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A Very Big Deal
The 216-acre Seminary of the Immaculate Conception has been a part of Lloyd Harbor history for centuries. We are very pleased to announce that this incredible natural area filled with mature forest, wetlands and meadows will become a permanent part of our community’s future. Today, thanks to the hard work, determination and generosity of many, a conservation future will be ensured for this local treasure. A partnership among the Seminary, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and the Village of Lloyd Harbor will permanently protect 200 acres of this extraordinary place for conservation. The transaction closing is expected in early 2024. New York State Parks will purchase 180 acres to be used as a passive preserve, perfect for walkers and birders and all who enjoy the extraordinary benefits of nature. The Village of Lloyd Harbor will purchase 20 acres which contains the Olmsted amphitheater and barn. The Seminary will retain 16 acres for its use as a retreat and conference center. Like most transactions of this size, a deal has been in the making for years. In late 2018, the Land Alliance was pleased to be invited by the Seminary Board to explore a transaction for conservation purposes. At that time, the objective was to protect the property and raise funds to make improvements to the Seminary building. The Land Alliance began by assisting Seminary leaders with mapping the land area, initiating an appraisal to better understand the value of the property and identifying potential conservation funders. Impressively the Town, County, State and Village and several Land Alliance supporters stepped up to be a part of this once-in-a-lifetime deal! Then the pandemic hit, the world slowed down and the potential for a transaction became complicated. This historic investment by New York State is the largest open space acquisition ever made on Long Island. The Seminary is listed as a priority project in the New York State Open Space Plan and the Suffolk County Open Space Plan. It also was ranked #1 in priority by the Town of Huntington’s Environment, Open Space and Park Fund Advisory Committee. Its substantial forest and 40+ acres of open fields are like none other left in our North Shore community. In its former life, the estate was developed by Roland Ray Conklin, a descendant of John Conklin (who settled Huntington c. 1640). In 1913, Conklin and his wife, Mary MacFadden, built their grand William Eyre-designed home at what was then called Rosemary Farm. Mrs. Conklin had been involved in the theater in NYC and wanted to create the perfect place for entertaining their friends, who were leading actors, conductors and singers of the day. The result featured an enchanting Olmsted designed open-air theater. Mary died in 1924 and Bishop Thomas E. Molloy, with the support of parishioners, purchased the then 200–acre Rosemary Farm. To accommodate the growing number of men seeking priesthood, the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception was built and formally opened on September 28, 1930. For several decades the Seminary offered master’s degrees and admitted lay students not preparing for ordination. In September 2012, the Diocese of Rockville Centre, the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Brooklyn joined forces to consolidate their educational efforts into a single program at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers. Since the relocation of the priestly formation program to Yonkers, the Seminary has taken on the role of a retreat house providing opportunities for spiritual enrichment for thousands of New Yorkers, a service they intend to continue for years to come. We couldn’t be more excited about this deal and are so grateful to all who, along the way, played a part in such an optimal outcome. Special thanks to the Seminary for choosing conservation and to New York State, Suffolk County, the Town of Huntington and the Village of Lloyd Harbor for being willing to do everything they could to protect this iconic property. In the end, thanks to the success of Governor Hochul’s 2022 NYS Environmental Bond Act, the State had the funds to acquire the bulk of the property, leaving monies for the County and Town to invest in other open space projects. We couldn’t have asked for a better conservation solution. And, once again, we are proud to be a part of such a generous community who prioritizes nature and the future health of our world.
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Protecting a Treasured Landscape: Seminary of the Immaculate Conception
The Seminary of the Immaculate Conception is a beautiful and environmentally significant 200+- acre property in Lloyd Harbor. The Land Alliance, working with the Seminary’s Board, the Trust for Public Land, the Village of Lloyd Harbor, the Town of Huntington and New York State (and we hope others who will join later), has begun laying the groundwork for a conservation transaction that would protect the beautiful forests, fields and wetlands contained within the property. The Seminary is listed as a priority project in the New York State Open Space Plan and the Suffolk County Open Space Plan. It also was ranked #1 in priority by the Town of Huntington’s Environment and Open Space & Park Fund Review Advisory Committee. Its 150-acre forest and 40+ acres of open fields are like none other left in our North Shore community. This former estate was owned by Roland Ray Conklin, a descendant of John Conklin (who settled Huntington c. 1640). In 1913, Conklin and his wife Mary MacFadden built their grand home at Rosemary Farm, which was designed by William Eyre. Mary had been an opera singer and wanted to create the perfect place for entertaining their friends, who were leading actors, conductors and singers of the day. The estate grounds also included an Olmsted designed open-air-theater. In 1917, Conklin held the National Red Cross Pageant at the theater, which raised $50K and was considered among the most successful war benefits ever. The pageant consisted of episodes from the history of each of the Allied nations. The presentation of the case of each Ally before the bar of Truth, Justice, and Liberty was organized by actors and actresses of the American stage as their contribution to the American Red Cross. While the silent film is presumed lost, the cast included John, Lionel and Ethel Barrymore and Douglas Wood. In the 1920’s it became apparent that St. John’s Seminary in Brooklyn could no longer train all the Roman Catholic priests needed for parishes in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, Brooklyn and Queens. Bishop Thomas E. Malloy decided that a new seminary should be built. In 1924, after Mary’s death, the Diocese of Brooklyn (which at that time served all Long Island) purchased Rosemary Farm. In 1930, amid the lush meadows and thick stands of trees, the Seminary was constructed. The Seminary took the form of a four-story, 320-room Mediterranean-style edifice filled with beautifully adorned chapels as well as a library, classrooms and accommodations for its students. For about 80 years, the Seminary served as the home and educational center of Seminarians pursuing their vocation to the priesthood. In 2012, the Diocese of Rockville Centre joined with the Archdiocese of New York and the Brooklyn Diocese to consolidate the location of priestly formation into one location, St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers. The Seminary, which has been governed by its own Board of Governors, took on its new mission of service to the Catholic Church and to the community. Now, the major retreat house for the Metropolitan area, it also is the scene of formation for the deacons of the diocese, for priestly conferences, interreligious meetings, courses for a master’s degree in theology and for the spiritual and social activities of the Friends of the Seminary. With funds raised from a conservation transaction, the Seminary Board intends to make repairs to the facility and continue its mission to provide theological education and formation through retreats and academic and pastoral conferences. The is a once in a lifetime opportunity. We must all dig deep and make every effort possible to ensure the permanent protection of this extraordinary, historically important property!
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