First National Bank of Port Jefferson
Why it's listed
Standing at the corner of Main and East Main Streets in Port Jefferson, this brick building was constructed between 1900 and 1902 as the home of the First National Bank. Albert and Gilbert Loper built it, with E.O. Lawrence doing the stonework. It has a two-story corner turret with a cone-shaped slate roof, recessed arcades holding large windows, brick pilasters, eyebrow windows and a low-hipped slate roof. Upper-floor offices were rented to professionals. The bank merged with another local bank in 1948, and the Town of Brookhaven bought the building for a tax office and police space, adding a one-story brick wing around 1949. The town left in 2003, and the Port Jefferson Historical Society then sought to save the building for museum use. It is valued for its role in the village's commerce and local government and as one of the few commercial buildings left from the shipbuilding era.
Significance in brief: The building is significant under Criterion A for providing banking services to Port Jefferson and later government services when owned by the Town of Brookhaven. It is significant under Criterion C as a turn-of-the-twentieth-century eclectic commercial building. It is also a rare survivor of the village's commercial past after other commercial structures were demolished.
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 05001134, listed October 5, 2005. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Main and East Main Sts., Port Jefferson |
|---|---|
| County | Suffolk County |
| Listed | October 5, 2005 |
| Reference number | 05001134 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900-1955 |
| Architect / builder | Loper Brothers Builders, Port Jefferson |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian/Victorian Eclectic |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed current function is vacant; the Town of Brookhaven moved its offices out by 2003 and the local historical society hopes to use the building as a museum. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.94530, -73.06777 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 05001134.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5453413
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.