On the morning of Thursday, September 24, demolition crews started on the old Northeast Nassau Building at the former Kings Park Psychiatric Center. Suffolk County bought that 17-acre site in 2022 for $1.7 million. Once the building is down, the land becomes underground leaching fields for the Smithtown Main Street sewer project, Newsday reported. Dan Levler of the Suffolk County Department of Public Works said the demolition and leaching fields will take about a year.
Three weeks later the state made its own announcement about the tallest building on the same campus. It didn't order any demolition. New York State Parks gave Woodbury-based D&B Engineers and Architects a $2.9 million contract to study Building 93, and community input under that study begins in early 2027.
The two announcements show how the old hospital grounds, now Nissequogue River State Park, are really changing. They're being sorted building by building, each on its own track with its own money. Building 93 is the one where the track now runs through a community conversation.
What the $2.9 million covers, and what it leaves out
The building went up in 1939 as the hospital's infirmary. At 13 stories and 312,480 square feet, it was the largest structure in the complex, and it has stood empty since the hospital closed in 1996. The State Parks announcement lists what D&B's contract includes:
- Checking the structure, hazardous materials and environmental conditions in the building, its tunnels and the surrounding site
- Comparing options and costs: full demolition, partial demolition, restoration, adaptive reuse or stabilization
- Supporting the environmental and historic preservation reviews, including a visual impact assessment and a site interpretation plan
- Community input starting in early 2027
- Construction documents, cost estimates, permits and bid packages
- Oversight during future work, including abatement and air and noise monitoring
One line in the release matters more than the rest. The cost of physical demolition or construction isn't part of the $2.9 million and "dependent on future funding." So the contract pays for a decision process and a set of plans ready to build from. Whatever the tower's final outcome is, someone still has to fund it.
That's a change from a year ago. In November 2025, Newsday reported that State Parks had asked contractors for proposals to demolish or refurbish Building 93 and was reviewing four of them. The October award is a study contract. Newsday's coverage of it said the decision "will wait at least until next year."
Why this tower gets a review the others didn't
Plenty of buildings on this campus have come down with little ceremony. After the hospital's population fell from 8,500 in 1960 to fewer than 2,500 by 1970, more than 30 structures were demolished, including early wards along Kings Park Boulevard, according to the park's 2023 master plan. A first cleanup phase that started in 2013 covered 19 buildings. A second phase, announced in April 2016, was set to remove nine more buildings and part of a tenth, TBR News Media reported.
Building 93 is different on paper. The master plan, adopted in August 2023, lists it among seven buildings proposed for removal to make room for "The Green," a planned area of open lawns, recreation space, a public restroom and a café. The same plan says removing it would require historic preservation mitigation, because the tower was considered eligible for the National Register. The October contract includes a full State Environmental Quality Review and a historic preservation review under Section 14.09 of state parks law. The state says a final decision depends on those reviews, even though removal is still the plan's preferred alternative.
Here's where the main pieces of the campus stand heading into November:
| Building | What's happening | Who's paying |
|---|---|---|
| Northeast Nassau Building | Demolition started September 24, 2026, to make room for sewer leaching fields | Suffolk County, as part of the Smithtown Main Street sewer project |
| Building 93 | $2.9M study of demolition, reuse or stabilization; public input in early 2027 | State Parks, for the study only |
| York Hall | Slated for restoration as a performing arts and community venue | A $400,000 grant for the roof, plus $1.5M in federal funding |
| Earlier phases | 19 buildings starting in 2013; nine more and part of a tenth announced in 2016 | State cleanup phases |
Where the people closest to the park stand
Newsday's October 18 story found the building's future "has divided some area residents and preservationists." The three voices in that story are coming from three different places.
The Town of Smithtown didn't take a side on demolition. It said public safety is its "primary concern," and added in a statement: "While we understand the historic significance of Building 93, any discussion about its future must begin with how the state intends to make the property safe and secure."
John McQuaid, chairman and president of the Nissequogue River State Park Foundation, told Newsday the tower looks "too far gone" to save and should come down. His reason had more to do with the land than the structure:
"It's very large, and it would take a lot of resources to repurpose it into something. And the issue is that it's on state parkland. So what are you going to make out of it? Nobody wants to build a hotel there because it's state land."
McQuaid also said he'd like to see a marker at the site recognizing the Kings Park Psychiatric Center's role in the community.
Preservation Long Island, the Cold Spring Harbor nonprofit that put the hospital on its endangered list in 2023, supports the study. Its preservation director, Zachary Studenroth, still told Newsday that "given the location [and] the scale of the building, this is a very, very difficult challenge." On its endangered places page, the group proposed historic markers, interpretive signage, adaptive reuse and a walking museum. All of these are still proposals.
The removal side and the preservation side already overlap on one idea, which is marking the site's history. That's likely to be one of the clearer topics when the community sessions open.
York Hall shows what saving a building costs here
The campus already has a test case for reuse, a short walk from the tower. York Hall is a closed theater that's listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In February, Patch reported that U.S. Rep. Nick LaLota had secured $1.5 million in federal funding to restore it. State officials plan to run it as a performing arts and community venue.
Compare that figure with the earlier reporting. In November 2025, Newsday reported that a $400,000 grant had paid for York Hall's new roof, and the Foundation estimated another $8 million to $10 million would be needed to finish the restoration. So a theater with a clear future use, plenty of public goodwill and federal money behind it is still millions of dollars short, and no reopening date has been announced.
Building 93 is a 13-story former infirmary, and Newsday reports that asbestos and mold have been found inside. McQuaid's question about what anyone would make of it on state parkland is the question the D&B study now has to answer with real numbers.
The park between now and the 2027 meetings
The park's public grounds at 799 Saint Johnland Road are open year-round from sunrise to sunset. Newsday notes that security goes up every year around Halloween because the tower draws trespassers. State Parks lists the Greenbelt trail along the river, with views from the bluffs, plus interpretive signs and group tours by reservation at (631) 269-4927. The marina's boat launching and slip rental season ends November 1.
Here's what's on the calendar in and around the park:
- November 14: a Long Island Greenbelt Trail Conference hike from Sunken Meadow to the Nissequogue administration building. It covers about five miles of steep, uneven and beach terrain. RSVP is appreciated, and rain cancels it.
- November 19: Tiny Tots: Turkey Time for ages 3 to 5, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. It's $4 per person, and you need to register.
- November 20: Asian Heritage Night at the Kings Park Heritage Museum, 101 Church Street. Doors open at 6 p.m., the program runs 7 to 9 p.m., and it's free.
- November 21: Artist Spotlight: Jim Henson Workshop, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at the Charles & Helen Reichert Administration Building. It's $4 per person, and you need to register.
- November 26: the Foundation's Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot. The children's 1K starts at 8:30 a.m. and the 5K at 9 a.m. The 5K costs $27.59 if you register by November 24.
- December 6: the Kings Park Chamber of Commerce's Christmas tree and menorah lighting at Veterans Plaza, 4 p.m.
If you want the hospital's history before the community sessions start, the Leo P. Ostebo Kings Park Heritage Museum gives free tours by appointment, Monday through Friday after 4 p.m. Call (631) 269-3305 during school hours to set one up. The museum was one of the local groups that worked with State Parks on the master plan.
Community input under the D&B study is scheduled to begin in early 2027. The state hasn't said when it will make a final decision.
I'm following the Building 93 process closely, and I'll share the dates for the community sessions as soon as State Parks posts them. If you'd like a heads-up, or you just want to talk about what's changing around the park and on Main Street, reach out to Nicholas Santillo. Let's Connect.
