When Stephen and Marinda Smith acquired this property in 1850, the eastern side of Hempstead Harbor was relatively undeveloped. By 1859, the Walling Map identifies two houses, close together, as belonging to "S. Smith" and "Capt. Smith," both within close proximity to this lot. Stephen Smith was undoubtedly one of these two men and architectural evidence, such as the 1863 patent stamp on the window locks, provides clear evidence of a mid-19th century construction date. The identity of the builder, Stephen Smith, remains something of a mystery, although records indicate a Capt. Stephen Smith "sailed every Monday from the grist mill in Roslyn, sometimes going as far as Albany to get lumber for William Hicks' lumber yard."

The handsome two-and-a-half story, frame dwelling contains decorative elements common in houses built during this period, including the scrollwork brackets located along the eaves, the rounded-arched attic windows, and the etched glass panes in the front doors. In 1911, Nora Godwin, the granddaughter of William Cullen Bryant and a subsequent owner this property, enlarged and remodeled the house. She constructed the first floor porch on the north side of the house, raised the rear ell to two-and-a-half stories, placed a dormer on the west plane of the roof, and the widened the front porch.

The interior plan of the first floor features a central hall opening onto front and back parlors, a dining room and a kitchen. Of particular note are the cove ceilings in the hallway and the front parlor as well as the plaster arches separating the parlors and a similar arch found in the dining room. While the newel post and the balusters of the staircase appear to be original, the hardwood stripe floors in the hall and first floor rooms were added much later. The fireplace mantels in the dining room and the upstairs bedrooms, however, are original and feature Gothic detailing, reflecting the popularity of that style in mid-19th century America.

Stephen and Marinda Smith conveyed the property to Charles Smith in 1868. This Charles Smith may have been the captain of the sloop Ruth T. Hicks or he may very well have been Captain Charles P. Smith, the pilot of the ill-fated steamboat Seawanhaka, which burned in 1880 on her way to Glen Cove with 300 passengers on board. The exact identity of Charles Smith has not yet been determined but it is known that a number of ships' captains did live on the eastside of the harbor. After 1884, the property changed hands no fewer than five times until Nora Godwin purchased the property in 1892. Upon her death in 1914, the property again changed hands fairly regularly until Theodore and Shirley Reyling purchased the house in 1954.