Architects Selected to Renovate 25 Jobs Lane

An architecture firm has been named to take on the task of restoring and renovating 25 Jobs Lane, a historic building owned by Southampton Village that the Parrish Art Museum will vacate in November after more than a century.

The museum is on Veterans Day weekend and will be out of 25 Jobs Lane, which Parrish founder Samuel Parrish bestowed to the village, by the end of the year. The village now envisions turning the space into Southampton Center, a new cultural institution and venue for the arts, but the aged building needs a lot of work done before it takes on its new identity.

To that end, Boston-based Machado and Silvetti Associates was hired after the village Planning Commission conducted a request for proposals and heard from both local and regional firms.

“We were energized by the enormous interest the architectural community showed in this assignment and were delighted to be able to choose among many highly qualified firms,” said Planning Commission Chair Siamak Samii, who is also a member of the Southampton Center Founders Committee. “Machado and Silvetti fits the tasks perfectly; an internationally renowned firm who has specialized in the work of transforming great historic buildings for 21st century uses. They will be an ideal partner as we move forward in developing Southampton Center as a new cultural institution for the village.”

Machado and Silvetti will begin conceptual design work immediately, according to a village statement, partnering with Llcal and regional architecture, engineering and construction firm

The building was originally designed by architect Grosvenor Atterbury and constructed over a decade in the late 19th and early 20th century, according to the village. Atterbury also designed Forest Hills Gardens, the renovation of New York’s City Hall, and the Rockefeller Barns at Pocantico Hills, which Machado and Silvetti also renovated, and won honors for from the Boston Society for Architects.

Jorge Silvetti, of Machado and Silvetti, said the firm is excited and delighted to preserve and recast the former museum building.

“Fortunately, this notable building by Grosvenor Atterbury lends itself to great flexibility of use and to a wide range of interpretations that would allow it to sponsor a multiplicity of cultural activities far beyond its original function as a museum," Silvetti said. "We look forward to working with the Southampton Center and the village to restart the clock in this new chapter in the life of this much beloved icon.”

Mayor Mark Epley said the renovated building will be restored to its former glory and readied for modern day uses, year round. "This is a major step forward in the growth of the newly created Arts District on Jobs Lane.”

While the building is under renovation, the grounds of the Parrish will have a flurry of cultural activity. The Founders Committee has been charged with raising funds for a pavilion, designed by Rockwell Group, of Manhattan, that will serve as a space for music and theatrical performances, fundraisers and more.

The selection of Machado and Silvetti will be formally announced by the Planning Commission followed by a presentation from Silvetti on Thursday at 6 p.m. during the Southampton Village Board meeting at .