Riverhead Town Board yesterday unanimously approved a site plan to convert an East Main Street property into a restaurant and hotel.
The Preston House is the two-story residence that will be converted into a 185-seat restaurant and bar with a new five-story, 20-unit hotel built on its north side.
The property, located across from the Long Island Aquarium, was sold to aquarium partner Joseph Petrocelli in 2014. He said that while he originally planned to demolish the house for parking, the charm of the century-old building won him over and he decided to undertake its restoration instead.
The restaurant will span both floors of the house and offer outdoor patio seating and a koi pond. The five-story boutique hotel will be built behind the restaurant.
Both the hotel and the restaurant will incorporate historical elements of the building, which was built by local Civil War hero Henry Preston, in 1902.
Correction: This story has been amended after publication to reflect a correction to the approval granted by the Town Board Nov. 17; the board granted final, not preliminary, approval.
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