Southside Sportsmens Club District
Why it's listed
Along the Connetquot River at Great River, a 3,528-acre tract of marshes, woodlands, ponds and brooks holds the Southside Sportsmens Club, a sporting retreat that grew from Snedicor's Inn, a tavern for travelers and hunters operating by the 1820s to 1836. After the Snedicor family retired in 1866, one hundred customers bought the property and formed the club. Its shingled clubhouse folds the old inn into a sixteen-bay structure, with a billiard room wing, a large 1886-87 enlargement planned by Bradford L. Gilbert, and two annexes from 1879 and 1903. A mid-18th century grist mill still stands at the dam. Members included Charles Tiffany, William K. Vanderbilt and Theodore Roosevelt, and many built nearby estates. The district is valued for its intact buildings, its largely unchanged 19th-century atmosphere, and more than a century of careful land management.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the district is an unusual, well-preserved survival of both architectural and natural resources illustrating Long Island's late 19th-century social history. The club drew wealthy New York businessmen who later built large estates around Islip. The land also shows over 100 years of environmental management, and the mill is a fine example of vernacular architecture.
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 73001272, listed July 23, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | NE of Great River, off NY 27, Great River |
|---|---|
| County | Suffolk County |
| Listed | July 23, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73001272 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 19th Century |
| Architect / builder | Bradford L. Gilbert (1886-87 clubhouse enlargement plans); architect Green Jr. (north annex, 1903); Ashby and Breckenridge of Bayport (builders) |
| Architectural style | Shingled sportsmen's lodge buildings; Colonial Revival (north annex); vernacular (mill) |
| Areas of significance | Conservation, Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as good and altered; club has functioned continuously up to 1973 and the property is used as a game preserve and sporting club; owned by the State of New York. |
| Acreage | 3528 |
| Coordinates | 40.75017, -73.15013 (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 73001272.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5161790
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.