Flower Hill Village Hall

Flower Hill Village Hall is the administrative headquarters for the Incorporated Village of Flower Hill, New York. It houses the Village of Flower Hill's government, along with the village's service and maintenance vehicles.

Flower Hill Village Hall
Flower Hill Village Hall in 2020, with flags on the lawn to celebrate Labor Day.
General information
TypeVillage hall
Architectural styleColonial
Address1 Bonnie Heights Road, Manhasset, NY 11030
Coordinates40°48′33.9″N 73°40′37.6″W
Construction startedJuly 1948
Opened1949
Renovated2007
Cost$60,000 (1948 USD)
OwnerIncorporated Village of Flower Hill
Design and construction
Architect(s)Henry W. Johanson
Main contractorRobert Johnson, Inc.
Other information
ParkingYes

Description

The building is located at 1 Bonnie Heights Road, on a 1 acre (0.40 ha) plot of land, directly across the street from the Flower Hill Village Park.[1][2] This property used to be the location of the real estate office of Carlos Munson – a prominent, early Flower Hill resident and the former chairman of the Munson Steamship Company.[3][4]

In addition to holding village elections, Flower Hill Village Hall is also the polling location for voters residing in New York State Assembly District 16's election districts 59, 60, and 61 during general elections.[5][6][7][8]

Village Hall is also the location where the Nassau County Police Department's RMPs 607 and 610, which service Flower Hill, change tours.[9]

History

In a February, 1948 referendum vote, the voters of Flower Hill approved the construction of a new village hall. Designed by Roslyn architect Henry W. Johanson in the colonial architectural style, it includes a clerks room, meeting room, and entrance hall, as well as a garage for Flower Hill's service vehicles.[10][11][12] Construction on Village Hall commenced in July 1948.[11] The building was constructed by New York City-based Robert Johnson, Inc. for a cost of $60,000 (1948 USD).[11]

The first meeting to be held within the building by Flower Hill's Board of Trustees took place on February 24, 1949, and the Board of Trustees directed that the significance of the occasion be noted within the minutes of that meeting.[13]

Additionally, Trustee Harry Vaubel gifted a flag and flag pole to the Village of Flower Hill; this gift coincided with the opening of Village Hall.[13]

On April 28 1956, the local Garden Liaison Committee planted two dogwood trees on the property as a means of expressing their gratitude to the village's officials for letting them conduct their meetings within the building.[14][15][16]

Coffee & donut controversy, 1951

In 1951, a contentious debate took place regarding the serving of coffee and donuts at Village Hall.[17] Residents and members of local civic associations – notably the Flower Hill Association and the Flower Hill Women's Club – were divided over whether or not such items should be served at meetings within the building, and played a major role in the outcome of the Village's 1951 elections.[17]

The debate started when trustees denied the local civic associations the ability to serve these items at their meetings, and the Flower Hill Association nominated two candidates to oust the trustees who were opposed to allowing these items to be served.[17]

Garden dedication, 1996

In 1996, in light of the sudden passing of Village Clerk Barbara Errett, the Village of Flower Hill dedicated the garden in front of the building in her honor.[18] The plantings were donated by the family of Mayor John Walter.[18]

2000s renovations

The building was renovated during the 2000s, during the tenure of Mayor Charles Weiss.[19][20]

References
  1. "Village of Flower Hill » Contact". villageflowerhill.org. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
  2. "Flower Hill Village Hall". Google Maps. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
  3. "Village of Flower Hill » Village History". villageflowerhill.org. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
  4. "Flower Hill Newsletter - Spring 2018" (PDF). villageflowerhill.org. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
  5. "Flower Hill Mayor Election Candidates: Meet Brian Herrington". Port Washington, NY Patch. 2020-09-04. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
  6. Schaden, Marco (2020-09-22). "Flower Hill Saga Comes To An End". Manhasset Press. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
  7. "Close Races in Ten Villages Take Spotlight in Elections Tomorrow". Newsday. March 19, 1951 – via ProQuest.
  8. "Port Washington UFSD - Polling Locations". www2.portnet.k12.ny.us. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
  9. "Quarterly Community Policing Report". www.pdcn.org. October 2016.
  10. "Flower Hill Asks Bids On Village Hall". Newsday. May 21, 1948 – via ProQuest.
  11. "Manhasset press. (Manhasset, N.Y.) 1934-current, October 22, 1948, Image 1". The Manhasset Press (1948/10/22): 1. 1948-10-22.
  12. "Flower Hill Village Hall". The Manhasset Mail. March 31, 1949.
  13. "MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE VILLAGE OF FLOWER HILL, NASSAU COUNTY, NEW YORK". Village of Flower Hill, NY. February 24, 1949.
  14. "Village Hall to Get Trees". Daily News. 1956-03-25. p. 370. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
  15. "Unit Meets to Plan Library Project". Newsday. February 11, 1952 – via ProQuest.
  16. "Liaison Group Sponsors Projects". Newsday. April 30, 1952 – via ProQuest.
  17. Sheward, Virginia (February 20, 1951). "The (W) Hole Thing Sounds Silly But Coffee, Sinkers Are Political". Newsday – via ProQuest.
  18. Abruzzo, Sharon (October 24, 1996). "Garden Dedicated to Barbara Errett". The Roslyn News.
  19. Martins, Jack (2015-10-03). "J3645". NY State Senate. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
  20. "McCabe v. Inc. Village of Flower Hill, 2012 N.Y. Slip Op. 31316 | Casetext Search + Citator". casetext.com. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
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