Study to Address Future of Nissequogue River State Park’s Building 93

The Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) awarded a $2.9 million contract with D&B Engineers and Architects to evaluate options for Building 93 at Nissequogue River State Park and advance the project to design and construction. While the park’s Master Plan identifies removal as the preferred alternative, with the area incorporated into future multi-use green space, final determination is subject to the required public and agency reviews. The contract includes a full State Environmental Quality Review and historic preservation review under Section 14.09 of the NYS Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Law.

“The study will help address longstanding public safety and environmental hazards while fully exploring appropriate ways to preserve the site’s history,” Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Commissioner Kathy Moser said. “We look forward to hearing from the community and park stakeholders to ensure the future of this significant landmark with Nissequogue River State Park is addressed in a responsible and responsive manner.”

Built in 1939, the landmark 13-story Building 93 has been vacant since the Kings Park Psychiatric Center closed in 1996. Building 93 was the former infirmary and the largest structure in the complex, measuring 312,480 square feet.

The project will include:

• Assessing structural conditions, hazardous materials, and environmental conditions within the building, as well as associated tunnels and surrounding site.
• Evaluating alternatives and costs, including full or partial demolition, restoration, adaptive reuse, or stabilization.
• Supporting environmental and historic preservation reviews, including visual impact assessment, coordination with the State Historic Preservation Office, and preparation of a site interpretation plan defining existing site conditions and proposed alternatives for meeting intended goals established in the Nissequogue River State Park Master Plan.
• Providing opportunities for community input beginning in early 2027 and incorporating feedback into project planning.
• Preparing construction documents, cost estimates, permit submissions and bidding materials.
• Providing construction administration, inspections, hazardous-material abatement oversight, and air and noise monitoring during future work.

Physical demolition or construction costs are not included in the $2.9 million and dependent on future funding.

Nissequogue River State Park occupies 521 acres in the Hamlet of Kings Park, Town of Smithtown, Suffolk County, on the North Shore of Long Island. State Parks acquired 153 acres of the former psychiatric center in 2000, and the remaining 368 acres in 2007. Originally called the Kings County Farm Asylum, the facility first opened in 1885. It grew over the decades and by the mid-1940s, was home to more than 8,500 patients. The facility closed in 1996 as part of the statewide deinstitutionalization of psychiatric patients.

With more than a mile of shoreline, the park hugs the north shore of Long Island where the Nissequogue River meets the protected cove of Smithtown Bay within the Long Island Sound. The Nissequogue River is a River of Special Significance and one of the largest coastal wetlands on Long Island’s highly developed North Shore. Currently, the park includes recreational fields, hiking trails, a kayak launch, and a boat dock and marina.

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees more than 250 parks, historic sites, recreational trails, golf courses, boat launches and more, and welcomes over 86 million visitors annually. For more information on any of these recreation areas, visit parks.ny.gov, download the free NY State Parks Explorer app or call 518.474.0456. Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, the OPRHP Blog or via the OPRHP Newsroom.

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