On Friday, July 22, local officials gathered in Roslyn Harbor to announce a $75,000 grant from the New York State Environmental Protection Fund, all in an effort to restore the exterior of Cedarmere, the William Cullen Bryant house.

Among those attending the event were Doreen Banks, Commissioner of the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Museums; Legislator Craig Johnson; John Norbeck, Long Island Regional Director of the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; Rich Gaudino, a representative with Benjamin Moore Paint Company; Harrison Hunt, Historic Site Supervisor for Nassau County; and Kay Silverstein, Nassau Conservancy chair.

Commissioner Banks said the grant was one of only the few such grants that have benefited historic sites in the North Shore area. Recently, Nassau County Museum of Art, also located in Roslyn Harbor, received a state grant, as did the Old Courthouse in Mineola. Now, Commissioner Banks is hoping for a similar grant to the Robeson-Williams Grist Mill in downtown Roslyn.

According to Harrison Hunt, the grant will be used for repairing the exterior woodwork of Cedarmere. In addition, the entire house will be repainted. Plus, the structure's porches will be rebuilt to look as they did 100 years ago.

Hunt said it may be "some months" before the work actually begins. In the meantime, the contract between the state and the county must be finalized. Then, public bids will be made on the work itself. In all, Hunt expects the entire project to take at least two years to complete.

County officials hope to secure matching funds to complement the $75,000 grant. Already, they have received $20,000 from the Cedarmere grant fund, another $10,000 "in-kind labor" from the Nassau County Museum of Art staff; and $5,000 from Benjamin Moore as a paint donation, plus an unspecified cash amount. In addition, the Roslyn Preservation Corporation has donated $1,500, while Legislator Johnson has secured $15,000 from the County Redevelopment Program. Portions of the proceeds from a May "Hat Luncheon" fundraiser will also go toward the matching funds.

Commissioner Banks was especially pleased to secure the services of Benjamin Moore paints. She learned that Benjamin Moore has done renovation jobs on numerous historic sites, including the Catskill house of Thomas Cole, a friend and contemporary of Bryants. Furthermore, the paint company, Commissioner Banks said, prefers doing "smaller" historic sites, such as Cedarmere. "We're thrilled with their philosophy," she said.

Cedarmere was first constructed in 1787. William Cullen Bryant lived there from 1843 until his death in 1878. During much of that time, he was editor of The New York Evening Post, and commuted from Roslyn to Manhattan. In 1902, when Bryant's grandson owned the house, Cedarmere sustained, but survived, a major fire. Finally, in 1975, Bryant's great-granddaughter sold the house to Nassau County, which has operated it since then. In 1994, on the occasion of Bryant's bicentennial, it was open to the public.