Carrington House

In the green belt between Cherry Grove and Fire Island Pines stands one of the island's oldest surviving beach houses — and the only residential property in the entire National Park system recognized for its LGBTQ associations. Built around 1912, the house found its purpose when theater director Frank Carrington — co-founder of New Jersey's Paper Mill Playhouse — bought it in 1927. Over the following decades Carrington expanded it (the 1947 guesthouse was assembled from salvaged lifesaving-station buildings) and made it a retreat for a circle of gay artists at a time when such a refuge barely existed anywhere in America. Truman Capote worked on Breakfast at Tiffany's here; New York City Ballet co-founder Lincoln Kirstein was among the guests. Carrington was also an early creative force behind Cherry Grove's community theater, knitting the house into the island's artistic life. Carrington deeded the property to the federal government in 1969, retaining lifetime tenancy until his death in 1975, and it now belongs to Fire Island National Seashore. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in January 2014, and the National Park Service completed an interior restoration in 2022, with the nonprofit Friends of Carrington hosting occasional art shows and cultural events on site. Visiting: the house is not regularly open — catch it from the boardwalk between the Grove and the Pines (the walk itself, through the famous Meat Rack greenbelt, is part of Fire Island lore), or time a visit to a Friends of Carrington event. Combine with the Cherry Grove Community House and Theatre for a full island heritage day.