Roosevelt, John Ellis, Estate
Also known as: Meadowcroft
Why it's listed
Meadowcroft is an 86-acre summer estate on Middle Road in Sayville, on the south shore of Long Island. Its centerpiece is a two-story Colonial Revival mansion built in 1891-1892 for John Ellis Roosevelt and attached to an older mid-nineteenth century farmhouse that became its service wing. Local architect I. H. Green designed it, using Georgian motifs such as corner pilasters and a hipped roof, along with a porte-cochère and two large front porches. Five support buildings, a swimming pool, and an archaeological site complete the grounds. The estate matters as a surviving example of the informal country retreats that preceded the grander Gold Coast mansions, and as the best-preserved Roosevelt homestead on the south shore. Roosevelts summered here from 1890 to 1939, after which it stood unoccupied. Suffolk County acquired it in 1974, and it now lies within a nature preserve with its setting largely unchanged.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the mansion is a representative Colonial Revival design by Long Island architect I. H. Green. It also illustrates the shift of southeast Long Island from farming villages to summer estates of the wealthy. It is tied to three members of the Roosevelt family and retains its setting and service and recreational buildings largely intact.
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 87001896, listed November 5, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Middle Rd., Sayville |
|---|---|
| County | Suffolk County |
| Listed | November 5, 1987 |
| Reference number | 87001896 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c. 1850-c. 1935 |
| Architect / builder | I. H. Green |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Historic - Non-Aboriginal, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Owned by Suffolk County and part of the Sans Souci Nature Preserve. The estate was left unoccupied after 1939, and the main house and outbuildings are described as in disrepair or poor condition but with high integrity. |
| Acreage | 86 |
| Coordinates | 40.73889, -73.07181 (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.
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 87001896.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6231680
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.