Originally a summer resort town in the late 1800s, Sea Cliff’s grounds were filled with Victorian and Gothic style houses. Many of those houses have have been preserved, and hold their own history as residents continue to live in them today.
Affluent people in the late 1800s, largely from Brooklyn, often spent their summers in Sea Cliff where they owned homes. Village Museum Director Courtney Chambers said that in addition to religious practice, primarily Methodist, these summer visits were recreational.
“They were swimming, they were sailing,” she said, “they were playing tennis, they were having parties.”
The Sea Cliff Landmarks Association was founded in 1972 to honor and preserve the village’s architectural and historical heritage. Visitors to the association’s website can request access to a database containing information on many Sea Cliff structures. Leslie Guerci, president of the landmarks association, explained that home prices in Sea Cliff were low due to redlining after World War II and that many artistic people could afford to move into the village during the 1950s and 60s.
She added that developers stayed out of Sea Cliff during this time, allowing the architecture to remain largely intact.
“I think one of the interesting things about Sea Cliff,” Guerci said, “is that it was preserved by neglect.”
Among the late 1800s houses that are still standing is “The Woodshed,” located at 115 Central Ave. According to the landmarks association, the Carpenter Gothic style house was built in 1888 as a summer boarding house and residence for John Wood, a businessman who built the first gymnasium in New York City. It hosted paying guests until 1915, after Wood’s death.
The Woodshed was used in the movie “Family Reunion,” starring Bette Davis, in 1981. Though the year of the occurrence is unclear, an application for demolition was submitted, and preservationists began requiring a landmarks review before any demolitions could be approved. Along with several other Sea Cliff houses, the Woodshed is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
“I think our architecture is definitely appreciated by the people in the village and visitors to the village,” Chambers said, “and is something that makes us really special.”
Previously the Monterey Hotel from 1895-1912, the Second Empire style house at 362 Sea Cliff Ave. was built in 1875. After a fire, it was expanded in 1893 to accommodate more guests, according to the landmarks association.
After its use as a hotel, it became a summer house in the 1900s. Rosemarie Pucci, a nun, archaeologist and teacher, lived in the house with her mother and aunt, to whom it was left in 1974. Pucci denied a real estate agent’s suggestion to demolish the house and sell the land, and she was responsible for the house’s restoration. She was also involved with the landmarks association early on. 362 Sea Cliff Ave. is also on the National Register of Historic Places.
While Guerci joked that she would be in trouble for choosing a favorite house in the village, she mentioned a few with their own stories. For example, sets of “twin” houses that are identical, one set on Prospect Avenue and the other on Maple Avenue. She also said the landmarks association once stopped a developer from tearing down the house at 19 Locust Place.
“It’s a magnificent house inside,” Guerci said. “It is thought to have had a speakeasy.”
Guerci described Sea Cliff as “one of the most charming towns” she has ever been to. The median home price in Sea Cliff is $1.4 million which is above that of Nassau County in general at $889,999, according to realtor.com. Guerci said she is not against contemporary architecture in the village but does not like certain trends.
“I hate to see people take the traditional architecture,” she said, “and make it generic.”
For more information, visit the landmarks association website at SeaCliffLandmarks.org.
