Building-Structure Inventory Form

Historical Sites

Building Inventory Form

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Unless indicated below, this is a transcript of the original Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities/Town of Brookhaven survey form. Since most of the surveys were conducted in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, much of the information reflects that time period.

Corrections to obvious typographical and spelling errors have been made. Corrections to factual errors in the original surveys, and updates or comments on the information are either enclosed in [square brackets], or are clearly indicated as updated material from the context of the comments.

Sites which have a suffix of “S” are supplemental sites not included in the original surveys.

Building-Structure Inventory Form

Nelson house [Albin Store]

If checked, this is a Supplemental Form, not in the original surveys.

Inventory Code: Br18

Prepared Date: 08-16-1982

Last Modified: 01-01-1970

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Photo

People

Submitter

Submitter Name:

Town of Brookhaven/SPLIA

Submitter Address:

Town Hall
205 S. Ocean Ave.
Patchogue, NY 11772
631-634-7806

Organization:Brookhaven Community Development Agency

Identification

1-Building/Site Name:Nelson house [Albin Store]

2a-County:Suffolk

2b-Town:Brookhaven

2c-Village:Hamlet of Brookhaven

If checked, this site is within the Fire Place (Brookhaven Hamlet) Historic District

Ownership

4a-Public Site

4b-Private Site

5a-Owner (at original survey date):Alfred Nelson

5b-Address:340 Beaver Dam Rd., Brookhaven

Use

6a-Original:store/residence

6b-Present:residence

Accessibility

7a-Visible From Road

7b-Interior Accessible

7b-Interior Comment: by appointment

Building Materials

8a-Clapboard

8b-Stone

8c-Brick

8d-Board & Batten

8e-Cobblestone

8f-Shingles

8g-Stucco

8-Other: asphalt shingles

Structural System

9a-Wood Frame Interlocking Joints

9b-Wood Frame Light Members

9c-Masonry

9d-Metal

9d-Metal Comment:

9e-Other

9e-Other Comment:

Condition

10a-Excellent

10b-Good

10c-Fair

10d-Deteriorated

Integrity

11a-Original Site

11b-Moved

If so, when?:

11c-Alterations: Front porch enclosed.
During the Winter of 2004-2005, the Nelson's restored the exterior of the house to the original clapboard (removing cement-asbestos shingles which covered the old board), and renovated much of the interior, including replacing the old south-facing kitchen with a new kitchen structure on the old footprint.

Photo & Map

12-Photo:

13-Map:

Threats

14a-None Known

14b-Zoning

14c-Roads

14d-Developers

14e-Deterioration

14f-Other:

14-Comment:

Related Outbuildings and Property

15a-Barn

15b-Carriage House

15c-Garage

15d-Privy

15e-Shed

15f-Greenhouse

15g-Shop

15h-Gardens

15i-Landscape Features

15i-Landscape Features:

15j-Other:

15-Comment:

Surroundings of the Building

16a-Open Land

16b-Woodland

16c-Scattered Bldgs

16d-Densely Built-up

16e-Commercial

16f-Industrial

16g-Residential

16h-Other:

Interrelationship of Building and Surroundings

17-Interrelationships: This house is located on Beaver Dam Road, which was first opened in 1735

Other Notable Features of Building and Site

18-Notable Features: The house was owned by R. [Skip] Albin in1873. In 1915, C. Newey owned it and ran a store in it.

Significance

19-Initial Const Date: before 1873 after 1858

19-Architect:

19-Builder:

Historic and Architectural Importance

20-Importance: 2 2/2 story, 2 bay, gable roof house with gable end to street and 2 1/2 story, 3 bay wing on east. Four sawn brackets under eaves on wing section. 6/6 windows. Brick foundation. First floor front façade obscured by enclosed porch.

In 1873, this was Albin's grocery store and residence. In 1915, the Newey's ran a store here. It was known as the "Downstreet Store" and also carried some fishing and boating supplies.

[The last person to operate a store there was Julien Rose, date uncertain.]

Sources

21-Sources: "Atlas of Long Island, N.Y.," by F. W. Beers, New York: Beers, Comstock & Cline, 1873, inset, pl. 171. Interview: Alfred Nelson, present owner.

Patchogue Advance, 12 Feb 1937, p. 7: "The one-story building on Beaver Dam road at the head of Meadow lane which has been occupied as a store for many years, is being remodeled into a dwelling. The owner, Mrs. Sherman Hawkins of Southampton, is having Samuel Bumstead do the carpentry work. The last person to operate a store there was Julien Rose."

Theme

22-Theme: residential/commercial

Prepared By

Ellen Williams, research assistant

Supplemental Material

Excerpt from Email, Lucia Nelson, 17 Jun 2004: My parents, Alice and Alfred Nelson, bought the house in 1944 for: $7,500. (!) I regret to say that I have yet to search the records for previous owners and so forth. My mother told of taking my brother Norm down to the Albin Store in the summer of 1936 - this to buy an ice cream cone. She and my father were staying with his parents, Norman and Matilda in the house now belonging to the dentist, Dr. Andors. I do know some bits and pieces about the history of the store and others he appears to have run. The original house was just a 'box'. Over time additions were added - to the west is a bedroom and bath and on the east 2 bedrooms and a bath. You can see the old roof in the attic. At some point the kitchen was moved from Camp Upton and attached to the house. Said kitchen always had a sloping floor, it was kind of a joke. The wooden counter top in the kitchen came from the store. The enclosed porch was there in 1944. The telepone was, for some reason, on that porch. That was when our Tel # was '206'. My mother could pick up the phone and ask for Jane Corrigan O'Rourke who lived across the street or Betty Puleston who lived on Meadow Lane. By the by we still have that number sixty years later.