{"nrhp_refnum":"85002486","name":"Bay Crest Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Beech Ave., Valley Rd., Woodside & Valley Drs.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Huntington Bay","county":"Suffolk County","state":"NY","lat":40.90100550200006,"lon":-73.41808066505646,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-09-26","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Exploration/Settlement","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small residential historic district of twelve large Victorian-era houses and nine contributing outbuildings on about 16 acres in the village of Huntington Bay, Suffolk County, New York. The houses date from about 1890 to 1905 and line narrow private lanes between Bay Avenue and the shoreline.","why_significant":"The district is significant as an enclave of distinguished late Victorian residential architecture that shows how Huntington's north shore grew into an exclusive summer community around 1900. Its houses show generous size, superior craftsmanship and picturesque, eclectic details that depart from the town's conservative building tradition. It is one of only two surviving planned residential communities of the period in Huntington Bay and the largest contiguous collection of Victorian mansions in the multiple resource area.","narrative":"Bay Crest is a compact group of twelve large summer-style residences and nine outbuildings in Huntington Bay, Suffolk County, New York. Built between about 1890 and 1905, the houses sit on generous landscaped lots along narrow winding private lanes, entered through granite markers reading \"Bay Crest.\" No two houses are alike, but they share towers, wraparound porches, porte-cochères, varied windows, shingle or clapboard siding and decorative woodwork. Examples include the Colonial Revival John Smithers House of 1905 and Queen Anne and Shingle style homes such as the Horwitt, Grant Baldwin and W. M. Baylis houses. The enclave was laid out by unknown developers between 1887 and 1910 and originally held fourteen properties. It reflects the area's late nineteenth-century development, when wealthy buyers sought scenic bay views and easy rail access to New York City. It is one of only two surviving planned communities of its kind in Huntington Bay, and many carriage houses and views remain intact.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Late Victorian picturesque styles, including Queen Anne, Shingle, Stick and Colonial Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Twelve of the original fourteen dwellings survive; most have had few alterations and retain a high degree of integrity. Many outbuildings have been converted to garages. Two modern houses are non-contributing.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:45.822239-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/85002486.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85002486/0f4ad5eac6-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85002486/0f4ad5eac6-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Peggydowling","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bay_Crest.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Peggydowling</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bay_Crest.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75314891","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_Crest_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4873981"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/suffolk-county/bay-crest-historic-district-85002486/"}