Frank Melville Memorial Park
Why it's listed
Frank Melville Memorial Park occupies about thirty acres in Setauket, on Long Island's north shore, around the Setauket Millpond. It was dedicated in 1937 by the wife and son of philanthropist Frank Melville, Jr., as a memorial and a gift to the community. The park holds five contributing buildings and two stone arch bridges: Miller's Cottage, a 1936-37 mill with a working water wheel, a 1941 post office, the 1922 Bates House and a 1920s barn. Architect Richard Haviland Smythe handled the design and restoration work, and George Strehan designed the bridges. The Melville family wanted to preserve the mill site and echo the area's eighteenth and early-nineteenth century heritage. The park is considered locally significant for recreation, as it interprets the historic mill and millpond, and for architecture. Its period of significance runs from 1936 to 1958, when work on the Bates House was completed. The park is owned by a nonprofit foundation and has remained open to the public since 1937.
Significance in brief: The park is locally significant under Criterion A for recreation because it interprets the site of the historic Setauket Mill and millpond and memorializes Frank Melville, Jr. It is significant under Criterion C for architecture because of its buildings and bridges, built or restored mainly under architect Richard Haviland Smythe for the Melville family and foundation.
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 10000486, listed July 19, 2010. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Old Field Rd between Lake St and Main St, Setauket |
|---|---|
| County | Suffolk County |
| Listed | July 19, 2010 |
| Reference number | 10000486 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1936-1958 |
| Architect / builder | Richard Haviland Smythe (post office, mill); George E. Strehan (bridges) |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival; Colonial Revival; Classical Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Entertainment/Recreation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Privately owned and maintained by the Frank Melville Memorial Foundation and continuously open to the public since 1937; the post office is leased to the federal government. |
| Acreage | 28.6 |
| Coordinates | 40.95006, -73.11494 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 10000486.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5488400
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.