The remaining colonial architecture of the eastern end of Long Island, New York, may not be grand and impressive, but it represents some of the oldest structures on the island, and many bear a quiet charm. Most were built almost entirely of wood, with brick chimneys, since stone was notably lacking on this narrow island stretching out between the Sound and the Atlantic Ocean. The oldest date back to about 1660.
Watermill, Patchogue, Easthampton and Southampton are among the towns in which colonial houses still stand. This issue of the White Pine Series of Architectural Monographs, written in 1919, explores the architectural styles that make these buildings stand apart from other colonial structures, and provides a number of examples.
“The unstudied relation of openings to wall-surface and story heights of most of these simple houses seems to make them perfect examples of wooden design. The great simplicity which is their main feature, combined with a naivete in design, adds to their charm. In no case do we find very grand houses, even the neo-classic examples being human in scale, and it is their utilization as ‘partis’ which is the chief architectural characteristic, giving value to these houses in a work of this kind.”
Read more at the White Pine Monograph Library.
