Cox, Richard, House
Why it's listed
Overlooking Mattituck Inlet on Long Island's North Fork, this frame house began in 1829 as a Greek Revival residence built by Richard Cox, a farmer and drover who also built a tide-powered mill nearby and laid out Mill and Luther's Roads. In the 1870s the Cox-Forman family enlarged it in the Italianate manner, adding a cupola, scroll brackets, a wrap-around verandah and a porte-cochère. A Stick style carriage barn at the rear dates from the same period. In 1910 Xesia Forman remodelled the interior, adding a two-story, seven-sided Arts & Crafts stair hall with oak or chestnut paneling and a stained-glass skylight. Allan Forman, who founded the periodical The Journalist, inherited the house in 1908. The property was valued as the finest Italianate residence in the Mattituck area, as a local landmark, and for its surviving historic landscaping, which includes specimen trees and a boxwood garden.
Significance in brief: The house is argued to be the finest Italianate style residence in the Mattituck area, reflecting the prosperity and changing tastes of the locally prominent Cox-Forman families. Its interior preserves finishes from each building phase, including a rare 1910 Arts & Crafts stair hall for eastern Long Island. It is also a well-known local landmark recalling the growth of Mattituck from about 1829 to about 1910.
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 86001721, listed August 21, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Mill Rd., Mattituck |
|---|---|
| County | Suffolk County |
| Listed | August 21, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86001721 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899, 1900- (specific dates 1829, 1870, 1910) |
| Architectural style | Italianate (remodelled from Greek Revival), with Arts & Crafts interior and Stick style carriage barn |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in good condition, altered, on its original site; occupied as a private residence, with the carriage barn recently converted to a residence. |
| Acreage | 1.7 |
| Coordinates | 40.99877, -72.55735 (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 86001721.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7324940
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.