LaLota secures $1.5 million to restore historic York Hall in Kings Park

Nick LaLota secured $1.5 million to push York Hall toward a long-awaited revival in the middle of Nissequogue River State Park, where the abandoned Kings Park landmark has sat vacant for nearly three decades. The federal money, part of five Suffolk County projects totaling $15.35 million, was signed into law on February 4, 2026 and is aimed at restoring the historic building as a performance space and event venue.

York Hall stands on the former Kings Park State Hospital campus in Kings Park, in the Town of Smithtown, inside the 521-acre park on Long Island’s North Shore. Built between 1930 and 1932 in the Colonial Revival style, the theater once served both hospital patients and town residents for recreational activities, plays, dances, holiday celebrations, receptions and community meetings. After the hospital closed in 1996, the building was left vacant and largely abandoned, and preservation advocates have said deferred maintenance allowed the structure to deteriorate.

The latest funding adds momentum to a restoration effort that has already cleared key milestones. York Hall was nominated by New York State Parks in March 2023 and was officially listed in the National Register of Historic Places on October 23, 2023, underscoring its significance on the former hospital campus. Preservation Long Island had already named it one of its 2017 Endangered Historic Places.

State Parks adopted a final master plan for Nissequogue River State Park on November 3, 2023, and the plan envisions York Hall as a restored gathering place for performances and events. The agency also issued a request for proposals in November 2023 seeking a private or nonprofit partner to rehabilitate, restore and operate the building as a park-appropriate venue. The master plan said the restoration was shaped by community outreach and market analysis showing local demand for live performance and event spaces.

Work on the building has not started from scratch. The Nissequogue River State Park Foundation said roof and dormer repairs were completed with help from philanthropist Charlie Reichert to stop further interior damage, and specialists are now working to refurbish the structure as a performing arts center. For Kings Park, the project carries more than historic value. It would turn a long-empty centerpiece into an active part of daily life in the park, drawing visitors back into the heart of a place once meant to serve as a social anchor for the surrounding community.