As they have done for the past 42 years, the Roslyn Landmark Society held their annual house tour of some of the area's more historic homes on Saturday, June 1. This year, however, the event proved to be more popular than ever. The Landmark Society entertained more than 400 people during the all-day tour, a number that was significantly greater than what they expected. As such, the society, at the last minute, had to bind up copies to their thick tour guide to accommodate their guests.

Catherine Giliberti, a trustee with the Landmark Society said the turnout was "more than we could imagine." She said the success of the tour was due to the generous publicity the society received regarding the event, plus the fact that there were several new homes on the itinerary. Ms. Giliberti also thanked fellow society members Maryanne Brandl for organizing much of the event.

The house tour included several of the usual stops, including the Van Nostrand-Starkins house, a structure that goes way back to 1680, plus the John Mott house on Main Street. The newer houses on the tour included the Peter and Mary Lynch house on Bryant Avenue, the Samuel Dugan Jr. house on East Broadway, the William P. Willets house on Edwards Street, and the Rafferty-Craft house, also on East Broadway.

The Rafferty-Craft house dates back to 1890, and according to Ms. Giliberti, it was one of the highlights of the tour. The house currently is under some restoration work and the public was able to see how an actual renovation process is undertaken.

The Rafferty-Craft was constructed in the late 1880s and stands as an example of local charity. According to a former owner of the house, a man named Rafferty was shot and killed by a constable in the area around the Roslyn Railroad Station. Whatever the circumstances were, local villagers felt badly about the shooting, and they built a house for Mr. Rafferty's widow, Ann, on property at 165 East Broadway.

Renovation is a constant concern for the Landmark Society. Recent years have seen several disastrous fires in Roslyn, but also ongoing restoration projects. Although major damage was done to the Valentine Block on Main Street during a July 2000 fire, that area has been completely renovated. However, an Oct. 8, 2001 fire to the William Valentine store on Main Street and Tower Place destroyed that building, which itself was constructed during the mid-19th century. Earlier this year, a fire at 1376 Old Northern Boulevard caused extensive damage to a building constructed in 1908 by John Willis.

Recent renovation projects that the Landmark Society has taken part in include the Valentine-Losee house on 117 East Broadway and the Henry W. Eastman cottage at the east end of Mott Avenue, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. For the past several years, both the Robeson-Williams Grist Mill and the Ellen E. Ward Clock Tower, two of the more famous landmarks in the village, have undergone renovation work. Restoration at the clock tower has included work on its masonry structure, plus its windows and Roman grilles. The Grist Mill involves a much more ambitious project. After the Grist Mill Committee began receiving funds from a $2.6 million bond approved by the Nassau County legislator, work on the exterior of the building was started.

A new area of renovation for the Landmark Society has been the Mott Avenue-Layton Street neighborhood. Starting the mid-1980s, the Landmark Society and the Roslyn Preservation Corporation (RPC) began working on homes in that area, which had previously suffered from deterioration, traffic stresses, and "unfortunate renovation practices." The Landmark Society hopes to maintain the 19th century architecture of the houses, it also hopes to create some affordable housing in the village. "The Mott Avenue-Layton Street houses are especially attractive because market prices in this area remain relatively modest in comparison to the rest of Roslyn," states this year's Landmark Society tour guide. "...[With] the demand for housing in Roslyn strong, the RPC felt it would have a better likelihood of recouping the costs of restoration on projects within this neighborhood."