The Dominy Shops Museum, a restoration and reconstruction of the North Main Street house and workshops of the famed Dominy family of 18th and 19th-century craftsmen — renowned for their clocks, watches, cabinets, and furniture — will open to the public next Thursday.
The village’s $2.3 million restoration will give visitors a glimpse of “how central the Dominys were to early East Hampton History,” Stephen Long, the director of the East Hampton Historical Society, said earlier this year. The society will oversee the new museum’s programming, including guided tours and exhibitions.
A ribbon-cutting at 5 p.m. will kick off an opening reception that will include comments by Mayor Jerry Larsen and village board members; Robert Hefner, a historic preservation consultant and the project supervisor; Hugh King, the village historian; Mr. Long, and Hilary Osborn Malecki, president of the histor-ical society’s board.
“The event will highlight the innovative work undertaken by the village to bring the Dominy house and shops back to their original location, as well as recognize the many people who made that effort possible,” according to the society.
In advance of the opening, tomorrow at 11 a.m. the society will lead a tour of North Main Street starting at the Hook Mill, built by Nathaniel Dominy in 1806. Also this week, the society will offer a tour of the Mulford Farm on James Lane on Sunday at 10 a.m. Tours cost $12; spots can be reserved by phone or online by clicking here.
