How and why Sound Avenue was designated a ‘scenic and historic’ road — and what it means

Sound Avenue is “a favorite drive for visitor and resident alike and one of the few highways left on Long Island relatively free of all the ugly signs of urban sprawl — billboards, crowded development, noise and smoke of industrial activity.” 

Distinguished historian, educator, wartime information officer, editor, and long-time Riverhead community advocate Dr. Caryl Reeve Granttham penned these words more than 50 years ago. Today the roadway, though often clogged with traffic — especially on autumn weekends — remains the “favorite drive” of Granttham’s fond reflection. Her advocacy for Sound Avenue and the local community half a century ago are in no small measure responsible for the still-scenic and rural character of the two-lane, tree-lined road that dates back to the mid-17th century.

Among her many civic activities and efforts, Granttham chaired the Riverhead First Committee, which successfully advocated for the state designation of Sound Avenue as “a scenic and historic corridor in honor and celebration of the American Bicentennial and the role of Long Island in the American Revolution.”  

A bill designating the road a “scenic and historic corridor,” with the support of the Riverhead Town Board, passed the State Legislature and was signed into law by Gov. Hugh Carey in July 1975 and took effect one year later, in time for the town’s celebration of the American Bicentennial. 

The “scenic and historic” designation for Sound Avenue was an outgrowth of one of many local efforts to mark the nation’s 200th birthday. In a town that proudly traces its roots to early colonial times and the fight for freedom from the British crown, the American Bicentennial was a big event locally, celebrated with a parade, a gala ball and other events. 

The bicentennial inspired people to think about local history and their place in it as time went on. It was a time of renewed civic pride, leading to local preservation and beautification efforts. The Town Board on Sept. 16, 1975 adopted the Landmarks Preservation ordinance and the town began to document its many historic buildings throughout the community. The new awareness led to the preservation of two of Main Street’s historic homes, the Benjamin and Corwin houses, which today form the East End Arts and Humanities Council campus. 

Townscape, an organization still working to improve the appearance of public spaces in downtown Riverhead, was formed in the runup to the bicentennial. The founders of Townscape decided to resurrect an annual fair in Riverhead, which had hosted the Suffolk County Fair from the 1840s until some time during the Great Depression. The fair had taken place only sporadically after that — until 1976 when Townscape hosted the first Riverhead Country Fair downtown.

The state designation of Sound Avenue as a “scenic and historic” roadway was made “in honor of the American bicentennial and the role of Long Island in the American Revolution.” 

It called for “local historic and conservation societies to identify historic sites, structures, landmarks, and places of cultural and scientific interest” and to work with local legislative bodies “to formulate a plan for the preservation and enhancement of these assets.”

But the designation had “no actual legal consequence,” as its sponsor in the State Senate, Sen. Leon Giuffreda acknowledged in his July 1, 1975 letter to the governor’s office seeking Gov. Carey’s approval. 

The designation did not affect land use along the Sound Avenue corridor, which remained — and still remains — the purview of local government. By state law, only the Town Board has the authority to regulate land use through the exercise of its zoning power.  Its future is still very much subject to development pressure.

The designation did not — and does not — prevent the road from being widened to accommodate increased traffic flow. That, too, is under local control, because Sound Avenue is a town-owned road. 

The designation “produces a deterrent towards any destruction of historically significant or scenic aspects of the area,” Giuffreda wrote.

In other words, the designation sent a message.

The issues of land use and traffic were local flashpoints half a century ago as much as they are today. Maybe even more so. The summer of 1975 was a time of turmoil here, and it had nothing to do with the upcoming bicentennial.

That’s because, in the summer of 1975, when Sound Avenue’s “scenic and historic” bill was passed, the “destruction of historically significant or scenic aspects of the area” was a very real threat. 

The Long Island Lighting Company, the private utility company that supplied electricity to the region, was at that moment moving forward with plans to construct at least two nuclear reactors on the Long Island Sound bluff in Jamesport, in the area where Hallock State Park and the Hallockville Museum Farm are today. 

In 1973, LILCO applied for a construction permit to build two 1,150 -megawatt pressurized water reactors on the 529-acre Jamesport site. A traffic study commissioned by the utility determined that the narrow, rural roadway could not accommodate the traffic that would be generated by the construction of the plant and concluded that Sound Avenue from Northville Turnpike east should be widened to a four-lane road, with two lanes in each direction.

Enter Dr. Caryl Reeve Granttham and the members of the Riverhead First Committee, Inc. 

This multipart series will examine what happened in the months leading up to the “scenic and historic” designation of Sound Avenue, as well as the events of the summer of ‘75, which saw day after day of state hearings on the proposed siting of the reactors in Jamesport, the stance of town government in the matter, and the grass-roots opposition in the local community that eventually forced LILCO to terminate its application.

With a renewed push for nuclear energy underway in both Washington and Albany, this particular chapter in Riverhead Town’s history became one of interest for me. 

And, of course, the future of the “scenic and historic” Sound Avenue corridor is a perpetually recurring issue of great local interest.

There’s a lot to be learned about the present — and what lies ahead in the future — by examining history.  As Shakespeare wrote, “past is prologue,” after all.

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Author’s note: To better understand what was going on back then and what happened to scuttle the utility’s plans — LILCO saw the north shore of eastern Suffolk as the ideal location for up to 11 nuclear plants — I’ve poured over news articles about the State Siting Board hearings and some of the voluminous hearing transcripts of those proceedings. The hearings took place at the Holiday Inn hotel on West Main Street in Riverhead, the current site of Hotel Indigo.

I’ve combed through the often-entertaining minutes of Riverhead Town Board meetings of that time, letters to the editor in various publications and other source materials, including the record of written public comments on the application, as well as several books and other publications.

This is still a work in progress and I welcome the opportunity to view any additional documents, correspondence or other information. If you have related materials to share, please send me an email. Thanks!