Chichester's Inn
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Chichester's Inn | |
 Front (south) elevation and west profile, 2008 | |
   | |
| Location | 97 Chichester Road, West Hills, New York |
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| Coordinates | 40°49′11″N 73°25′31″W / 40.81972°N 73.42528°W |
| Area | 2.3 acres (0.93 ha) |
| Built | 1680 |
| Architect | Chichester Family |
| MPS | Huntington Town MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 85002508[1] |
| Added to NRHP | September 26, 1985 |
Chichester's Inn is located along Chichester Road in a wooded section of West Hills, New York, United States. It is a rare surviving example of a 17th-century inn on Long Island, mostly unchanged from its original form, although it is now used as a house. Walt Whitman, who grew up in the area, and Theodore Roosevelt were among its past patrons. In 1985 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The main house is a 1+1⁄2-story, 11-bay clapboard structure of varied fenestration and form, reflecting considerable work and expansion in the first century of its existence. There are three entrances in the main facade, two with 19th-century panelled doors and the other with a vertical plank door and strap hinges. The main entrance has a shed-roofed porch. Large chimneys rise from the roof and two one-story wings project from the rear of the house. A small porch has also been built at the east end of the house, screened from sight by surrounding vegetation.[2]
Much original interior detail, including hardware, moldings and panelling. A unique 17th-century removable wall, complete with hinges, still exists, as does the old taproom and winding box stairs.[2]
The 2.3-acre (920 m2) lot on which the inn was built includes one contributing property. A springhouse, built in the 19th century and featuring a rubblestone foundation, clapboard siding, gabled roof and vertical plank door, is located behind the house.[2]
