Huntington History

Huntington Station is home to two Teich Houses.  The better known is the house where Dr. Samuel Teich had lived and had his medical office for over 50 years.  The other is a smaller home nearby on Academy Place which is where Dr. Teich lived when he was growing up, and which is now the first historic landmark property in the vicinity of the Huntington train station..  The house on Academy Place is owned by the Town of Huntington and will be available to be used by community groups and also has exhibits about the Teich family, Huntington Station, and the Station’s African American history.  The Town Board designated the house a historic landmark on April 10, 2018.  This is the story of that house.

On July 15, 1899, Allison E. Lowndes filed a subdivision map for property on the west side of New York Avenue in what was then known as Fairgrounds, now Huntington Station. The subdivision, which stretched from the intersection of New York Avenue and Lowndes Avenue south to Railroad Street, was one of the first residential subdivisions in the fast growing area. Over the next 15 years, much of the land around the train station as far west as Oakwood Road and as far east as Lenox Road (south of the tracks) and Kelsey Avenue (north of the tracks) would be subdivided.

The Teich House on Academy Place

Even before the subdivision had been filed with the County, Janet F.L. Drake had contracted to buy lots in the development, which was referred to as Lowndesborough[1] (although the name does not appear on the subdivision map and does not appear to have stuck). Mrs. Drake began construction of three cottages immediately.[2] Two cottages, including the subject house, were on the north side of Academy Place (then known as Hillside Avenue); the third was across the street.

By August at least one of the new cottages was available for rent.[3] Mrs. Drake, who owned several parcels of land in Huntington, seems to have been an active real estate investor and developer. However, by 1916, she suffered a reversal of fortune. At least three properties she owned were sold at foreclosure, including the property on Academy Place.[4] The two houses on the north side of Academy Place were purchased at auction by Roswell S. Baylis,[5] who in turn sold the lots to John I. Colyer two years later.[6] And two years after that, in 1921, Mr. Colyer sold the two houses to Rosie Teich, wife of Max Teich.[7]

Max Teich, who had worked in the grocery business, operated Hillside Dairy from the property, which included a cow barn in the rear yard. The Teich family had been instrumental in forming the Huntington Hebrew Congregation and were active members of the Huntington Jewish community.

Mrs. and Mrs. Teich raised two children in the house—their son Samuel and daughter Fay.   After Samuel Teich graduated from Huntington High School in 1924, he attended Cornell University and then the Long Island College of Medicine. He purchased the Murray House at 1090 New York Avenue and set up his medical office there in 1935. During his 50 years of practice, Dr. Teich became a well-loved member of the community, delivering thousands of babies and also caring for other residents.

Dr. Teich’s sister Fay Merksamer remained the house on Academy Place after her mother died in 1961.[8] Her son Jay lived in the house until it was purchased by the Town in 2012 as an extension of Gateway Park.

For the most part, the house retains its original appearance. The front porch has been enclosed and the kitchen enlarged, but otherwise the massing and appearance are intact.

The house was designated a s a historic landmark because it represents the early suburban development of Huntington Station. In fact, it was one of the first suburban houses built in that area. . It is a good example of turn of the twentieth century vernacular architecture. Furthermore, it is closely identified with the Teich family, who were active members of Huntington’s early Jewish community. Dr. Teich continues to be a well-known figure in Huntington Station’s twentieth century history.

[1] The Long-Islander, May 6, 1899, page 2

[2] Brooklyn Daily Eagle, May 19, 1899, page 14

[3] The Long-Islander, August 26, 1899, page 1.

[4] The Long-Islander, March 10, 1916 and November 3, 1916

[5] The Long-Islander, January 26, 1917, page 4

[6] The Long-Islander, August 29, 1919, Page 5

[7] The Long-Islander, December 9, 1921, page 9

[8] The Long-Islander, January 26, 1961.