Madoo Conservancy Breaks Ground on New Welcome Center, To Open in Spring

Donning hard hats and wide smiles, a group of supporters, builders and staff behind the Madoo Conservancy gathered on Saturday morning at the Sagaponack garden, some gripping shovels for the official groundbreaking of its future, and long overdue, welcome center.

With a half million dollars raised, and a bit more to go, the new building will be wheelchair accessible with sustainable features, including a green roof and rainwater collection system, ushering the nonprofit organization into a new era of growth — while honoring its founder, artist Robert Dash, in the process.

“I don’t think people want a huge change at Madoo,” Executive Director Alejandro Saralegui said, “but they like to see that we’re taking care of it, that we are improving it, enhancing it, without forgetting Bob.”

Dash — an acclaimed painter, writer and overall Renaissance man — bought the 1.91-acre swath of tractor turnaround land in the summer of 1966, transforming it into a whimsical, organic oasis that he called home for almost five decades.

But he also understood the importance of change, explained Saralegui, and since his death in 2013, the garden has not sat at a standstill. In 2019, a camellia garden was added and a renovation of the winter house garden began — including a simplification of the quincunx gardens, removal of the rose rill, which was replaced with a longer version, and the creation of four tapestry-hedged rooms.

“I don’t want to inhibit or prohibit or fix this garden in amber,” Dash once said. “It must remain vital.”

Every year, thousands of visitors come to the ever-evolving grounds, seeking beauty and inspiration. And this spring, they will be met with a new welcome center.

“We’ve needed it forever,” Saralegui said.

Sited on the footprint of two worker sheds that Dash connected in the 1970s, the new building — from architect Katherine McCoy, with landscaping by LaGuardia Design Group — is designed in like and kind to preserve the historic character of the garden, the director said. The interiors will reflect the style of the summer house and studio, with a new horticulture library occupying the middle portion, lit by a skylight and featuring mirrors on the exterior, as in the past.

“If somebody wants to learn about, let’s say, an Acer griseum — that really beautiful paperbark maple that we have, which is a relatively rare tree out here — you can go to the library and pick up a book on trees,” he said. “Hopefully, that’ll even encourage people to extend their horticultural practices, going beyond hydrangea, crape myrtle and boxwood, which is a lovely combination, but we can go beyond that.

“We can do things that are better for the environment,” he continued, “that are better for insects, better for birds.”

To set an example, the welcome center will have a green roof and gutters that empty into rain barrels for hand watering, Saralegui said.

“After three months of drought, I think we all know that we’re lucky here, but we are certainly going to be facing a changing environment and, vis a vis, water,” he said. “If you can save some water for watering your plants, why not?”

Inside, the layout includes the welcome center space and a gift shop, followed by the horticultural library and two new bathrooms, one of which is ADA compliant. Additional changes to make the grounds more handicap accessible were born out of Dash’s dialysis appointments toward the end of his life — and the herculean task for Saralegui and two gardeners to move him in and out of his house.

“That’s really the impetus to this whole project, just that difficulty, that experience,” he said. “And you’re just kind of like, okay, let’s try and figure this out and help people out.”

At the entrance to the property, three stairs will be replaced by a wheelchair-friendly pedestrian walkway, leading to an entrance terrace that doubles as an outdoor classroom for children and adults. Its construction and planting will be handled by Landscape Details.

“We’re trying to remove barriers to entry,” Saralegui said. “It started years ago with Charlotte Moss and her husband, Barry Friedberg, with their annual donation of covering admission to the garden, so we have free admission. That was one big barrier and this is the next — a physical barrier that really did make a difference to people.”

Construction began on Monday, which will include demolishing the sheds. They are beyond saving and repair, Saralegui said.

“They literally are, ‘I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house down,’” he said of their failing structural integrity. “If you were to jump hard on the floor, the floor would be gone, and you’d be in the dirt.”

When Greg D’Angelo Construction completes the new building, which Saralegui expects to open to the public in April, it will be dedicated to Board President Emeritus Jane Iselin, who has volunteered as a greeter at the entrance gate for over a decade and adopted Dash’s beloved Norwich terrier, Barnsley, when he died.

And just prior to its unveiling, one of the final touches will be replanting the Akebia vines and Japanese climbing hydrangea that Dash grew up the sides of the old sheds — which have been dug up and are waiting for spring, Saralegui said.

“Everything’s coming together,” he said. “The community that we’re building is very nice. Neighbors are definitely feeling like this is their cultural hub spot. This is their center for creativity.”