Smith-Taylor restoration underway

Help is on the way! A recent release from the Taylor’s Island Foundation announced that an agreement has been signed with architect Andre Tchelistcheff to create a plan for the restoration of the Smith-Taylor Cabin on the island.

On a blustery day in early November, Mr. Tchelistcheff and his crew arrived under full sail on his boat and were joined on site by structural engineer Robert Murray and Taylor’s Island Preservation and Management Committee members Kathy Gooding and P.A.T. Hunt.

The crew of nine worked in teams, measuring with tapes and laser instruments; they scanned, probed, inspected, photographed and sketched the Adirondack-style log cabin, built around 1900 with 1930s’ additions, from its iconic tower and roof to the cellar and crawl space.

Ms. Hunt, head of the Taylor’s Island Foundation, said, “the level of attention the cabin was getting made it seem alive in a distinctly different way — the cabin as patient, with a team of specialists examining, diagnosing and creating a care plan.”

The restoration of the cabin is made possible with an $110,600 matching grant from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Ms. Hunt noted that, “through the generosity of the Shelter Island community, the foundation has already raised over $50,000 to meet the match.”

Once restored, she said, the cabin, a gift from S. Gregory Taylor, will be a self-supporting town-owned property, available for the use and enjoyment of the general public.