Tuthill-Lapham House
Also known as: Friendly Hall
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
Friendly Hall, at the corner of Sound Road and Sunset Boulevard in Wading River, began around 1820 as a three-story Federal-style house with a gambrel roof, built by farmer Bartley Fanning Tuthill. He had it set into a hillside to shelter it from storms off Long Island Sound. Later generations enlarged it: an east addition in 1838 that housed a small private school, a west wing in 1869, and a Colonial Revival makeover, new kitchen wing and garage in the 1920s after Wade and Ruth Lapham bought it and gave it its name. Part of the house served as a summer boarding house in the 1890s and early 1900s. The house is significant for its link to early settlement along a road used to ship cordwood and produce, and as one of the last intact examples of an early rural Long Island homestead.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is significant for early settlement patterns in Wading River, since it stood on a road used to ship produce and cordwood to Long Island Sound. It is also significant as a representative early vernacular rural Long Island house, one of the last intact examples as development spreads. It served as a farm, school and summer boarding house, and later became a storm refuge.
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 09000136, listed March 13, 2009. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 324 Sound Rd., at corner of Sunset Blvd., Wading River |
|---|---|
| County | Suffolk County |
| Listed | March 13, 2009 |
| Reference number | 09000136 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1820-1942 |
| Architectural style | Federal; Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History, Exploration/Settlement |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current function is listed as a residence; the form reports the historic and current function as domestic/residence. |
| Acreage | 2.1 |
| Coordinates | 40.96663, -72.85151 (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 09000136.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7856928
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.