Wood, William Wooden, House
Why it's listed
Set atop a prominent hill on the west bank of Huntington Harbor, this house at 90 Preston Street was built in 1868-1869 for William Wooden Wood. It is a two-and-one-half story clapboard dwelling with a four-bay west wing. The main block has a hipped roof with deep eaves on massive wooden brackets, a gambrel cross-gable with a round-arched window, wooden cresting and finials, and a bracketed porch with scrollsawn braces. Inside, the original floor plan, moldings and hardware survive, along with parquet floors, ornamental plasterwork and marble fireplaces. The house is considered one of the finest local interpretations of the picturesque style in Huntington. It also records the prominence of the Wood family, who operated commercial and milling businesses along the harbor's west bank during the nineteenth century and kept the house until the 1940s. Its scale and refined detail set it apart from other period dwellings in the area. The property is still a residence on a wooded lot with no outbuildings.
Significance in brief: It is described as one of the finest local interpretations of the picturesque style in the town of Huntington, with an intact, stylish period interior. It is also historically important for its association with the locally prominent Wood family, who ran commercial and milling ventures along the west bank of Huntington Harbor. Its size and detail reflect the family's affluence in nineteenth-century Huntington.
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 85002555, listed September 26, 1985. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 90 Preston St., Huntington |
|---|---|
| County | Suffolk County |
| Listed | September 26, 1985 |
| Reference number | 85002555 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Architect unknown; builder unknown (built for William Wooden Wood) |
| Architectural style | Picturesque (mid-nineteenth century) |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as excellent; in residential use, original site, interior intact. |
| Acreage | 1.5 |
| Coordinates | 40.88896, -73.42561 (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 85002555.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q8020535
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.