Huntington Honors 20th Century Woman Architect Fay Kellogg

GREENLAWN, NY — A historical marker honoring former Greenlawn resident Fay Kellogg was unveiled Tuesday at 22 Boulevard Ave., Greenlawn — the site of a residence and former post office that she designed. Kellogg is the foremost woman architect of the early 20th century, say Town of Huntington officials.

Supervisor Chad Lupinacci and town officials were joined by members of the Greenlawn-Centerport Historical Association for Tuesday's ceremony, according to a news release.

"Fay Kellogg designed and built steel construction projects while simultaneously breaking glass ceilings," Lupinacci said. "We are proud to pay homage to Fay Kellogg, a pioneer in the field of architecture from over a century ago, at the site of the residence and former post office she was commissioned to design in 1911."

The historical marker was funded by a grant secured by the Greenlawn-Centerport Historical Association, from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, according to the town.

Kellogg, who was born in 1871 and died in 1918, was a summer resident of Greenlawn. In addition to being considered the leading woman architect back then, she also advocated for women's rights, including the right to vote.

Kellogg, after studying at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, as well as in Paris, helped design the Hall of Records on Chambers Street in Manhattan under the tutelage of New York architect John R. Thomas. She started her own architectural practice in 1903 after Thomas died.

She designed numerous buildings in New York, as well as a skyscraper in San Francisco. She also designed "hostess houses" on military bases during World War I in South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee. She was the lead architect for all building projects nationwide for the American News Company. She usually supervised the construction of her designs.

In 1907 and 1909, Kellogg purchased land in Greenlawn that spread across 15 acres. She spent six months a year in Greenlawn, raising chickens and commuting into the city.

Deanne Rathke, director of the Greenlawn-Centerport Historical Association, said Kellogg was a trailblazer who was ahead of her time and deserves to be remembered.

"One of her greatest loves was the summer home that she designed and built here in Greenlawn where she took great pride in putting on a pair of Khaki pants and farming the 15 acres herself," Rathke said. "As an advocate for women’s rights, her words can still serve as an inspiration to women today as she once said ‘I don’t approve of a well-equipped woman creeping along; let her leap ahead as men do. All she needs is courage.’"

Kellogg was commissioned in 1911 to design a new home and post office for Greenlawn's postmaster, Elizabeth A. Hilton, near the entrance to the new train station on Boulevard across from the firehouse. Hilton's bungalow provided her a place to live, as well as space for the post office. When Hilton died in 1919, the building was sold to her sister, Sarah Hilton. The building continued to be used as the post office until 1929. The building is now a house.

Kellogg died at the age of 47 in her Brooklyn home in July 1918, after falling ill in the spring of 1918, when the Spanish Flu was first identified in United States military camps; army personnel were among the first U.S. casualties of the pandemic. While her obituary states that she "had a breakdown" working on the construction of hostess houses at Camp Gordon in Atlanta, it has been speculated that Kellogg was a victim of the deadly flu of 1918, according to the Town of Huntington.

"Today’s unveiling ceremony showcases the historic impact Fay Kellogg continues to have on the Town of Huntington," Town Clerk Andrew Raia stated. "Preserving the Town’s history and heritage is vital, and thanks to the hard work of the Greenlawn-Centerport Historical Association in securing this historical marker, the contributions of Fay Kellogg will be forever remembered."

Also present at the ceremony were Receiver of Taxes Jillian Guthman; Councilwoman Joan Cergol; Councilman Mark Cuthbertson; Historian Robert Hughes; and Councilman Ed Smyth.