Brown, George McKesson, Estate-Coindre Hall
Why it's listed
Coindre Hall is a two-and-a-half-story stucco mansion built in 1910 for George McKesson Brown, a chemical company owner and Huntington civic leader, on the shore of Huntington Bay. Architect Clarence Luce designed it in the French Chateauesque style, with a red clay tile hipped roof, circular towers with conical roofs, tall decorative brick chimneys, steep masonry gables and heraldic fish gargoyles. Unusual features included a basement coal tramway and an underground cooling system fed from the icehouse. The estate once covered 54 acres and now occupies thirteen, with a lawn, planted grounds and a harbor view. The nominated property includes the house, the original boathouse and garage, and a later garage. In the 1940s the house became a school, and the courtyard and wings were enclosed and extended; an auditorium followed in 1965. The property was listed as a rare, relatively intact example of a Gold Coast estate and of Chateau-style architecture on Long Island.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is one of the most distinguished early twentieth-century estates in Huntington and a representative example of Long Island's North Shore "Gold Coast" estates. It is one of the few relatively unaltered, architect-designed estates remaining there, and one of few French Chateau-inspired estates on Long Island. Its original boathouse and garage survive and contribute to the estate setting.
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 85002493, listed September 26, 1985. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Brown's Rd., Huntington Station |
|---|---|
| County | Suffolk County |
| Listed | September 26, 1985 |
| Reference number | 85002493 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Architect: Clarence Luce; Builder: J.V. Schafer, Contractor |
| Architectural style | French Chateauesque |
| Areas of significance | Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Owned by Suffolk County and used as a school for the handicapped at the time of the form; the boathouse is unused with its windows boarded up. Condition is rated good. |
| Acreage | 13 |
| Coordinates | 40.89496, -73.43645 (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 85002493.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5141592
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.