Black Duck Lodge In Flanders Still In Limbo

A hoped-for transformation of the historic Black Duck Lodge at Hubbard County Park in Flanders is still in limbo after a request for proposals to establish a private-public partnership with Suffolk County failed to gain traction.

With a commercial operation such as a bed-and-breakfast in mind, the county, which purchased the lodge and the surrounding property in 1971, had hoped to entice a private investor to restore the lodge in exchange for an inexpensive or even free long-term lease. After the county put out a “request for expressions of interest” last October, however, only one party in fact expressed interest, and that was to convert the lodge into housing for veterans.

“The proposal was not in keeping with what we had envisioned for the property,” explained Suffolk County Parks Commissioner Greg Dawson in a recent interview.

“The gist of the program was to seek a public-private partnership to restore the lodge to its historic grandeur,” Mr. Dawson said. “Our intention is to restore the interior of the structure, not to add partitions for apartments.”

Even with public trails running throughout the park, with more than 400 acres of surrounding marshlands and forests, the lodge has to be one of the most private properties on the entire East End. It was built in a colonial revival style as a farmstead for the Hubbard family in 1838 and later expanded and converted to serve the private hunting grounds of wealthy financier E.F. Hutton, who would host hunting outings at the lodge.

Edward Francis Hutton, founder of the E.F. Hutton brokerage firm, had purchased the building and surrounding land in 1924 and hired architect Charles M. Hart to renovate and expand the lodge to its current size, explained Richard Martin, the director of historic services for Suffolk County, at the time the county’s private-public pilot program was instituted.

Today, the building is essentially little more than a facade, except for an auxiliary one-bedroom apartment that was finished for an employee to live there to protect the structure. The county estimates that it would cost about $3 million for a gut renovation of the interior, including new walls and flooring and plumbing as well as structural work.

“The most important thing is to restore the interiors as they were,” Mr. Dawson said. He acknowledged that the project would be “a big investment.”

Several smaller buildings near the lodge, most of which are now falling down, were used to raise ducks to be released into the wild for hunts.

The lodge was one of two historic sites in Suffolk County selected for the pilot program in 2011. After the county purchase in 1971, it had sat vacant since 1980, enduring several instances of extreme vandalism that accelerated its deterioration.

In 2006 the American Institute of Architects provided funds for a study of the Flanders county park as part of its “blueprint for America” program, which was designed to help local AIA chapters collaborate with local communities to address any topic of interest. To go along with the study, the county appropriated $400,000 to make renovations to close and protect the building from further deterioration due to weather and unwanted intrusions.

In 2008 a group of community members, government officials and architects convened to “craft a vision for the future of the very unique area,” according to the final document of the study.

The study sought to address environmental stewardship, social equity and economic viability equally in its recommendations for how best to adaptively reuse the lodge. The suggestions included programs such as those involving bird watching, ecological observation, maintenance of structures, and poetry.

The final Parks Department proposal was expanded to include commercial operations such as a bed-and-breakfast or hotel, with importance placed on restoring the Black Duck Lodge to its former glory.

After failing so far to attract a private enterprise that would restore and use the lodge in a way in keeping with the parks guidelines, the county does not currently have a new strategy to bring in private funds. If someone expressed interest, however, the proposal process would be revived.

Perhaps one reason the lodge has not attracted private investment is because the land around it, while ecologically significant and beautiful, does not easily lend itself to a commercial operation. It is very wild, and buggy.

The county employee who rents the one-bedroom apartment can attest to the wildness of the area.

The employee, who asked that her name not be used, moved in three years ago after renting basement apartments for more than a decade. In addition to independently maintaining the parkland, she also serves as a guardian of the lodge, helping to deter vandals from damaging it further.

“I see people walking through with their flip-flops,” she said. “I don’t want to discourage them, but if they do hit a nest of larval ticks, they are not going to enjoy the day.”

Since the county prevents any use of herbicides or pesticides in the parkland, any commercial operators would have to think twice before marketing a comfortable outdoor experience for their guests.