Suydam House
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
Built around 1730, this saltbox farmhouse at the edge of Centerport on Long Island's north shore is a one-and-one-half story timber-frame building with a one-story wing added in stages during the eighteenth century. Its post-and-beam frame, hand-made brick center chimney with bake oven, early batten doors, Suffolk-type latches and a split Dutch door with wrought-iron hinges survive, while the windows, front door and exterior shakes are later replacements. The original builder is unknown. The Suydam family, subsistence farmers who shipped surplus produce to New York City by schooner, appear to have arrived in the 1760s and acquired the house within about two decades. Family members owned it until 1954. The house is listed because it is a well-preserved example of early Long Island construction and the only recognizable eighteenth-century residence left near Centerport. Today the Greenlawn-Centerport Historical Association owns it and plans a headquarters and museum there.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents it as a distinguished, largely intact example of settlement-period domestic architecture on Long Island, with heavy hewn timber framing, a center chimney with bake oven, and original wrought-iron hardware. It is also the only surviving recognizable eighteenth-century residence near Centerport and records the expansion of settlement along the north coast of central Long Island.
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 88002135, listed October 27, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1 Ft. Salonga Rd., Centerport |
|---|---|
| County | Suffolk County |
| Listed | October 27, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88002135 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | Eighteenth century (stated as the house's eighteenth-century period of significance; no specific date range given) |
| Architect / builder | Unknown (architect and builder both listed as unknown) |
| Architectural style | New England style saltbox; vernacular Long Island settlement-period farmhouse, with a Greek Revival stoop |
| Areas of significance | Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition marked fair; used as a residence, and owned by the Greenlawn-Centerport Historical Association, which plans to use it as headquarters and museum. Two non-contributing outbuildings (shed and garage) are in poor condition. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 40.88588, -73.36657 (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 88002135.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7650635
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.