Leake and Watt's Children's Home
Encyclopedia
The Leake and Watts Children's Home is an orphanage in New York City
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. His estate had personal property valued at about $300,000 and real estate worth an additional $86,000. In his legal papers was an unsigned and undated draft of a will in his handwriting. He left money in that will to create a home for orphaned children, and assigned his friend, John Watts, to administer the home. John Watts is sometimes referred to as John's "brother-in-law." The Public Administrator of New York took charge of the estate, ruling that Leake had died intestate. After a court decision the cash was released to the orphanage but his real estate was kept by New York State.
The 1843 building was designed by Ithiel Town
and constructed by Samuel Thomson in the Greek revival style. As the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine neared completion, the orphanage was to be torn down. Instead, a renovation of the orphanage was completed in 2006.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
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History
John George Leake (1752–1827) was a New York lawyer who had no children or siblings. He died on June 2, 1827 at his home on Park Row in ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. His estate had personal property valued at about $300,000 and real estate worth an additional $86,000. In his legal papers was an unsigned and undated draft of a will in his handwriting. He left money in that will to create a home for orphaned children, and assigned his friend, John Watts, to administer the home. John Watts is sometimes referred to as John's "brother-in-law." The Public Administrator of New York took charge of the estate, ruling that Leake had died intestate. After a court decision the cash was released to the orphanage but his real estate was kept by New York State.
The 1843 building was designed by Ithiel Town
Ithiel Town
Ithiel Town was a prominent American architect and civil engineer. One of the first generation of professional architects in the United States, Town made significant contributions to American architecture in the first half of the 19th century. He was high-strung, sophisticated, generous,...
and constructed by Samuel Thomson in the Greek revival style. As the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine neared completion, the orphanage was to be torn down. Instead, a renovation of the orphanage was completed in 2006.