Glen Cove Cheers Gazebo's Restoration

A symbol of Glen Cove, used for band concerts and public ceremonies, stealth kisses and wedding photos, stands once again as an iconic image of the city.

Mayor Ralph Suozzi cut the ceremonial ribbon Thursday as the city rededicated the centerpiece of Morgan Park with Hempstead Harbor glistening as a backdrop. On a dark day almost a year ago, the original gazebo, built by financier J. P. Morgan, was left in ruins by the effects of a fierce thunderstorm known as a "downburst."

"On that day I vowed that the gazebo will rise again," Suozzi told nearly 200 people Thursday who had gathered in the park, which also lost some 40 trees in the dangerous storm.

Suozzi said he was amazed by the help he received from far and wide. He read names of a list of people who donated to the park renovation project. Some gave hundreds. Others, like Austin, 7, and Emma, 9, of Bedford, N.H., scraped together $25 for the cause. The siblings were on hand for Thursday's festivities.

Suozzi praised architect James McGrady, who was on the scene within a day assessing the damage and planning a new structure. He used the original blueprints to recreate the original design, including the locally known quality of the acoustics designed into the shape and plaster ceiling of the gazebo.

There's one big difference from the original: the design includes steel-reinforced columns, an improvement on the original wood that will be much less likely to collapse, regardless of the storm.

The project comes with a price tag of nearly $80,000, but the city was insured. The donations, totally more than $5,000, will offset the insurance policy's $10,000 deductible.

Suozzi told the assembled crowd, which included local dignitaries and elected officials, the origins of the park and what it has meant to Glen Cove:

Morgan purchased some 25 acres of land for the park as a memorial to his wife, who died in 1926. He razed homes, moved others and dredged the harbor. Morgan's money financed the landscape architecture and the centerpiece gazebo. Then, he donated it all to the city.

The park was supposed to open on July 4, 1932, but it rained so hard the event was rescheduled for July 16 of that year. Morgan couldn't attend the later ceremony, Suozzi said.

When Thursday's ceremony ended, a jazz band broke into song and the renowned acoustics seemed perfect. You could hear the band play from the parking lot above as if you were standing within arms-length of the musicians.

Soon there will be wedding photos again, and stolen kisses in the dark.