the fourth floor. A new roof was built, but the top floor was never reconstructed.

In the 1960s, the house became an adult home and was renamed Halcyon Manner. Over the following decades, it served as a boarding house for veterans and then as a halfway house.

"We saved the neighborhood from having that ball and chain on it," Hilton said of the house's last use. "Even though as a public official, I understand the need for it, this is not the place for it."

The village acquired the building in 2006, along with two contiguous parcels, all part of Shorefront Park.

While the recent improvements are solely focused on the first floor, both Keyes and Hilton said they're hopeful the village will renovate the second and third floors in the future.

"It's a win-win situation," Hilton said of the current project. "It is a very sound building and it's also a beautiful, public spot."