Crestwood House
The oldest house on Nassau Point sits on top of a hill at 3615 Vanston Rd. There is a sign hanging on the garage that says “Crestwood 1861” but it was probably built c. 1863. An original of the sign on the garage, without the date, hangs in the kitchen. There is no doubt it is the oldest house still standing, predating the Duffy house at the top of the hill on Wunneweta , a former camp for children, built in 1865. The Brady house on Carrington was built on the site at the same time and moved 100 years later.
The house is currently owned by Kate Thomas who lives there with her two children, Gwyn and Caleb, two goats, a few cats, a lizard and several hermit crab.
Crestwood was built by John Carrington who, along with Edward Burr, were partners in the early development of Nassau Point. Carrington built the home on a plot of that is among the highest pieces of land on the point, perhaps even one of the highest points on Long Island. Some old maps show Carrington’s original personal property to include the land North and South of the present plot and about half of the property around the corner on Carrington Rd. Today, the plot is 1.2 acres.
After Carrington, the house passed through several owners until the 1930’s when Adele Posner turned it into a summer boarding house. It flourished through the 30’s and even through the war years until it closed in the 1960’s.
Although the Southold Historical Commission notes that the siding on the house is the original board and batten, the present owner says that some recent renovation and repairs revealed extensive brickwork underneath. This is somewhat supported by the fact that the basement is fully bricked, wall and floor. The previous owner indicated that the bricks came from Robins Island.
The fireplace in the parlor is supported by an arched brick foundation in the basement. The fireplace in the parlor was refaced and a new mantle was added in the 30’s.
The interior has gone through several changes but is essentially the same. One of the former owners left stenciling in several rooms on the second and third floor. Posner divided the second floor rooms into smaller rooms to accommodate more guests and were not part of the original design. There were room numbers on each door on the second floor, but they have been removed.
The third floor has stairs leading to two rooms which may have been a storage attic, but more likely were built as servant’s quarters and were used by Mrs. Posner’s help with the boarding house.
The present owner has had all the windows restored, preferring not to change the look and the more current style of insulated windows. The wide two on two arrangement has been retained.
A second fireplace in the former music room, now a library, has been covered over. The brick support for this fireplace can also be seen in the basement. The music room doubled as a bedroom for Adele Posner in the boarding house days.
The present main, or most used, entry to the house is through a side door, by the garage, that leads to the kitchen.
The real main entrance is on the opposite side of the house and opens to a large center hall with a set of stairs that the Commission says was added 1938 when Posner took over ownership. Kate is not sure about that. The “new” stairs angle twice to the second floor. Beneath the stairs is a modern half bath. A Grateful Dead poster in the bath covers an opening in the wall that reveals the original, small stairway leading to the upper floors.
The stairs also ran to the basement. The lower stairs have been covered over as well. There is a more traditional set of stairs that leads to the basement.
It appears that one of the outer buildings has been connected to the present building, and was a small cottage used by guests in addition to the upstairs rooms. Another small outbuilding, built at the same time as the original house , was moved down the hill to a site on Carrington Rd. and is currently owned by the Brady family. This building was formerly a carriage house and may have been moved in 1938.
What is now a glassed in greenhouse type room was formerly an open porch.
There is some anecdotal evidence that Albert Einstein, who spent the summers of 1937- 39 in a house on West Cove Road, may have been a visitor to Crestwood during his stay.
In 1872, John Carrington sold the property and all of Nassau Point, except for the Carpenter house (now the Duffy home)) to James Wilson for $7000.
In 1918, the propery was acquired by Walter Johnson, as president of Nassau Point Properties.
In January, 1920, Alfred Seaver of 11 E. 19th St. Brooklyn bought the house from Nassau Point Properties. (Liber 1016, page 122 in the county records).
Seaver immediately turned it around to Property Holders Realty in March, 1920 (Liber 1019, page 398)
In 1932, Manning Field of 98 Remsen St. in Brooklyn became the owner. (Liber 1077, page 527).
In 1938, Adele Posner bought the property and turned it into a summer boarding house. Posner sold to Charles Smith in the late 60’s.
Kate Thomas became the owner in 1993.