Hewlett House
Why it's listed
Set on a six-acre wooded plot at the corner of Harbor and Woodbury Roads, this house began around 1815 as a three-bay, side-hall, one-and-one-half-story dwelling. In the 1870s it was enlarged with two flanking bays, the roof was raised to form a full second story, and the six-over-six windows were replaced with two-over-two sash. A shed-roofed front porch with a bracketed cornice and square columns and a small east wing were added then. The facade has shiplap siding, the other walls are shingled, and the interior keeps period finishes, trim and mantels. The house is named for the Hewlett family, who lived there through the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, though Anthony Thompson was the original owner. It appeared in an 1881 painting by local artist Edward Large. The property is the last six acres of the original farmstead and is listed as a rare, intact example of late nineteenth-century domestic architecture reflecting local conservative building traditions.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is a representative and rare, largely intact example of nineteenth-century residential architecture in Cold Spring Harbor. It shows a conservative local building tradition of wood frame construction, wood sheathing and little decoration. The six-acre wooded parcel, the last remnant of the Hewlett farmstead, preserves some of the historic 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 85002533, listed September 26, 1985. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 559 Woodbury Rd., Cold Spring Harbor |
|---|---|
| County | Suffolk County |
| Listed | September 26, 1985 |
| Reference number | 85002533 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Areas of significance | Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is listed as excellent, with the house described as largely unaltered since the 1870s; a non-contributing garage was built about 1970. |
| Acreage | 6 |
| Coordinates | 40.83699, -73.45294 (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 85002533.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5748555
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.