While the Great Neck Public Schools began a process to demolish the Marion E. Wiles House building on the South campus, Village of Lake Success historian Jack Binder stepped forward in an attempt to preserve what he described as a building of historical significance. The issue was raised in public at the Feb. 14 board of education meeting. Following a discussion at the meeting, the board decided that alternatives would be evaluated, both a proposal to demolish the building and use the space to improve traffic flow and a proposal to somehow save the building.

Opening discussion, Superintendent of Schools Ron Friedman reported that the school district had recently vacated Wiles House, moving pupil personnel services and the special education staff to the district's more centrally located building on Clover Drive. "Wiles House reached the end of its usable life," Dr. Friedman reported, adding that there were also space concerns.

Dr. Friedman said that rehabilitating Wiles House would require "significant construction modifications" that would be quite costly. He estimated $600,000 to possibly as high as a million dollars to make the building usable once more and bring it up to state codes. Conversely, the superintendent reported that there is no need for the building at this time, and, if it were to be demolished, the space would allow the administration to plan future improvements to the traffic flow for the South Middle School.

At that point, Dr. Binder spoke, asking Dr. Friedman and the board of education if they knew what they were tearing down. Using an example of another house in another community, set to be torn down, and, through an environmental study, was found to have a foundation historically worthy of preservation. Dr. Binder said that Wiles House, too, has an important history and he told how the original building was used during the Revolutionary War as a British headquarters. When Wiles House was rebuilt in the 1820s, it was rebuilt on the very same foundation. Dr. Binder added that Wiles House also has a "connection to George Washington, being built in 1732, the year of Washington's birth."

The school district purchased this entire "Phipps property," including Wiles House (by then a farmhouse), in the 1940s.

Dr. Binder was firm that the house should be preserved and he suggested that there are organizations that can help in the process.

Responding, Board of Education President Larry Gross then explained the board of education's process of always discussing issues in public. He noted that, even though there was a request before the board to seek bids to demolish Wiles House, demolition would not occur "so fast;" there would be much more discussion. "I wasn't aware of the facts (about Wiles House)," Mr. Gross said.

He went on to explain that the board of education must deal with "budget pressures" and must work to "minimize expenditures," all against a backdrop of increasing unfunded state mandates. Mr. Gross also expressed some concern with safety issues if Wiles House was to remain as an empty building.

Board trustee Don Ashkenase then recommended that the administration develop two alternatives, with Dr. Binder working with a group that would seek possible preservation. "We want to see the trade offs," Mr. Ashkenase stated. Fellow trustee Barbara Berkowitz suggested that a traffic study might be helpful in evaluating a possible need to demolish the building.

Board Vice President Judi Bosworth said that, should studies prove that the building is of historical significance yet the school district has reasons to otherwise use the property, possibly the building could be moved. This, she said, has been done in other instances (not in the school district) and several people began to informally discuss the possibility of a move to Old Bethpage Restoration Village.

At the end of the discussion, Dr. Friedman stated that the school district "wants the best balance." He also stated that history is an important part of education. "Let's study traffic first," he said, adding that they will be working with Dr. Binder.

"We will handle this in a sensitive, good way, for the kids and for the community," Dr. Friedman said.