The historic Landmark on Main Street building, which houses 59 low-income rental apartments for seniors and a community center, is undergoing its first major renovation since the building was converted from the Main Street School in 1995. The building also houses Landmark on Main Street Inc., which operates the Jeanne Rimsky Theater, the Port Washington Children’s Center, Parent Resource Center and Port Washington Teen Center.
“We always understood that around 15 to 17 years out, there would be a refinancing needed because that is when our tax-credit deal ended, said Bob Schanzer, president of the eight-person Board of Landmark on Main Street LLC., the entity that operates the building. A $8.5 million refinancing deal has been secured, with the major funding coming from low-income housing tax credits, Schanzer said. The renovation work will include the replacement of all of the windows, which were the original windows from the Main Street School, as well as re-pointing of the facade, painting of the trim and the installation of new bathrooms and updated kitchens in the apartments.
Scaffolding has already been erected around the building, and will remain in place during the year that it is expected to take to complete the renovations. The architect for the project is Dattner Associates and the construction work is being done by Lipsky Enterprises. Schanzer said that residents of the apartments will be moved into four vacant units in the building while their apartments are undergoing the renovations.
“With the refinancing, we can improve the building for the benefit of the community, the senior residents, and the nonprofit organizations housed there, and put the property on sound financial footing for years to come,” Schanzer said.
The theater will not be renovated during the project, according to Schanzer. “They raise money on their own and have made many capital improvements over the years themselves,” he said. Laura Mogel, executive director of the Landmark Theater, which will celebrate its 20th anniversary in November, confirmed that “the theater operations will not be affected and the theater will be open throughout the renovations.” She added, “We are excited to see the building look like it did 20 years ago.”
The Landmark building has been designated a historic site. The effort to have the Main Street School designated as an historic landmark was spearheaded by a local historian, Elly Shodell, to prevent the building from being demolished when it was closed as a school. It was officially nominated in 1982 and is now on the National, State, and Town of North Hempstead registries of historic landmarks, according to Rev. Charles Vogeley, vice president of the Board of Landmark on Main Street LLC.
