Architect says addition will restore rather than overwhelm historic neighborhood house at 923 Mile Harbor Road

Val Florio, architect for Project Most, presented a renovation and rear addition for the former neighborhood house at 923 Mile Harbor Road and told the ARB the design follows Secretary of the Interior preservation guidelines so that "from the roadside, you would see nothing different than you have had for the last hundred plus years." Florio said the plan increases usable area to about 6,516 square feet by adding a rear wing set well back from the street, lifting the building onto a new foundation, restoring cedar-shingle textures and wood trim, and providing limited child-care and program space downstairs.

Florio said he had consulted historic photographs and the East Hampton Village Historic Society and proposed treating the new portion as visually subordinate to the existing structure so the historic cottage and hall will remain legible from the road. He described the project as a rehabilitation and said an archaeological study turned up only limited findings.

Board members generally praised the approach but asked the architect to revisit the small street-facing vestibule and front elevation, which several members called the scheme's weakest visual element. "If you can move it 4 or 5 feet," one board member said, "you might be able to add a porch and improve the proportion." Panelists also discussed whether distinguishing the addition with different materials — a common Department of the Interior practice — would be appropriate; some members favored the architect's harmonious, restorative approach while others urged clearer differentiation to preserve future restoration options.

The ARB agreed to draft and deliver a brief set of comments to the Planning Board within about a week; the ARB’s feedback is advisory to planning, and the project will return for further review as required.