Wood, Joseph, House
Why it's listed
Built in 1889 on a spacious corner lot one block south of Sayville's Main Street, this two-story shingled house shows the Shingle style in a complex, asymmetrical form. A gambrel-roofed main block faces east with a prominent gable above a recessed porch, and a continuous porch with slender Doric columns links lower north and south wings and extends into a porte cochere. Inside, a wainscoted entry hall with a fireplace and broad staircase opens onto the study, living room and dining room, each with its own fireplace and rich trim. Architect Isaac H. Green, Jr. designed it for his cousin Joseph Wood and added the north wing in 1915. Green was a prolific Long Island architect who brought fashionable Shingle style design to middle-class homeowners on the south shore. The house was listed for its architecture, as a well-preserved example of the style and of Green's work. Exterior and interior remain largely intact, and the neighborhood setting is still quiet and residential.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is a highly intact, representative example of residential Shingle Style architecture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is also an example of the work of Isaac H. Green, Jr., a prolific and regionally renowned architect. Green's design combines irregular massing and complex rooflines with classical detailing and unifying wood-shingle cladding.
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 03000406, listed May 18, 2003. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 284 Greene Ave., Sayville |
|---|---|
| County | Suffolk County |
| Listed | May 18, 2003 |
| Reference number | 03000406 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1892-1915 |
| Architect / builder | Green, Isaac H., Jr. (architect); Nunns, Robert (builder) |
| Architectural style | Shingle Style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a single dwelling; the form describes it as highly intact, with changes limited to a 1915 north wing, a modern garage, roofing and siding replacement, and updated kitchen and bathrooms. |
| Acreage | 1.2 |
| Coordinates | 40.73605, -73.07539 (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 03000406.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6288063
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.