{"nrhp_refnum":"94000786","name":"Suffolk County Historical Society Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"300 W. Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Riverhead","county":"Suffolk County","state":"NY","lat":40.92296307200007,"lon":-72.66797161899996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1994-07-29","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Georgian Revival museum and headquarters building at 300 West Main Street in Riverhead, Suffolk County, New York, designed by August H. Galow and built in 1930-31 for the Suffolk County Historical Society.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is a distinctive example of Georgian Revival institutional architecture in Riverhead, with red brick, symmetrical fenestration, a hipped roof with parapet and dormers, and cast-stone trim. It is also significant as the first permanent home of the first historical society founded in Suffolk County, built specifically to house its collections.","narrative":"Set on a triangular one-acre lot at 300 West Main Street in Riverhead, this red brick museum has housed the Suffolk County Historical Society since 1931. Architect August H. Galow designed it in the Georgian Revival style, with a symmetrical five-bay facade, a pedimented central entrance under a fanlight, pilasters, a modilioned cornice, a parapet with balusters, and a slate hipped roof with gabled dormers. Alice Perkins deeded the land in 1925 on condition that a museum be built there. The central block was dedicated in May 1931, though funds fell short of the full plan. The east and west wings, drawn in 1928, were added in 1950-51, and a north wing followed in 1963. Those additions are counted as noncontributing. The society, founded in 1886, was the first of its kind in Suffolk County, and this was its first permanent building. The building is recognized for its architecture and for its role in preserving county history.","period_of_significance":"1930-44","architect_builder":"August H. Galow (architect); Charles Wood of Wading River worked from Galow's plans for the wings and rear wing","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revival: Georgian Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still used as a museum, with exhibition spaces, library, lecture room, offices and collections storage.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:50.600687-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/94000786.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/94000786/75fc2c0e0a-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/94000786/75fc2c0e0a-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Americasroof","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Suffolk-historic.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Americasroof</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:Suffolk-historic.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75322278","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suffolk_County_Historical_Society_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7634555"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/suffolk-county/suffolk-county-historical-society-building-94000786/"}