Ward Melville & Stonybrook

 Ward Melville was born in Brooklyn on January 5, 1887. He attended Adelphi Academy and then Columbia College. Melville Shoe was founded by his father Frank in 1893. Ward became President in 1930.  He and J. Franklin McElwain came up with the idea of mass producing shoes through low-priced stores. The Thom McAn company was born of this idea and the first store opened in 1922.

In 1939, Ward extensively renovated the Old Hallock Homestead he had inherited and renamed it the Three Village Inn. His wife Dorothy became co-founder of the Suffolk Museum. Their goal was to preserve and maintain historic Stony Brook, so Ward created a not-for-profit corporation, the Stony Brook Community Fund in 1939. It was later renamed The Ward Melville Heritage Organization in 1996.

Ward Melville’s dream was to create a “living Williamsburg.” Seeking community cooperation, Ward hosted a dinner at the Three Village Inn on January 19, 1940. He presented his plans, designed by close friend and architect Richard Haviland Smythe, which included a crescent-shaped Village Center with connected shops grouped around a federalist-style post office.

With a majority approval by the local people, the venture began at Ward Melville’s own personal expense of $500,000. He relocated, demolished, or modified some thirty-five buildings in the downtown area. A two acre Village Green was created opening the vista to the harbor. The new Stony Brook Village Center was completed in the summer of 1941.

Ward Melville died at the age of 90 in 1977.

 

Sources:

Leonard, S. "Ward Melville, 90, Shoe Magnate, Dies: Chairman of Melville Corporation Founded the Thom Mcan Line and Defended Chain Stores. “ New York Times (1923-), Jun 06, 1977, pp. 32. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/ward-melville-90-shoe-magnate-dies/docview/123360018/se-2

“Our Story.” Ward Melville Heritage Organization, https://wmho.org/the-ward-melville-heritage-organization/wmho-story

Charles Addams Home Sagaponack

Sagaponack, once home to Charles Addams, the famous illustrator, cartoonist and Addams Family creator and his wife, Marilyn “Tee” Addams, now houses the Tee and Charles Addams Foundation, founded by Ms. Addams in 1999.  The couple moved into the home in 1985 and referred to as “The Swamp.” The rambling, cedar shingle, ranch-style bungalow is set on 4.5 acres in the Sagaponack woods.

There are some unusual things at the house, namely Ms. Addams’s impressive collection of stuffed and mounted wildlife. There is also the pet cemetery in the front yard, the final resting place of beloved pets & the unlikely location where the couple held their wedding ceremony in 1980 and where it is rumored that Mr. Addams’s cremated remains are buried.

The house today is furnished to closely replicate how it was when the couple lived there. The rustic home is filled with Mr. Addams’s creations, Victoriana, objects given by friends and fans, the many stuffed and mounted animals, and photographs of animals in the wild.

In Mr. Addams’s personal study and office. Some of the many collectibles in that room include: an antique drafting table where Mr. Addams drew; a stuffed mongoose in battle with a cobra given to him as a gift; stuffed birds encased in a glass globe; and delicately painted Addams Family-themed eggs from 1966. Right off the study is the cedar archival closet, which holds originals of Mr. Addams’s famous works.

Tee’s favorite room was referred to as “the bird room.” That space, which offers a view of the woods, also includes: a photograph of a cheetah taken by Ms. Addams in Africa, ostrich and emu eggs, papier mâché-inspired heads of members of the Addams Family created out of linen and made for performers of the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus in 1965 and needlepoints of the famous illustrated Addamses, made by Sloan Simpson, an ex-girlfriend of Mr. Addams, dated 1965.

Sources: 

“It's a Museum, a Real Screa-Um: The Addams Family House.” 27 East, 15 Apr. 2010, https://www.27east.com/home-garden/its-a-museum-a-real-screa-um-the-addams-family-house-2-1395648