Conklin, Nathaniel, House
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Why it's listed
Built around 1803 for Nathaniel Conklin, this frame house on Deer Park Avenue in Babylon, New York, is the oldest surviving house in the town of Babylon. It has two stories, five bays, a center hall and a smaller kitchen wing. Originally built at the corner of Main Street and Deer Park Avenue, it was moved about three blocks north in 1871 and became part of a resort hotel complex. Much early fabric remains, including hewn timber framing, wood shingles with a fourteen-inch exposure, eight-over-eight sash, Federal mantels, and the original staircase. Victorian-era changes from the move include the wraparound porch, tall French windows, decorative cornices and a marble mantel. The house was recorded by the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1936. It is considered significant as a rare early nineteenth-century survivor in a heavily built-up community and as a well-known local landmark.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is a distinguished, largely intact example of Federal period domestic architecture on Long Island and the oldest remaining house in the town of Babylon. It shows regional building traditions such as hewn timber framing, fourteen-inch wood shingles and eight-over-eight sash. It also keeps Victorian alterations from its 1871 use in a resort hotel complex.
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 88002683, listed December 8, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 280 Deer Park Ave., Babylon |
|---|---|
| County | Suffolk County |
| Listed | December 8, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88002683 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1803-1871 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Colonial/Postmedieval English; Early Republic/Federal |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Owned and used by the American Red Cross since 1945; the upper story of the kitchen wing is in poor condition after years of disuse. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 40.70077, -73.32258 (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 88002683.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6969549
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.