Tuesday, April 29, 2025
Merrick Road, circa 1916: a vision of elm-lined beauty and stately homes. Sound interesting? We’ll get back to that in a moment. But first, don’t miss the exciting updates on Philips House Museum at the end of this column. Now, let’s explore the remarkable homes and individuals who played a pivotal role in Rockville Centre’s early growth.
Built circa 1908, 160 Morris Avenue remains one of the grand homes along the street. Occupied by the Boggs family for over 65 years, it was a true center of the community. Robert and Jane Boggs met at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn in the 1890s, he from Bermuda and she from Iowa. After marrying and having three children in Brooklyn, they came to Rockville Centre in 1912 to raise their family in a more rural setting.
Robert Boggs worked for the New York Telephone Company for almost 40 years, and retired as a vice president in 1939. He was an avid tennis player, and held many fundraising tournaments with celebrity tennis stars Bill Tilden and Molla Mallory on the courts on his property in the 1920s, mostly to support the Red Cross and South Nassau Hospital, of which he was a founding board member.
After World War I, Boggs organized the RVC Allies, an organization for young men in the community to gather on Sundays for Bible study and sports. In 1924, when the South Side boys’ basketball team made it to the state championships, 160 Morris played an important part, as Boggs had a direct telephone line to the house to provide play-by-play for the dozens of students packed inside.
Jane Boggs remained in the home until her death at age 97, in 1977. The property was sold again in 2019 and subdivided. One-sixty-four Morris now stands on the portion of the property where the tennis courts once were.
Around 1916, when Merrick Road was lined with elm trees and some of the finest homes in town, No. 339 was built on what was previously a poultry farm on a large piece of land extending north, almost to Observer Street (Sunrise Highway). The estate was built by German immigrants Otto and Reyna Sichel. Otto, born in 1872, owned an importing business, and the house he built was valued at $50,000 in 1930 (almost $950,000 today).
Their daughter, Gladys, got married in 1926 on the grounds of the home, to another prominent RVC resident, Sallo Kahn, from Lincoln Avenue. Their nuptials were a major event, not only making the society news pages, but also attracting a film crew and a number of overseas guests. The new couple’s wedding gift was a new house at the corner of Arlington and Davison Avenues.
By the late 1930s, as the road became busier and more commercial, the fine home was sold and converted into a funeral home, and then Winona Fisher’s restaurant, an extremely popular place for “home cooking.” Winona was the daughter of the famous painter Grandma Moses. No. 339 remained a restaurant for over 60 years, and was the Hamlet Inn, the Lawrence Inn, Longhorn Steakhouse and, lastly, Scotty’s, until it closed in the mid-1990s. The building was demolished, and replaced by a modern bank that, similarly, has gone through many name changes since 1996 — from Long Island Savings Bank to Astoria Federal and now Webster Bank.
The Historical Society and Philips House Museum are gearing up for a vibrant spring season. Recently, Iyna Bort Caruso captivated us with insightful tips on transforming memories into memoirs. The lively Q&A session confirmed everyone’s enthusiasm.
Looking ahead, we’re partnering with the Oceanside Library for a special event on April 24, at 7 p.m., at the library’s stunning new building. And in June, mark your calendars for two highly anticipated events: Appraisal Day, featuring Phil Weiss, from “Antiques Roadshow,” and our second annual Night at the Museum cocktail party fundraiser.
The dates of these events will be announced soon. Visit www.rvchs.org for complete event information.
Jim Belling is a member of the board of trustees of the Phillips House Museum and the Rockville Centre Historical Society.
