There’s new life this spring for the Old Mill Inn. On May 7, owner Anthony Martignetti will open the doors of the 200-plus-year-old institution overlooking Mattituck Inlet, ushering in a new era of food, drink and water views at the historic landmark.
The project, six years in the making, was no simple fluff and fold, but Martignetti — a Manhattan restaurateur with experience working to restore other historic properties — found its unique past and rustic beauty irresistible.
“The many lives of the building, first as a tidal mill, then a jazz era bar and most recently a beloved restaurant and inn, were a big reason,” he says. “But the setting on Mattituck Creek, with a view that is reminiscent of another century, had me hook, line and sinker.”
The building began its life as a tidal grain mill built by Samuel Cox in 1820, which used the changing tides to churn the French limestone wheel that milled grain into flour or feed for animals. By 1902, it became a fisherman-favored pub, with a brief period as a speakeasy during Prohibition. It remained a seasonal local watering hole until shuttering 2017.
Martignetti, a Mattituck resident who also runs the nearby Old Sound Vineyard with his wife, Angela Ledgerwood, dug deeply into the mill’s history to find the path toward its future. He decided to bring the building back to its 1913 footprint, which featured a side porch for patrons to enjoy the water views. He subsequently removed a 1930s-era addition that had previously been used as a dining room.
To make the structure sound, he had to literally move the entire building across the street to make way for the installation of 67 new pilings, raising the structure five feet to comply with current federal standards. All the while, pains were taken to carefully preserve the centuries-old beams and other historic details.
But, Mr. Martignetti admits, the paperwork was the heaviest lift of all.
“Most people think it was the lifting of the building [that was difficult], but that was quite straightforward after the bureaucratic maze, with ever-changing goal posts, that is Southold Town Hall.”
Along with his own sweat equity and design work, Martignetti, who bought the property in 2019, worked with Heidtmann Builders and engineering company Chesterfield Associates to breathe new, up-to-code life back into the building. His efforts earned the 2024 Award for Excellence in Historical Preservation from Preservation Long Island, the Cold Spring-based not-for-profit.
“As much as I’m quite proud of the personal perseverance it’s taken to see the project through, I’m most proud of being able to steward a landmark building that has meant so much, to so many, for so long back to life for another generation of North Forkers to enjoy,” he says.
With both indoor and outdoor seating, the revived Old Mill Inn offers a menu — overseen by Mattituck resident and chef Kyle Bloomer and sous chef Zachary de la Canter — that features classic East End pub favorites such as fresh local oysters, burgers with house-made pickles, roast chicken, and fish and chips, along with snappy, elevated additions like fluke ceviche, smoked beet dip with labneh and grilled pita, and Aussie sausage rolls (a nod to Ledgerwood’s antipodean origins). There will be beer on tap, a tight list of local and global wines by the glass and bottle, and classic cocktails.
The Old Mill, located at 5775 West Mill Road in Mattituck will open for dinner May 7 starting at 5 p.m. Weekend lunch hours will follow soon. For more information, updates on restaurant hours or reservations, visit online at oldmillnorthfork.com.
