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