The circa 1855 Norton House on East Main Street can be moved to Third Street and renovated by builder Bob Castaldi, Councilwoman Jodi Giglio told town board members today.
Castaldi is willing to take the house and renovate it for new commercial uses on property he owns there, Giglio said.
Developers seeking to build a four-story apartment building on the site where the historic house is now located initially proposed to demolish it, but the Riverhead Landmarks Preservation Commission objected and suggested it be relocated.
The landmarks commission was hoping the house could be moved onto a portion of a municipal parking lot on the north side of East Main Street, between Mangano Funeral Home and the newly renovated Howell House. But the cost of renovating the home is not something the town is in a position to assume, said Giglio, who estimated it would run between $200,000 and $300,000.
Castaldi, who restored and operates the Suffolk Theater on East Main Street, owns the site where the Norton House would be moved to. It is part of a property he purchased from the town in 2014 and the home of another historic building, the former Riverhead Fire Department headquarters on Second Street. The property fronts on both Second Street and Third Street.
Giglio said a microbrewery tenant at the firehouse could use more space and the Norton House would be perfect, she said.
The Huntington-based developer buying the property where the Norton House is located has agreed to pay up the $70,000 to move the home to a new location.
The town board is poised to grant final site plan approval for the four-story, 36-unit apartment building at its next meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 6. Once the site plan approval is granted, the developer will close on the purchase of the site and then the Norton House can be moved.
The Norton House was built by blacksmith Richard Norton, who specialized in iron work for ships then being built in area shipyards, according to the Landmarks Commission. It was most recently occupied by a Subway sandwich shop.
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