Cock-Cornelius House
Also known as: Wyckoff-Underhill House
Why it's listed
This U-shaped wood-frame house on Birch Hill Road in Locust Valley grew in stages over roughly 250 years. The oldest part, the north section of the west wing, may date to 1768 or earlier and likely matches the "new west house" in Hezekiah Cock's will. The main block dates to about 1790 in its first section, with a half story and two more bays added in the 1840s when Lot Cornelius turned the house into the Walnut Grove Seminary, a private boarding school that later served girls and closed in 1869. In 1924 Jane Teller Robinson and her husband bought the property, added the east wing, applied Colonial Revival paneling, and ran it as the Stage Coach Inn restaurant. In 1928 the house hosted the vote to form the Incorporated Village of Matinecock. It remains on its original site with Federal and Greek Revival details, and a later garage is noncontributing.
Significance in brief: It is significant under Criterion A for its ties to the Cock family, early settlers of Oyster Bay, and to the Cornelius family, regional educators who ran a private boarding school there. Under Criterion C it is an intact example of residential design evolving from the mid-eighteenth to early twentieth century, with Federal, Greek Revival and Colonial Revival elements.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 06000157, listed March 22, 2006. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 34 Birch Hill Rd., Locust Valley |
|---|---|
| County | Nassau County |
| Listed | March 22, 2006 |
| Reference number | 06000157 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | Circa 1768-1936 |
| Architect / builder | unknown |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Exploration/Settlement, Social History, Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Historic functions were residence, school and restaurant; the form lists current functions as residence, store and restaurant. |
| Acreage | 2.2 |
| Coordinates | 40.87416, -73.58776 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 06000157.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5139491
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.