Exterior of the Nugent Carriage House c. 2019

Photo by Jeff Heatley

Dr. John Nugent who owned this property from September 1889 until November 1899, built this Carriage House sometime around 1891. It was built to replace an older barn that was on the property. Where it stands today is about 95 ft east and 10 ft north of its original location. This move occurred in 1926 when Sam Parrish, the final private owner of the property, move the main house and other accessory structures east to make room for the new buildings on Main Street he commissioned.

Post card c. 1920 showing the Carriage House with a brown/orange roof along with a tower element that is no longer extant

The Nugent Carriage House as we call it today, is built in the Queen Anne style and is two stories tall. After its original construction there have been three additions made, two of which remain today. The single dormer on the south west corner of the roof is thought to have been added by Sam Parrish when he owned the property and the single story rear lean-to was added in 1968. The addition that was removed was another lean-to added to the west side of the structure made as an exhibit space for carriages in the mid-1950s. When the Southampton Colonial Society took over the property the building was most likely painted red which would not have been its original color.

The Nugent Carriage House c. 2015 while still painted red

The interior of the Carriage House today serves two main purposes. The first floor of the Carriage House serves as a Thrift Shop which is open to the public during the summer season. Check our calendar page for open dates! The rear lean-to and the second floor are currently used as storage space for collection items. In the past the eastern part of the first floor would have been used as a stable to house horses while the carriage stayed in the western part of the first floor. The second floor during Nugent’s time owning the property would have been mostly used to store hay to feed the horses. There is still a trap door in the floor of the second story allowing for the easy pass through of hay to the stable area. Later during Parrish’s ownership, two rooms were created on the second floor to provide housing for staff associated with managing the carriage and horses.

Interior of the Carriage House while open as a thirft store c. 2019

Thanks to funding from both New York State and the Village of Southampton a restoration project began to repair the exterior of the Carriage House which had seen better days. The entire roof was replaced along with all the siding and windows. The structure was also painted white to match the Rogers Mansion like it would have in the early 1900’s. Restoration efforts took place starting in 2016 and were completed by the summer of 2019.

View of the Eastern Side of the Carriage house c. 2019

Photo by Jeff Heatley

For more indepth info on the building you can check out our

Historic Structure Report from 2016.