5 Spring Garden Avenue

Steeped in history and timeless architectural charm, this rare circa-1872 Gothic Revival cottage is located within the historic district of Shelter Island Heights, listed on both the National and New York State Registers of Historic Places. Beautifully preserved and largely unchanged since its original design, the home is a remarkable example of the picturesque residential style created by America’s earliest landscape architects.
Originally described as a “2.5-story Gothic Revival cottage with hipped roof, segmental arch window heads and two-tier veranda,” the residence retains an extraordinary collection of original details rarely found today. Highlights include 39 original working double-hung windows complete with storms and screens, four original attic “cross-breeze” windows designed to naturally cool the home, original solid oak interior and exterior doors, spacious 10-foot ceilings, and plaster walls throughout the main house.
Three spacious front bedrooms — including the primary — open directly onto a covered second-story wraparound sleeping porch, capturing the breezes and relaxed elegance of Shelter Island summers. Cottage-style clapboard accents in the kitchen and rear bedroom add warmth and authenticity to the historic interiors.
Thoughtful infrastructure improvements complement the home’s historic integrity, including a new roof (2006), a newly excavated full-footprint extra-deep basement with radiant heat slab (2008), and a complete rebuild of the secondary upstairs bath (2010).
The property may also qualify for the New York State Historic Homeownership Rehabilitation Credit Program, offering a potential tax credit on qualified rehabilitation expenditures.
A truly special opportunity to own an architecturally significant home in one of New York’s most cherished historic communities.