Moore's Building facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Moore's Building
|
|
Moore's Building, 2008
|
|
 Location in New York
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | Oyster Bay, New York |
|---|---|
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1901 |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| NRHP reference No. | 96001043 |
| Added to NRHP | September 30, 1996 |
Moore's Building is a really old and important building in Oyster Bay, New York. It's so special that it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This building became famous because Theodore Roosevelt, who was the U.S. President at the time, had his staff work here. It's also a Town of Oyster Bay Landmark and part of the Oyster Bay History Walk audio tour.
Contents
The Story of Moore's Building
From Grocery Store to Grand Landmark
When James Moore first built this building in 1891, it looked quite different. It started as a simple, one-story wooden grocery store. Only a small part of the front was made of brick. Mr. Moore also built other wooden shops next to it, like Oyster Bay's first ice cream shop and a furniture store.
Just five years later, a big fire broke out! Luckily, the new Atlantic Steamer Fire Company had a special fire engine called the Silsby Steamer. It helped put out the fire and saved Moore's Grocery.
In 1901, Mr. Moore rebuilt the store into the beautiful building you see today. He kept the original brick front. The new building had a large ground floor for his growing grocery business. The upper floors had high ceilings, perfect for public meetings.
A President's Office
These upper floors became very famous! Theodore Roosevelt was the U.S. President, and his main home, Sagamore Hill, was known as the Summer White House. President Roosevelt needed more office space for his staff. So, his team moved into Moore's Building.
This building became the "Summer Executive Offices." Here, his Secretary, William Loeb, Jr., and his staff handled all the President's business that didn't need his personal attention.
Connecting the World
Secretary Loeb set up special "hotlines" in Moore's Building. These were direct telegraph and telephone lines that connected straight to Sagamore Hill and the White House in Washington, D.C. This made communication super fast!
In 1903, something amazing happened here. The very first "round the world" cable message was sent from Moore's Building! Imagine sending a message that traveled all the way around the globe from this spot.
In recent years, this lovely corner has been home to several restaurants. The building was carefully restored to its original beauty in 1995.
