Phyfe, James W. and Anne Smith, Estate
Why it's listed
Built in 1904 at the end of Stillwater Road in Nissequogue, this Neoclassical country house was the centerpiece of a large estate on Stony Brook Harbor. Subdivision has reduced the property to about six acres, but the house and a former carriage house remain. The water-facing east side has a two-story portico with four Ionic columns, a pediment and a balcony, while the west side has a porte-cochere marking the entrance. Inside, fifteen rooms are arranged around a grand central hall. Isaac H. Green, Jr., a leading Long Island architect, designed it for James W. Phyfe, a New York City merchant who married into the local Smith family. Compared with Green's earlier Shingle Style work nearby, the house shows a more formal Colonial Revival approach. It retains the features of the harbor estate type, including a water view, broad porches and a service wing. Later uses included a summer camp and a rental to Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt in 1925.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is a distinctive, intact example of the Stony Brook Harbor estate type and an important work of regional architect Isaac H. Green, Jr. It shows his shift from informal Shingle Style to a more formal Colonial Revival and Neoclassical manner. It is also tied to the Smith family circle and the social history of the harbor's summer estates.
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 93000704, listed August 9, 1993. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 87 Stillwater Rd., Nissequogue |
|---|---|
| County | Suffolk County |
| Listed | August 9, 1993 |
| Reference number | 93000704 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1904 |
| Architect / builder | Isaac H. Green, Jr. |
| Architectural style | Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Century Revivals (Neoclassical) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Entertainment/Recreation, Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The house is well maintained and in residential use. The carriage house has been converted to a residence. A three-car garage and a swimming pool have been added. |
| Acreage | 6.3 |
| Coordinates | 40.90955, -73.18409 (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 93000704.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6144950
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.