The stately brick building has stood on the triangle of land formed by the intersection of West Main Street with Court Street and Osborn Avenue since 1933, but people still don’t know what’s behind its stoic facade.
That anonymity — like the treasures within the building’s walls — is about to become a thing of the past.
With the installation of giant white banners that shout SUFFOLK HISTORY MUSEUM in large block letters, there will no longer be any question about the identity of the imposing edifice.
And that’s exactly the objective, said Suffolk County Historical Society executive director Kathy Curran as she watched workers from North Shore Neon Sign Co. install the banners this morning.
“We want to get people inside that building,” Curran said.
Inside are more than 25,000 historical artifacts documenting the history of Suffolk County, along with permanent and changing exhibits and a recently revamped gift shop.
The new banners — and accompanying images — were installed on the facade of the east wing today. Corresponding banners will soon be installed on the facade of the west wing. They were purchased and installed with the help of $7,260 in New York Main Street grant funds — 75 percent of the total cost of the new signage.
“New York State Main Street funding has been very important to allowing downtown Riverhead reach its full economic development potential,” Riverhead Supervisor Sean Walter said.
“We hope these new banners attract more visitors to the downtown business district.”
RiverheadLOCAL photos by Denise Civiletti
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