Smith, Daniel, House
Why it's listed
Set on a one and one-half acre wooded lot along West Shore Road, on the west bank of Huntington Harbor, this house combines two buildings from different decades. The earlier dwelling, built around 1830, is a one and one-half story clapboard house with heavy timber framing and almost no decoration. It now serves as the south wing. About 1855, Daniel Smith added a two and one-half story, three-bay main block with restrained Greek Revival details, including a projecting cornice with returns and a classical entrance surround with sidelights. Smith was an Englishman brought to the country by the locally prominent Wood family to help run their tide mill, and he bought John Wood's mill and the original house in 1854. The property is valued as an intact example of the local habit of attaching a grander residence to a smaller older one. A porch added in the early twentieth century and a rear entrance from about 1970 are the main changes.
Significance in brief: The house is presented as an intact, representative example of late settlement period architecture in the town of Huntington. It shows the local practice of adding a larger, more stylish house to a smaller one that becomes a wing. It also has ties to the Wood family's milling ventures along the harbor.
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 85002576, listed September 26, 1985. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 117 W. Shore Rd., Huntington |
|---|---|
| County | Suffolk County |
| Listed | September 26, 1985 |
| Reference number | 85002576 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival (restrained details on the main block); local vernacular form in the south wing |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed in excellent condition and still used as a residence; the inventory notes no known threats and says the interior is accessible by appointment only. |
| Acreage | 1.5 |
| Coordinates | 40.88715, -73.42494 (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 85002576.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5218795
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.