If you’re looking for a plug and play high-tech home, then look the other way when at this address on Main Road. But, if authentic charm and intact historic architectural details are to your liking, then this “seek and ye shall find” home may be just for you.
“I very rarely see a house this well preserved and maintained,” says Janet Markarian, the listing agent at Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty who is representing the property. For that reason, and the manner in which it’s been upkept, the home is on the Southold town register of historic landmarks, originally known as the Deacon William Tuthill House.
Built in 1820, this Victorian farmhouse offers the flexibility to maintain two separate units or use the home in its entirety via a connecting door, as the current owners do.
“It was built as a two-family home and used consistently that way for generations,” Markarian says, adding throughout, “All of the owners have preserved the original moldings and details.”
(Photo courtesy of Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty) 
(Photo courtesy of Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty) 
(Photo courtesy of Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty) 
(Photo courtesy of Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty) 
(Photo courtesy of Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty) 
(Photo courtesy of Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty)
In its entirety, the house is 2,885 square feet, with five bedrooms and two and a half baths. Each unit — east and west — has its own entry and front porch, kitchen, living room and dining room. The western unit has a full bathroom on the first level, and three bedrooms upstairs: the eastern unit has 1.5 bathrooms — the full bath is on the second floor with the two bedrooms.
Throughout the house are original details — from the wide-plank hardwood floors, bead board paneling, tin walls and ceilings, even the kitchen farmhouse sinks.
The first-floor layouts on both units are similar in that each is entered through a covered porch into a hallway leading into the living room, with progressions through the dining room into the kitchens at the back of each side of the house. Each kitchen offers access to a back porch; the west unit porch is open and the east porch is 100-square-foot and screened.
“The kitchens are very original,” Markarian says, noting that while the appliances have been updated, the rest has remained true to its country character. The red-themed kitchen in the east unit is about 167 square feet and features the original bead board, including the ceiling; glass-paned upper cabinets and the original pull drawers in the lower cabinets. The 100-square-foot screened porch is accessed from here. All the hardware is original, even the white porcelain door knobs. With a gray color palate, the western house kitchen is 198 square feet, similarly appointed with cabinets and wood panel, but here the original flooring is exposed and the ceiling is higher, with a transom at the back wall.
The dining room in the eastern house is currently used as a studio by the owner, and measures 156 square feet. The living room is 230 square feet. As with all the rooms, except the kitchen, the floors are the original hardwood. The numerous fireplaces have been taken out of commission, but the handsome mantles remain. The western house dining room is 241 square feet and the living room is 209 square feet with an adjacent bonus room of 57 square feet featuring tin walls and ceiling.
Sited on .65 acre, the house affronts Main Road and has a deep back yard, populated with established gardens of perennials, flowering bushes, fruit trees, herbs and medicinal plants. At the back of the property is a two-story mini-barn that over the years has been used as a carpenter’s shop, a guest house, a studio and at one time, Markarian guesses, stored farm equipment. It is windowed on both levels, offering numerous opportunities for adapting into another use. The upper floor is loft-style with exposed beams and ample light. The left bay of the structure has a concrete slab base, for potential conversion to a one-car garage.
Markarian calls East Marion a “typical North Fork small town with a post office and a little country store.” The Hampton Jitney stops here and ferry travel is offered at Orient Point, six miles away. Nearby beaches include Truman’s, Orient and Long Beach, the latter two on either side of Orient Beach State Park. Though a dedicated nature habitat, the Long Beach Bay Tidal Wetlands Area offers a year-round 1.2-mile walking trail from Brown’s Point. The town of Greenport with shopping, dining options and marinas is just 2.6 miles away, and the gateway to North Fork wine country begins here.
The historic two-family home at 9000 Main Road is offered at $1,200,000 and the details can be seen here.
