The Schwartz Building: A Century of Community, Commerce & Resilience in Westhampton Beach

Nestled at 128 Main Street in Westhampton Beach, the Schwartz Building stood as a silent witness to over a century of village life and a tapestry woven with entrepreneurial spirit, familial legacy, and community resilience. Today, its boarded-up upper floors and ongoing repairs tell a story not just of a recent fire, but of a storied past that shaped the heart of the village.

From Platt’s Dry Goods to Schwartz’s Department Store

The building’s origins trace back to the early 1900s, when Henry Platt constructed it on the north side of Main Street using materials from a barn formerly owned by Ernest Bishop. Part of the “Village Apartment Block,” Platt relocated his clothing and dry goods store here from across the street, laying the foundation for decades of commerce. In 1930, the torch passed to Herbert N. Schwartz, a World War I veteran who learned of the business opportunity through his sister in Greenport. That same year, Herbert married Freda White, and the couple moved into the second-floor Village Inn, a bustling boarding house operated by the Parmalee sisters. The inn’s communal living room, dining room, and large kitchen hosted family-style meals, creating a hub for transient workers and long-term residents alike, including former village clerk Lillian Witt, who called its third-floor apartment home for years.

Schwartz’s Department Store soon became a Main Street staple, supplying villagers with everyday clothing essentials: underwear, Keds sneakers, working boots, mittens, hats, shorts, jeans, and sweaters, alongside fabrics, notions, toothpaste, and first-aid supplies. Adjacent to it, the Schram family’s stationary store, run by Max Schram’s daughters Nettie, Hattie, and Belle, sold newspapers, school supplies, and cigars. When the Schrams departed, their space briefly morphed into a youth center, signaling the building’s adaptive role in community life.

Post-War Shifts and Family Legacy

In the late 1940s or early 1950s, Herbert Schwartz purchased the building outright, cementing his family’s legacy. The Schwartzs later moved across the street to an apartment above Gelston Walter’s grocery store, while the marine store that replaced the youth center, operated by Sis and Bob Rice of Remsenburg, catered to the village’s coastal clientele. Upstairs, the Reeders—Wallace, his wife, and their sons Billy and David—managed the inn until the 1950s, when the space fell into disrepair and was later used to house seasonal staff from the Dune Deck Hotel.

Herbert’s death in 1962 marked a new chapter. His son-in-law Charles Kirsch, alongside Freda, steered the department store through the mid-20th century’s retail evolution. Freda’s passing in 1982 left Charles at the helm until his death in 1991, closing a 60-year family reign.

Renovation, Reinvention, and Resilience

The 1970s brought transformation: the Kirschs converted the inn’s dilapidated rooms into apartments and rebuilt a fire-damaged rear garage into a cottage. By the 1980s, the sprawling department store was subdivided into three storefronts, reflecting Main Street’s shift toward boutique shopping. Mimi Calkin’s “The Book Mark” and “The Seashell” marine boutique occupied two spaces, while the third rotated to trendy tenants like TOLA and NIBI.

Yet the building’s most dramatic test came on an October morning in 2025, when flames engulfed its upper floors. Firefighters battled flare-ups for hours, saving adjacent structures but leaving the first-floor shops waterlogged. Displaced residents found refuge at the firehouse, supported by the Red Cross and Suffolk County OEM, a testament to the community’s enduring solidarity.

A Legacy Rebuilt

Today, the Schwartz Building’s façade bears scars of its latest trial, but its spirit remains unbroken. As repairs continue, the Greater Westhampton Historical Museum reflects on its journey: a microcosm of American small-town resilience. From dry goods to disaster, the building has mirrored societal shifts such as the decline of department stores, the rise of boutiques, and the timeless need for communal spaces.

The museum invites visitors to explore this legacy further, reminding us that preservation is not just about bricks and mortar, but the stories they shelter. The Schwartz Building, ever-evolving, stands ready for its next chapter – a symbol of Westhampton Beach’s past, present, and future.