New Life For Historic Lyzon Hat Shop

HAMPTON BAYS, NY — After years of planning and dreams, the former Lyzon Hat Shops is set for its next chapter.

Residents are invited to wear their finest hats and step back in time for the grand opening of the historic “Lyzon Hat Shop”, located at 116 West Montauk Highway in Hampton Bays, on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. A ribbon cutting takes place at 12:30 p.m.

Rich in local history, the Lyzon Hat Shop dates back to the 1850s and once served as a shop for one-of-a-kind hats by Walter King, whose clients included the wealthy and even royalty, according to town officials.

The building was donated by Anita and Bryan Whalen to the Hampton Bays Historical Society. A few years later the Historical and Preservation Society then turned it over to the town.

Some of the original hats are on display, to the delight of the many who've worked for years to breathe new life into the establishment. The Hampton Bays Historical & Preservation Society now manages the exhibits and runs the museum.

Family fun festivities planned include hat making lessons, ice cream making, a quilting demonstration and refreshments.

Participants will also be entertained by the Long Island Sound Chorus, Sweet Adelines from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.

In 2012, the Lyzon Hat Shop was designated a historic landmark.

The hat shop, which closed in 1968, according to town officials, met the town's Landmarks & Historic Districts Board's criteria as a historic structure.

"Protection of the hat shop, once an icon in the Hampton Bays community, is crucial to maintaining the character of downtown Hampton Bays, and underscores the town board's commitment to preserving our invaluable historic resources," said then-Southampton Town Councilwoman Bridget Fleming, who sponsored the resolution; Fleming is now a Suffolk County legislator.

At the time, Brenda Berntson, president of the Hampton Bays Historical & Preservation Society said, "Hats off to the town for moving this project forward."

According to Berntson, King studied art at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, and his wife, Helen, was a talented milliner during the first half of the 20th century.

The renovation, which included a roof restoration, was funded by a Suffolk County Downtown Revitalization grant.

Patch courtesy photo.