Fundraiser Held to ‘Save the Pebbles for the Museum’

STONE HARBOR – A fundraiser was held June 6 at the Pebbles Guest House, 94th Street and First Avenue, in Stone Harbor to raise money for the Stone Harbor Museum. John Curto, owner of the Pebbles for the past 43 years, hosted the “Save the Pebbles for the Museum” event.
Approximately 80 residents and property owners attended the cocktail evening event, according to museum president, Terrie Cwik. She, along with the museum board, was grateful to Curto for his generosity in hosting the fundraiser.
“We have been in Stone Harbor a long time and the town means a lot to us,” said Curto. “We are blessed to have such a beautiful, historic home and we like to open it up and share it with other people.”
The Pebbles was built in 1909 by John Irwin and was one of the earliest homes on the island. It has been in Curto’s family since 1939 when his uncle, Carlton Rickards, purchased it from Irwin. The house foundation is laid on 3,000 pilings and is structurally sound, built with wood quality not often found anymore, said Curto. The porch deck is made of mahogany and wraps around three sides of the house. Irwin built it as a single-family home, but with the capacity to sleep 24, it was opened up as a guesthouse when it passed into Curto’s family. Today it is rented as a single home, often for family gatherings, wedding rehearsals and receptions.
“The house is over 100 years old and represents the heritage of Stone Harbor. It is a great place for the town to gather, as evidenced by tonight,” said Rev. Wayne Conrad.
Curto has done some major renovations through the years, such as replacing all the windows and updating the electric and water lines. There are two apartments on the ground floor, common area and kitchen on the first floor and four bedrooms each with its own bathroom on the second floor. The third floor has three bedrooms, each with a vanity sink and a shared bathroom with hand-painted tiles from France. Curto has enjoyed restoring the house and said, “it is built so well it could be here for another 100 years.”
Stone Harbor Museum trustee Bob Ashman, along with Terrie Cwik, petitioned Borough Council March 18 to apply for County Open Space money to purchase the Pebbles for the museum. Resident Betsy Bretz, who attended the meeting, said that many who were present seemed to support the idea. “The museum is the glue of this town. Moving it to a historic property makes sense.”
Fundraiser guests enjoyed an ocean breeze while mingling with one another in the common area rooms and outside on the deck. They were also very supportive of the museum, its role in town and its efforts to acquire the Pebbles.
“The museum has good vision for the future of Stone Harbor even though it deals with history,” said Randy Bauer, an original museum board member. He added that few houses are being saved in this town and he applauded the museum for wanting to save the Pebbles.
“It is a wonderful house and the museum is wonderful. This property allows space for artifacts and boats to be cared for and preserved as they should be,” said Karin Wren.
“The museum is a critical body of data and information that needs to be kept,” said John Hencheck. “The people who created the community on this barrier island also created a lifestyle and traditions.”
“It’s a wonderful property that will serve a great purpose,” said Jane Hoy. “Its proximity to town is perfect and will be a lost opportunity if the town doesn’t move ahead.”
Many agreed that moving the museum to the Pebbles and preserving the house is important to the history of Stone Harbor, at a time when many older homes are being torn down. Stone Harbor blogger, Charlie Koch, felt it was a “no-brainer” for council to get behind this opportunity.
As of yet, council has not made a decision about applying for Open Space money to buy the property. Stone Harbor Council Member Albert Carusi, liaison to the museum, said the council has a lot of financial considerations it is studying in the coming weeks that will help to determine if it is economically feasible to support. “I personally am supportive of the project and hopeful that it will be done,” added Carusi.
Curto, who would like to see the Pebbles preserved added, “It’s a great old property and the historical museum would be a good guardian of this house.”
To contact Heather Burns, email hburns@cmcherald.com.