Valley Stream artist Mike Stanko painting hangs at Nassau County's Theodore Roosevelt building.

As part of the yearlong celebration honoring the 125th anniversary of Nassau County, the Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building was rededicated. The main event? Valley Stream artist Mike Stanko’s commissioned painting of the building.

Stanko’s painting, which depicts the Roosevelt building surrounded by flags, hangs in the lobby of the building. County Executive Bruce Blakeman first reached out to Stanko a year ago to commission the painting.

“I was honored,” Stanko said. “I was a little nervous at first, thinking, ‘What am I gonna do?’ And he said, ‘I just want something to commemorate the building.’ And so that’s what I did.”

In the process of creating the painting, Stanko paid much attention to the details of the building and its surroundings, returning to the building three or four times to take pictures to use as reference. It took him a little over a month to complete the work.

“I knew how important it was and how it was going to be hanging in the building hopefully forever,” said Stanko. “..So I took my time doing it and made sure everything was correct.”

After completing the painting, Stanko then donated his work to the county as a show of his gratitude for the place he has lived since he was a child. Stanko and his wife, Valley Stream natives, met at Central High School, and much of Stanko’s previous artwork has featured Long Island locations such as Valley Stream and Montauk.

“I love living in Nassau County,” Stanko said. “I was honored to be asked to do it so I donated this as my appreciation for living here. It’s the least I could do.”

When Blakeman first reached out to Stanko, he said he was humbled by the offer and that he understood the importance of being asked to create such a significant piece for the county.

“This is a big deal because the building is for the people,” Stanko said. “Politics aside, no matter who’s in office, it’s for the people. That’s the building for Nassau County.”

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