Moore's Building is a historic building located in the downtown area of the Hamlet of Oyster Bay and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. First built in 1901, the building gained significance when Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...

 had his staff take offices here while he served as U.S. President. The Moore's Building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

, a Town of Oyster Bay Landmark, and a featured site on the Oyster Bay History Walk

Oyster Bay History Walk

The Oyster Bay History Walk is a path through downtown Oyster Bay, New York that leads the walker to 30 historic sites. It is a 1 mile loop and is the first certified American Heart Association Start! Walking Path on Long Island.-Origins and Development:...

 audio walking tour.

History

This landmark building with its Queen Anne style tower and cornices is called the Moore Building, but when James Moore

James Moore

James Moore and Jim Moore are the names of:*Butch Moore , born James Augustine Moore, Irish showband icon during the 1960s*Cowboy Jimmy Moore James Moore and Jim Moore are the names of:*Butch Moore (1938–2001), born James Augustine Moore, Irish showband icon during the 1960s*Cowboy Jimmy Moore...

originally built it in 1891 to house his corner grocery store, it had a much more humble appearance. It began as a one story structure, made mostly of wood with a section of brick on the front wrapping around each side for about 10 feet (3 m). Mr. Moore also built a row of attached wood buildings extending up East Main Street, which housed various shops such as Oyster Bay’s first ice cream parlor, a furniture store, and an undertaker. Only five years after they had been built, several of these buildings were destroyed by a fire which broke out in the middle of the night.

Fortunately, the newly formed Atlantic Steamer Fire Company had invested in the Silsby Steamer, which extinguished the fire in time to save Moore’s Grocery. In 1901, Moore built the statuesque building you see today, incorporating the original brick facade. It included a large ground floor for his growing grocery business and high-ceiling upper floors, in which public meetings could be held just as they had been across the street in Old Fleets Hall. But these upper floors were to rise to ever greater fame - when President Theodore Roosevelt outgrew his suite of offices at the Oyster Bay Bank Building on Audrey Avenue. While Sagamore Hill

Sagamore Hill

Sagamore Hill was the home of the 26th President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt from 1885 until his death in 1919. It is located at the end of Cove Neck Road in the Incorporated Village of Cove Neck, New York, on Long Island, 25 miles east of Manhattan. Sagamore Hill is located within...

 served as the Summer White House, Moore’s Building now housed the Summer Executive Offices where Secretary William Loeb, Jr.

William Loeb, Jr.

William Loeb, Jr. was an American political figure. He was the Presidential secretary to President Theodore Roosevelt and Collector of the Port of New York from 1909 to 1913. He was the father to William Loeb III, the conservative publisher of the Manchester Union Leader.-Early career:William...

 and his staff-conducted any business of the President which did not require his personal attention.

Secretary Loeb installed telegraph and telephone “hotlines” which connected directly to Sagamore Hill and the White House

White House

The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...

 in Washington, D.C., and in 1903, the first “round the world” cable was transmitted from this building.

In recent years several restaurants have graced this lovely corner which was restored to its original beauty in 1995.