Brecknock Hall’s Recent History
A View of the former Sand Mine
The 1960’s to the 1990’s
Over the next several decades a number of absentee landlords owned the building. In 1971 developer Gus Schad acquired the property and planned to develop it into condominiums. This plan did not materialize, but by 1983 a new plan, created with Schad’s new partner, Leo Wolowitz, re-emerged. This development called for the construction of 74 single family homes and apartments. During this period the hall was sometimes rented but quite often it was empty. At one point the property was used for an illegal sand-mine and the elaborate formal gardens, once the pride of Long Island, were destroyed. There was even talk of the destruction of the hall for development.
Brecknock Hall lay vacant for many years, and the roof developed serious leaks. Concerned local citizens formed the Brecknock Hall Society, Inc. to rescue the structure in the 1990’s. The roof was replaced, but the owners of the land and Hall were not interested in turning the Hall into a cultural center. Sadly, during this period of time, an owner of the property illegally mined vast quantities of sand from the area where the garden was located, creating a vast pit which is now fashioned into a pond.
The 2000’s
In the mid 1990’s, Southold Town approved the use of the property to the north of Brecknock Hall for development as a planned retirement community, and the new owners signed a covenant to maintain the exterior of Brecknock Hall in 2000.
The Brecknock Hall Foundation was formed in 2004 and began work to restore the building. The corbels (the ornate wooden decoration under the eaves) were repaired and painted; the windows were sealed and painted, the enclosure surrounding the front porch was removed; the porches were repaired and painted; all exterior woodwork was painted; the roof was repaired; and the downspouts were replaced. In March 2005, Brecknock Hall was placed on the New York State Register of Historic Places and in April 2005, on the National Register of Historic Places.