Carrington House, Historic bungalow in Cherry Grove, Brookhaven, US.
The Carrington House is a rectangular, three-bay bungalow in Cherry Grove, built around 1912 for Frederick Marquet. Theater director Frank Carrington added two wood-frame extensions around 1940 and reportedly attached two outbuildings from a nearby Lifesaving Station in the 1940s. It is probably the oldest surviving building in Cherry Grove.
Built around 1912 by Frederick Marquet, the house ranks among the first vacation residences constructed on Fire Island's barrier landscape. It emerged during the early development period when the island began attracting creative individuals seeking refuge.
Frank Carrington, who bought the cottage in 1927, rented it to friends from Cherry Grove's arts community. Truman Capote developed the novella that became Breakfast at Tiffany's there in 1957. Guests also included Lincoln Kirstein, Bill Blass, Henry Fonda, Gertrude Lawrence and Katharine Hepburn.
The house stands in Cherry Grove, not Fire Island Pines, and is reached by pedestrian boardwalks and sand lanes; no private vehicles are allowed in the hamlet. It is a private residence, so visitors can view the exterior from the walkway but cannot enter. The National Park Service ranger station in Cherry Grove can provide orientation.
The house is probably the oldest surviving building in Cherry Grove. Frank Carrington sold it to the US government for Fire Island National Seashore on condition he could live there for life; he died on July 3, 1975, and ranger Bob Freda then lived there for twenty years. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 8, 2014.
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