Dodge, Lillian Sefton, Estate
Also known as: Sefton Manor; Mill Neck Manor Lutheran School for the Deaf
Why it's listed
Sefton Manor, the former Lillian Sefton Dodge estate in Mill Neck, is an 86-acre Long Island Gold Coast property now used as a school for the deaf. Its centerpiece is a Tudor Revival manor house designed in 1923 by the New York firm Clinton and Russell, built with a steel frame and faced in brown Westchester granite with limestone trim. Inside, the Great Hall retains oak paneling, a carved stone chimneypiece and stained glass by Charles Connick of Boston. A formal garden by Charles Leavitt, a half-timbered farm complex, a greenhouse and garages complete the grounds. Mrs. Dodge led the cosmetics firm Harriet Hubbard Ayer, Inc., and was regarded in 1938 as the highest paid woman executive in the country. The estate has had only two owners, the Dodge family and, since 1949, the Lutheran Friends of the Deaf. Additions from 1967 and 1971 were designed to suit the setting. It was listed as a well-preserved estate and a model of sympathetic adaptive reuse.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents it as one of the best preserved Long Island Gold Coast estates and an excellent example of sensitive adaptive reuse as a school. The main house was designed by the New York firm Clinton and Russell, with landscape design by Charles Leavitt. It is also associated with Lillian Sefton Dodge, a cosmetics company president who was considered the highest paid woman executive in the United States in 1938.
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 79001595, listed July 22, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Frost Mill Rd., Mill Neck |
|---|---|
| County | Nassau County |
| Listed | July 22, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79001595 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- |
| Architect / builder | Clinton & Russell |
| Architectural style | Tudor Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and in use as the Mill Neck Manor Lutheran School for the Deaf, which has owned it since 1949; the main house and farm complex have been adapted for school use. |
| Acreage | 86 |
| Coordinates | 40.87803, -73.55847 (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 79001595.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6548208
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.