Prose & Comments: Manhanset Chapel – The Sequel

By Randy Osofsky

For 25 years, I have kept a typewritten letter by Stewart W. Herman tucked inside the book he authored, “The Smallest Village: The Story of Dering Harbor, Shelter Island, New York, 1874 – 1974.” The letter was written to my family on January 13, 1986, to express his “tremendous personal pleasure to receive the good news that the Manhanset Chapel has now been donated to the Shelter Island Historical Society.”

How generous Mr. Herman was the day I went to see him soon after I began to call the chapel home. It was because Mr. Herman and I felt the same way about the chapel — we both loved the building and wanted it to be a boon to the Island community.

When I first arrived on the Island, I saw this beautiful and historic landmark being used for storage. I went to the owner, Archie Gershon, and made a simple proposal: either take better care of the place or sell it to me. It was 1972, and I had just returned from Rome, Italy, where I spent my last two years of college. While I was away, my parents had built their dream house on the Island — and after Mr. Gershon agreed to sell the chapel to my family, I was ready to make some dreams of my own.

In no time, I rolled up my sleeves and did most of the work myself. I knew how to use sanders, to spackle, and I could paint a wall — I was a sculptor after all. I moved in on Halloween night, thinking that if there were spirits in the place they should all come at once.

After a few months there was real activity in the chapel, and the vaulted space began to vibrate with artistic energy. Kids were the first to visit. I think it was the paper and crayons that were always available that brought them in. From the start the chapel seemed to belong to the community, and I embraced that idea.

In 1972, when I first lived full-time on Shelter Island, there were about 1,500 people in the winter happy to welcome a newcomer like myself to the Island. Few people vacationed during those winter months and few hotels were open. So, if anyone came to the Island looking for a place to stay, Islanders would direct them to my house, to the chapel. “Randy will put you up” was the general feeling, and I was happy to. For those old enough to know “Alice’s Restaurant,” someone had told me that “Randy’s Chapel” was Shelter Island’s version.

It was the 70s, and I was an artist, but I was just one of many. Alan Shields was the first artist that made me feel at home: he would come over for dinner and weave stories much like he wove his art. I knew if this Island was his home, then this place was magical.

Before long I met so many artists and we established, without ceremony, the Shelter Island Community of Artists. I was the youngest member, honored to share experiences with Bob Joyce, Gus Mosca, Janet Culbertson, Luiz Coelho, and Nidia, Enzo, and Germano Russo (just to name a few). The gallery that I ran at the time was called “Altervisions: A Gallery in a Chapel,” and when we had a show for the group it was one of the best the gallery ever hung.

For me, the chapel was a home and a gallery, but it was also my way to become a thread in the fabric of the Island. I became a member of the Chamber of Commerce and ran the annual Shelter Island Art Show. Mrs. Fiske hired me one season as the photographer for the Shelter Island Historical Society. All because I was the artist that lived and worked in the chapel.

I thought I would live and work there forever. I thought my children’s children would drive by and say, “Grandma lives there.” Life changes, and we have to alter the painting we call our future. And so, after my children were born, I moved to the city. However, I was not going to let the place I loved and worked to restore become a restaurant, bar or real estate office.

I thought, like Mr. Herman, that the Historical Society would be best able to take care of the chapel — to have the community continue to be a part of the building. They hoped to establish it as a permanent museum, but after a time they had to begin to lease the space.

After the furniture store that was renting it left and Mosquito Hawk Gallery took its place, I was so pleased. The new tenant cared deeply for the chapel — I could just feel it. She had art shows and thought outside the box, even advertising it for rent for photo and film shoots, parties and weddings.

I enjoyed visiting the space during the art show openings. One evening last summer I was feeling so low — my heart was so heavy, as I had only just lost my mother — and I was drawn to the building. It wasn’t until I entered the chapel that I could feel my spirits lifting. Something about coming home again made my heart a little lighter.

So if there are spirits, I think it was my mother who had a hand in making sure that, when the Historical Society decided it was time to sell, we would be the ones to buy it. And maybe, once my sons decide it is time to have children of their own, my grandchildren will drive by and say, “Grandma and Grandpa live there.”

In the meantime, the chapel needs some love and restoration: it needs the windows repaired, another paint job, and maybe some insulation. I understand the place had a face-lift in 1994, but as we get older we need to be constantly cared for.

I would like to rejuvenate the space so that it can be the artistic and community center it once was. Our plan is to once again have art shows — and this time to add poetry readings, musical performances, a little theatre, and eventually create living quarters. And we’d like to continue to make the space available for weddings, parties and special events, because such a magnificent space lends itself to special occasions.

Some might say I am attempting to turn back the hands of time or that I’m looking to relive the past. But really I believe that there is a bigger reason — maybe spirits, maybe destiny — that has led me to reacquire the building I once called home. And now we have a second chance to restore the chapel to its place among those places that define the Island.

So, if you know anyone looking to rent a space for a special event or performance, please give them our e-mail address ([email protected]), because the sooner we get this going the sooner we can make the chapel the vibrant community center it has been for so many decades.