Wetherill, Kate Annette, Estate
Why it's listed
Overlooking the southern end of Stony Brook Harbor in Head of the Harbor, this 26.75-acre estate was built in 1895 for Kate Annette Wetherill. Stanford White, her brother-in-law, designed the shingled octagonal house, with gabled faces, a one-story porch on fluted Ionic columns, and an octagonal central hall lit by a skylight. A service wing extends east and was later raised in height. The grounds retain a sloping lawn, an octagonal pump house of glacial stone, stone gate piers with iron gates, remnants of an octagonal rose garden, and a stone arch bridge. A polygonal carriage house, also by White, and a superintendent's residence across the road are included. The estate is recognized for its architecture, as an unusual work within White's country house designs, and for its link to the Smith family circle that shaped the harbor's estate era. Wetherill descended from Richard Smith, founder of Smithtown.
Significance in brief: The estate is significant as a distinctive and highly unusual example of Stanford White's country house work, using an octagonal form within a Colonial Revival vocabulary. It also represents the social circle of the locally prominent Smith family, who turned the Stony Brook Harbor shoreline into a ring of estates around the turn of the century.
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 93000708, listed August 9, 1993. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Harbor Hill Rd., S side, Head of the Harbor |
|---|---|
| County | Suffolk County |
| Listed | August 9, 1993 |
| Reference number | 93000708 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1895 |
| Architect / builder | Stanford White (McKim, Mead and White) |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Entertainment/Recreation, Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The estate is still used as a single dwelling. The service wing has been raised in height and the original east porch infilled. The gardener's cottage was excluded because of major alterations. |
| Acreage | 26.8 |
| Coordinates | 40.89244, -73.16828 (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 93000708.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14706726
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.