Historic Harbor Knoll Bed & Breakfast Still Glimmering in Greenport

Leueen Miller has owned her quaint-but-modern Harbor Knoll Bed & Breakfast property for 50 years this summer, and it’s not just the picturesque boutique feel but everything from its historic charm to classic amenities and personable experience that keeps guests coming, even as other properties like it fade on the North Fork.

“I like what I’m doing, and I love meeting interesting people from all over the world,” Miller said. “It’s a beautiful location, and it’s really a unique property — everybody is always blown away by the vista, and the house itself, because it’s been well-maintained for well over a century. We haven’t changed it.”

Harbor Knoll is one of Greenport’s most historic homes, with its private beach and dock, that sits on a gentle hill overlooking Shelter Island. The house was built in the late 1870s for a family from Georgia, who summered on the north shore to escape the southern heat.

It was passed down until it was purchased by May Custer, a grandniece of General George Armstrong Custer, and her husband, Charles Wesley Elmer, in 1954. Southold’s Custer Institute, Long Island’s oldest public observatory, was established by Elmer, an amateur astronomer and co-founder of the Perkin-Elmer Optical Company, in 1927.

Five year later, after winterizing the home, Elmer died, and the land was bought by real estate agent and former mayor of Greenport Ralph Quinton, who subdivided the 2-acre mini estate. (He found a uniform of General Custer’s on the third floor.) Leueen Miller and her late husband, Gordon, who previously owned a summer house in Cutchogue, fell in love with the home’s location, its Dutch colonial style and notable allure, and bought the property in 1973.

“We were looking for a larger house for us and our three children, and one on the water — ideally, with a beach — that was in close proximity to a village and transport to the city,” Miller said. “The style is unusual for this area, because most of it is of English influence, in terms of architecture.”

The 10-bedroom home still boasts the gracious living of that time, as suggested by the elegant flow of rooms, along with a large solarium with wainscoting ceiling and lengthy enclosed porch that offers views of Greenport Harbor and a dock ideal for fishing and stargazing.

The over-an-acre lawn is dotted with Adirondack chairs and hammocks that rest under over-100-year-old shade trees. Alongside the house are English flower and herb gardens that provide the perfect touch of beauty and tranquility to the seaside experience, which is lined with sunbathing loungers.

The Millers did not change the structure but added traditional décor to reflect their British and Irish heritage, along with Leueen Miller’s international travel and Gordon Miller’s intellectual interests in history.

When the family purchased the home, Miller was an Irish diplomat, retired from a 35-year career in international development at the United Nations, while her husband was a third-generation attorney who practiced law in Manhattan for over 40 years.

There are family heirlooms, like an old Irish wood cupboard and table of the wife’s great-grandparents, and pickled-walnut chairs dating from the 1740s that belonged to Gordon Miller’s family. Miller, who later in life sang with the Songbirds, an acappella group on the North Fork, was proud of his impressive library, focused mainly on Theodore Roosevelt, Winston Churchill — for whom his son was named — the world wars and the Gilded Age. The father of three reveled in taking his children on annual pilgrimages to Sagamore Hill, the home of the 26th president, and Gold Coast mansions.

The son, Winston, the youngest of three, was 1 year old when his parents bought their Greenport summer getaway. He said he has fond memories growing up in the home, where he spent nearly half the year, coming out from the city most weekends, in the warmer months and for holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. He would play in the oyster pond, swim at Brick Cove Marina, sail at the Shelter Island Yacht Club and frequently visited the old Greenport arcade. He also loved to bike around town and play basketball, one of his father’s favorite sports, along with track and field. Gordon Miller started the Flower Hill Games in 1958, an all-day athletic competition for family and friends at the Greenport High School track.

“We weren’t year-round residents, but felt like we were, or that we should be,” the son said. “We saw so much change over time — once Mitchell Park was built in the 1990s, you could see the change happen quickly — and there were benefits to a lot of the change. A lot of good things have come from it.”

With the construction of the park, its carousel and new restaurants came an influx of tourists, and in 2001, the family opted to turn their summer home into a three-room bed-and-breakfast.

“It’s nice to see it be discovered, but it was also nice to have it your best-kept secret,” Winston Miller said. “What’s great is, Greenport’s still got a sense of its history and the character of the town as this fishing village. And what we love about it most is the view you have is going to stay the view that you have, maybe forever, and that’s been true. People look for places that have stood the test of time and haven’t succumbed to the latest fads and trends.”

That’s part of Harbor Knoll’s draw. It now offers up four bedrooms and a small cottage for booking, with private, off-street parking. The cottage, which can fit up to four guests, features high ceilings, a fireplace, a convertible queen-size sofa, large LCD TV, and free Wi-Fi and air conditioning, and the kitchen is fully equipped with a washer/dryer.

Leueen Miller, who studied interior design, enjoyed reinforcing the nautical theme in the décor, especially since her favorite color is blue. Accents like blue wallpaper, paint, furniture and bedding can be found throughout the home. Each room also has a distinctive style, with names like the harbor room, the lighthouse room, the seashell room and the beach view room.

“The house is large enough that we, the family, have our own space and rooms without intruding on the guests,” Miller said. “We like to offer this as an alternative to hotels, because there are people who prefer a bed-and-breakfast or a small inn to more modern stays.”

Still, the innkeeper said she’s alarmed that eight North Fork bed-and-breakfasts and inns have dwindled to three. Miller believes a lot of owners struggled to compete with short-term rentals, Airbnbs and larger hotels. “You have to provide excellent service and amenities,” she said. “It’s so competitive now.”

That’s why she built a heated saltwater pool and advertises how visitors can swim off the beach. Those with boats can also drive in and dock up for the duration of their stay. Miller offers complimentary farm-to-table breakfast daily with coffee, teas and fresh fruit, along with hot meal item like eggs, pancakes and French toast, and puts out wine and light snacks such as cheese and crackers during happy hour while she converses with her guests.

“It gives them an opportunity to get to know each other,” Winston Miller said of the time together. “It’s a chance to learn about the home, and it’s also a good time for them to ask questions and get recommendations on where to go and what to do.”

Winston Miller said the hospitality and level of care adds to guests’ experience.

Because Leueen Miller is active in the community as a member of the North Fork Chamber of Commerce, Greenport Improvement District and Elegant BnBs of the North Fork, while also the former manager San Simeon by the Sound Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation, she can direct patrons to what vineyards, restaurants, museums, galleries and other events they may enjoy. The bed-and-breakfast can also connect patrons with car services, and offers special packages with bike and kayak or paddleboard rentals and an East End Seaport Museum lighthouse cruise.

“It’s a pretty unique place to come to — a little oasis — and B&Bs have a lot more character and history than your typical hotel does,” Winston Miller said. “It’s been nice to share a place you care about and have people see it for themselves and enjoy it, too. You get a lot of joy out of other people enjoying it.”