Ground breaking August 15 at Historical Society

“We’re going to look good, but we’re still going to look like Havens House.”

That’s Shelter Island Historical Society Executive Director Nanette Breiner-Lawrenson promise about additions and renovations to the grounds on South Ferry Road.

The $1.7 million project will double archive space, provide a classroom for research and more room for exhibits.

A ground breaking ceremony, to which donors will be invited, takes place on August 15, with the target amount of completing the project $500,000 short of its goal. But confidence is high at the Society.

The project started with a gift from Elizabeth and William Pedersen of $1 million — a gift Ms. Pedersen said was motivated by the love she and her husband have for Shelter Island. It was hardly the first gift the couple had given to the organization. Along with the check, Mr. Pedersen, a world-renowned architect, designed the plans for the new addition pro bono.

“We are in a position to create one of the premier institutions of this type on the East End of Long Island,” Mr. Pedersen said. “The history of Shelter Island has played a major role in the history of our country.”

But added space is needed “to overcome the obstacles of physical space and financial resources,” Mr. Pedersen said.

Along came two other couples — Ed and Nancy Barr and Jerry and Belle Lareau — each pledging $100,000 challenge grants that would put the Historical Society just $100,000 short of its $1.7 million original goal.

The Historical Society has preserved more than 350 years of Island history and “continues to play an important role as we build our future,” Mr. Barr said.

“This is why Nancy and I have made a challenge grant to the Society to raise remaining funds needed for the new vault and study center,” he said.

Similarly, Belle Lareau said the fact that the building project will make the archived records and artifacts more accessible to the community motivated the challenge grant she and her husband have offered.

“As a fourth generation Islander, this is an important personal commitment,” Ms. Lareau said.

Now it’s up to the wider community to step up and meet the challenges posed by the Barrs and Lareaus.

“History is in the making right now,” Ms. Lawrenson. There’s the need for space for new records to be added, she said. She’s confident there are people with information and artifacts in their attics and cellars and hopes they will eventually find their way to the Historical Society.

Adding to the collection is the generational Oral History Project and that just got a boost from a $2,500 grant from the Long Island Community Foundation’s All For the East End program.

It will pay for the audio and video recordings of interviews with Island family members of all ages and re-interviews at significant times of their lives. The funds will help pay for training to teach students to conduct interviews and produce exhibits using technology.

As for the design of the new archive and study center, Mr. Pedersen was sensitive from the beginning to keep Havens House as the prominent building on the grounds, Ms. Breiner-Lawrenson said, with some restoration  to the building, upgrading utilities, painting and roofing.

Once work begins — likely in September with some demolition — it’s expected there will be a need for a mobile unit properly heated and air conditioned to store records until they can be moved to the new vault.

Now Ms. Breiner-Lawrenson’s focus is on raising the matching funds for the two challenge grants and an additional $100,000 to complete the project. Even small contributions add up, so she’s looking forward to seeing many people in the community involved in helping to fund the expansion.

“We could not function without volunteers and supporters,” she said.