49.0°,
Fair Martin Avenue home landmarked
History buff worked to preserve piece of Bellmore’s past
Charles A. Frisch, a famed Long Island entrepreneur, built a house in 1909 at what was formerly 109 Martin Ave., before his son, Charles Jr., was born. About a hundred years later, Walter Eisenhardt Jr. began working to ensure that the Victorian-style home, at what is now 2668 Martin Ave. would be maintained while keeping his own young son, Harrison, in mind.
Eisenhardt moved into the central Bellmore home from Queens in 2007 after touring more than 100 Long Island houses. He offered to buy the house on the same day that he first saw it because it reminded him of the 1946 Frank Capra film “It’s a Wonderful Life.” When Eisenhardt began exploring his new home, he realized that he had found “a real piece of history” –– one that he sought to have preserved by the Town of Hempstead Landmarks Preservation Commission three years later. After researching the property’s past, he restored it himself, while also raising his then-infant son as a single parent.
“Charles built this house for his son –– I rebuilt it for mine,” Eisenhardt said. “It’s a legacy, and that’s what community is all about.”
Eisenhardt said he believed the house’s architectural and historical significance wasn’t important only to him, but to the larger Bellmore community. Hempstead Town officials agreed, as the Martin Avenue house was officially named a landmark on Sept. 16.
Landmark status prevents any development or alteration at the site without the consent of the Town Landmarks Preservation Commission. Eisenhardt first applied to have his home landmarked in 2010, but was told that he needed more evidence of the home’s historical significance. After years of researching the Frisch family and their contributions to Bellmore and Nassau County, Eisenhardt submitted a second application that was successful.
