Apostle Houses
Encyclopedia
Apostle houses are unique to Garden City, New York
. There were originally ten. These homes were part of Alexander T. Stewart’s dream of a planned community
with wide avenues and hundreds of trees and shrubs. Most of the Apostle houses that still stand today are residences, except one which houses the Garden City Historical Society. All are listed on the National Register of Historic Places
as part of the A.T. Stewart Era Historic District.
The houses are designed with mansard roof
s and cupola
s. Typically there are sixteen rooms: six bedrooms, five baths and two half baths. Characteristically, there are twelve foot ceilings and beautiful moldings.
Three homes have been torn down and one home has burned down since the original construction in the 19th century. Out of ten original homes only six remain.
The sixth home, originally on located Cathedral Ave and Fifth St, burned down.
The seventh home, originally on located Cathedral Ave and Fifth St was moved twice and is now located on Eleventh Street. Originally, the house was owned by the Episcopal Cathedral of the Incarnation, Garden City
, and used as the grammar school for the Cathedral School of St Mary's. It was known as "Little St. Mary's. The Cathedral of the Incarnation went bankrupt and closed both St Mary's School and St Paul's School. This house was given to the Historical Society and moved to its current location on Eleventh Street.
The tenth Apostle house, located at 15 Rockaway Avenue and Second Street, had many renovations and additions which include: central air, remodeled kitchen and basement.
s on top like the Apostles. They were also smaller in size with 5 bedrooms, 2 baths and 10.5 ft ceilings.
Garden City, New York
Garden City is a village in the town of Hempstead in central Nassau County, New York, in the United States. It was founded by multi-millionaire Alexander Turney Stewart in 1869, and is located on Long Island, to the east of New York City, from mid-town Manhattan, and just south of the town of...
. There were originally ten. These homes were part of Alexander T. Stewart’s dream of a planned community
Planned community
A planned community, or planned city, is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are less frequent in planned communities since...
with wide avenues and hundreds of trees and shrubs. Most of the Apostle houses that still stand today are residences, except one which houses the Garden City Historical Society. All are listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as part of the A.T. Stewart Era Historic District.
The houses are designed with mansard roof
Mansard roof
A mansard or mansard roof is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterized by two slopes on each of its sides with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper that is punctured by dormer windows. The roof creates an additional floor of habitable space, such as a garret...
s and cupola
Cupola
In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
s. Typically there are sixteen rooms: six bedrooms, five baths and two half baths. Characteristically, there are twelve foot ceilings and beautiful moldings.
Three homes have been torn down and one home has burned down since the original construction in the 19th century. Out of ten original homes only six remain.
Original locations
- Hilton Ave. and Stewart Ave.
- Hilton Ave. and Seventh St.
- Hilton Ave. and Fifth St.
- Hilton Ave. and Fifth St.
- Cathedral Ave. and Fourth St.
- Cathedral Ave. and Fifth St.
- Cathedral Ave. and Fifth St.
- Rockaway Ave. and Fourth St.
- Rockaway Ave. and Third St.
- Rockaway Ave. and Second St.
Current locations and changes
Three of the four houses built on Hilton Ave have been torn down. The fourth Hilton Ave house, located on 40 Hilton Ave, had a kitchen extension in the 1920s.The sixth home, originally on located Cathedral Ave and Fifth St, burned down.
The seventh home, originally on located Cathedral Ave and Fifth St was moved twice and is now located on Eleventh Street. Originally, the house was owned by the Episcopal Cathedral of the Incarnation, Garden City
Cathedral of the Incarnation, Garden City
The Cathedral of the Incarnation is an Episcopal church in Garden City, New York, and the cathedral church of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island. The Cathedral was established in 1876 as a memorial to and mausoleum for Garden City founder, Alexander Turney Stewart...
, and used as the grammar school for the Cathedral School of St Mary's. It was known as "Little St. Mary's. The Cathedral of the Incarnation went bankrupt and closed both St Mary's School and St Paul's School. This house was given to the Historical Society and moved to its current location on Eleventh Street.
The tenth Apostle house, located at 15 Rockaway Avenue and Second Street, had many renovations and additions which include: central air, remodeled kitchen and basement.
Disciples
Also, in Garden City, New York there are 6 disciple houses. Disciple houses also have the mansard roofs but no widow's walkWidow's walk
A widow's walk also known as a "widow's watch" is a railed rooftop platform often with a small enclosed cupola frequently found on 19th century North American houses. A popular romantic myth holds that the platform was used to observe vessels at sea...
s on top like the Apostles. They were also smaller in size with 5 bedrooms, 2 baths and 10.5 ft ceilings.