Sag Harbor Park Honoring John Steinbeck Planned

SAG HARBOR, NY — After four years of planning, work on a waterfront park in Sag Harbor to honor literary giant John Steinbeck is set to begin.

At a ceremony to be held on Friday at 10 a.m., the Town of Southampton will formally transfer management of operation of Steinbeck Waterfront Park to Sag Harbor Village. The parcel was acquired by Southampton Town with Community Preservation Funds.

According to town officials, Friday's event will "cap an effort, reaching back almost a generation, to save from condominium development one of the last remaining waterfront parcels in downtown Sag Harbor."

The new park will be linked with the existing Windmill Park and the soon-to-be updated Long Wharf, "forming a major interconnected and integrated waterfront amenity at the center of village life," town officials said, with the goal of serving both residents and tourists.

"The Town of Southampton is proud to partner with the Village of Sag Harbor to create this new waterfront park," Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman said. "Steinbeck Park will enhance the village experience for everyone and honor a great American author who cherished Sag Harbor."

Steinbeck, officials said, lived in Sag Harbor for the last 16 years of his life and was "deeply involved" in the village, instrumental in the creation of the windmill on Long Wharf and the beloved "Harborfest" event. Steinbeck was the author of 27 books and 16 novels, including "The Grapes of Wrath" — and wrote at least two while living in Sag Harbor, including "The Winter of Our Discontent" and "Travels with Charlie" . He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962 and died in 1968.

Informal design and planning of the park is helmed by landscape architect and Sag Harbor resident Edmund Hollander; moving ahead, public opinion will be garnered. In the meantime, the site will be open to the public on an interim basis as 1.25 acres of green space, with split rail fencing, picnic tables and benches.

Friday's event is open to the public.

"This is a banner day for Sag Harbor, a community which has poured millions of dollars into the Community Preservation Fund, particularly the past few years," said Village Mayor Kathleen Mulcahy said. "The new park saves an absolutely vital piece of our waterfront from development and instead offers a lovely gateway to our village. We expect in due time this will become a beautiful amenity for residents and visitors alike."

She added that the efforts of town officials as well as those of Village Mayor Sandra Schroeder and Trustee Jim Larocca, who tirelessly led the effort over the past four years, have been invaluable.

"My family and I are ecstatic that we have been able to play a role in making John Steinbeck Park a reality," said developer Jay Bialsky.