{"nrhp_refnum":"86000702","name":"Hawkins, Robert, Homestead","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Yaphank Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Yaphank","county":"Suffolk County","state":"NY","lat":40.81784298700006,"lon":-72.91732639499998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-04-10","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A mid-nineteenth century Italianate residence on a two-acre parcel on Yaphank Avenue (Road) in Yaphank, Suffolk County, New York, built circa 1855-56 by Robert Hewlett Hawkins, with a small rear support building.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is the finest example of mid-nineteenth century Italianate residential architecture in Yaphank, a village of mostly modest vernacular farmhouses. It displays a cruciform plan, bracketed low gable roofs, a decorated verandah, arched and paired windows, and a prominent cupola. It also reflects the wealth and taste of Hawkins, a retired New York City merchant who returned to Yaphank.","narrative":"Set on a flat two-acre parcel beside the Carmans River in Yaphank, this clapboard house with a brick foundation was built around 1855 by Robert Hewlett Hawkins. Born in Yaphank in 1817, Hawkins moved to New York City, prospered as a merchant, and returned in 1850 to care for his blind father. His country seat is a two-story, three-bay Italianate residence with a cruciform plan, low bracketed gable roofs, a wraparound verandah, paired and round-arched windows, and a large glazed cupola. Inside, twin parlors, a music room and a dining room retain ornamental plasterwork, mantels and molded surrounds. Most Yaphank homes were modest vernacular farmhouses, so this one stood out as the village's most stylish period residence. A small rear outbuilding, probably a stable, carriage shed or workshop, also contributes to the property, though it is deteriorated. The Hawkins family held the property until 1887, and it is now county-owned and houses the local historical society.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Italianate","criteria":[],"status_note":"Owned by the County of Suffolk and used as headquarters of the Yaphank Historical Society; the house is largely intact, while the rear support building is deteriorated and slated for restoration.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:44.523501-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/86000702.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86000702/b0db6ba294-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86000702/b0db6ba294-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net).","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:At_Long_Island_2023_009.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net).</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:At_Long_Island_2023_009.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75322146","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Hawkins_Homestead","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7345328"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/suffolk-county/hawkins-robert-homestead-86000702/"}