Babylon Town Hall
Also known as: Town of Babylon Old Town Hall
Why it's listed
Babylon Town Hall, at 47 West Main Street in the Village of Babylon, is a brick municipal building completed in 1917 and dedicated in 1918. Architect Lewis Inglee of Amityville designed it in the Classical Revival style, and Moses Cornwell of Rockville Centre built it on land donated by the Sammis family. A two-story portico with four Doric columns and a pediment marks the south entrance, and a wood cupola sits on the slate roof. Inside, rooms are arranged around a central hall, with a marble staircase, a clerk's vault and a basement jail with two cell rooms. The building housed town government until the mid-1950s, then district courts, and was later sold into private hands. It was designated a local landmark in 1986, and the town repurchased it in 2004. It was listed for its role in local government and as a well-preserved example of Classical Revival civic architecture.
Significance in brief: The nomination cites Criterion A for the building's service to the community as the seat of town government, courts and jail. It cites Criterion C as a good example of early twentieth-century Classical Revival design, a style favored for municipal buildings. The building remains at its original location and retains a high degree of historic integrity.
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 05001131, listed October 5, 2005. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 47 W. Main St., Babylon |
|---|---|
| County | Suffolk County |
| Listed | October 5, 2005 |
| Reference number | 05001131 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1917-1955 |
| Architect / builder | Lewis Inglee (architect); Moses R. Cornwell (builder) |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The Town of Babylon bought the building back in 2004 to preserve it and use it again for town business and office rentals; some repairs were made and interior restoration was planned. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.69764, -73.32620 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
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 05001131.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4838521
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.