New York State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. today announced that he has nominated Stony Brook University for a $500,000 capital grant for the restoration and rehabilitation of the Windmill at the Southampton campus. The funding has been secured from the State and Municipal (SAM) Facilities Program included as part of the 2021 State Budget. The program permits state legislators to select worthy projects in their districts for state capital funding. The Windmill, as part of the State University, is eligible under the SAM program. The Windmill was damaged in a storm more than two years. Its repair has been delayed by the state’s financial hardships during the pandemic. The recent recovery of the state’s finances now permits this project to move forward.

The Windmill has been at its current location in Shinnecock Hills since 1888, when it was saved from destruction by Janet Hoyt, the wife of William Hoyt, the builder of the Shinnecock Inn. Janet Hoyt, together with Samuel Parrish, founded the Summer School of Art. It is the only windmill of three in Southampton Village that survived. It has been in its current location for 132 years.

In the summer of 1957, Tennessee Williams resided there when he wrote the play “The Day on Which a Man Dies” about the death of his friend Jackson Pollack. The Library Association of America officially designated the Windmill, at its current location, as a literary landmark in 2013.

In 1963, when Long Island University established Southampton College, the Windmill became the symbol of the new campus. The Windmill is beloved by thousands of former students, faculty, and administrators who rightly associate it with the very identity of the school. The College newspaper was aptly named “The Windmill”. The Windmill has been on everything related to the college including sports uniforms, yearbooks, apparel, and assorted memorabilia.

In 2006, Stony Brook University acquired the campus and has continued the legacy of providing quality education to the residents of eastern Long Island. During its tenure, Stony Brook University has completed the campus library, constructed a new Marine Center, and renovated several dormitories.

In 2009, Stony Brook led the effort to rehabilitate the Windmill. The Windmill and the adjacent water view quad have been in continuous use hosting innumerable events, readings, receptions, orientations, celebrations, workshops, and fundraising dinners. The annual Windmill Lighting during the holiday season continues to be an East End tradition.

Stony Brook-Southampton Hospital will be relocating its new state-of the-art facility, utilizing a portion of the campus. The presence of the hospital will lead to additional curriculum at the Southampton campus in connection with health sciences. Just last week, Stony Brook University cut the ribbon on its new Speech-Language Pathology program facility on the Southampton campus.

Thiele stated, “From the establishment of Southampton College by Long Island University in 1963, the iconic Windmill has been the heart of the campus. That is still the case under the stewardship of Stony Brook University. The future of the Southampton campus is bright as a center of graduate education with marine sciences, fine arts, and health sciences at the core of its mission. I am pleased that funding is now available to repair the Windmill and take another step forward in securing the campus’s future. I thank Stony Brook University President Maurie McInnis for her vision and commitment to higher education at the Southampton campus.”

“The Stony Brook University campus community is proud to be the caretaker of the windmill, a cherished historical icon that has existed in its current location for over a century," said Stony Brook University President, Maurie McInnis. "We join with the East End community in thanking Assemblyman Thiele for securing funding that will help preserve and restore the blades, as well as ensure other important historic renovations.”