Bay Street Theater stands today as one of the premier cultural anchors for live performances in the Hamptons, welcoming audiences to a spectacular location right on Sag Harbor’s Long Wharf. Yet, the cheering crowds and glowing stage lights mask a dramatic history. Long before it was a non-profit regional theater, this iconic brick building served a much more volatile purpose: it was a military testing facility for naval torpedoes.
The building’s story begins in the late 19th century. In 1891, Brooklyn-based manufacturer J.C. Bliss and Co. began building torpedoes for the United States Navy. To ensure their accuracy, the weapons were shipped by train to the East End, where they were loaded into the Long Wharf facility and test-launched directly into the surrounding bay.
This high-stakes testing led to some remarkable close calls. In June 1898, a torpedo fired from the company’s testing ship, the Sarah Thorpe, malfunctioned mid-flight, pulled a U-turn, and headed straight back toward the vessel. While it failed to explode, it punched a hole right through the ship’s side, nearly making the captain the first in history to have his vessel sunk by his own payload. The crew successfully plugged the leak and hauled the rogue torpedo back into the factory for adjustments. Following the Spanish-American War, Bliss moved its entire manufacturing operation to the wharf, eventually shifting testing to Noyac Bay where it continued until the late 1920s.
Before evolving into the cultural hub we know today, the building cycled through a fascinating series of local reinventions. It sat abandoned for years before being repurposed as an import-export warehouse, a storage facility for Grumman aircraft components, a retail row, a restaurant, and even a bustling 1980s discotheque. The building’s modern era finally arrived in 1991, when founders Sybil Christopher, Emma Walton Hamilton, and Steve Walton—supported by Jerry and Adrianne Cohen—transformed the space into a non-profit regional theater. After a recent proposal to relocate the venue to nearby John Steinbeck Park was set aside, the theater signed a long-term lease, solidifying its future on the water with a beautifully illuminated outdoor marquee.
The historic stage is gearing up for an unforgettable lineup of performances. This summer’s mainstage season kicks off with the world premiere of Mister Halston, exploring the meteoric 1970s rise and ultimate fall of the iconic fashion designer. Directed by Michael Wilson and produced in association with Tony Award-winner Bruce Robert Harris, the production runs through June 21. The excitement continues through the warmer months with Cagney, the Musical opening in late June, followed by the hit sensation Dear Evan Hansen in August, and wrapping up this autumn with Joy Behar in Bonkers In the Boroughs.
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