One of the last 38 remaining homes built by A. T. Stewart is available for free to anyone who can move the structure to another site. Stewart, who was a 19th century dry goods merchant and one of the richest men in New York State, built a number of homes in Garden City. Garden City on the Hempstead Plains, the country’s first planned community, is attributed to Stewart.
During the construction of this planned community, the house was built in 1883 as a worker house. It had a library, dining room, kitchen, and family room on the first floor. Five bedrooms and two bathrooms were distributed among the second and third floors. The now 133-year-old Victorian house is about 700 sq. ft. and located downtown on 6th Street, across from a bust of A. T. Stewart in the nearby Garden City Long Island Railroad Station.
The house was purchased in November of last year by New York Islanders defenseman of the National Hockey League (NHL), Johnny Boychuk and his wife Sheena, for $1 million. They bought the approximately half-acre site because of its proximity to the train line and Barclays Center. The Boychuks have since retained architect T.J. Costello of Manhasset to design a contemporary Victorian home, in place of the existing historic house. The Boychuks are offering the historic house to anyone who can move the building. The house for relocation excludes a 1970s addition to the back of the original house. The move is estimated to cost between $150,000 and $200,000. There is also no air conditioning and the heating and electrical equipment is outdated, so the building may also require repairs, such as additional sprinklers and electrical upgrades.
The Garden City Historical Society had suggested that the Garden City Village Board and the Library Board members could purchase the house through bonds, but both declined to acquire the home. The Garden City Historical Society and Nassau County Office of Housing and Community are working on an alternate plan to save the house by relocating the structure to county-owned property in Mitchell Field. It could then be renovated by Nassau County Habitat for Humanity and used potentially for veteran housing. Moving the house to Mitchell Field would require the closing of streets, lifting of wires, adjusting of traffic lights, and the stopping of trains by Long Island Rail Road (LIRR). The move would take place at night during a time of minimal traffic.
However, the Nassau County Legislature also has to approve the move. Because of the July 4th holiday, the earliest date the legislature could vote on the move is July 11th. In addition, officials are waiting to get written proposals, financing, and donating of any services. Several contractors have said they could move the house for free and pour a new concrete foundation at the Mitchell Field property. County representatives are negotiating plans for electrical hookups, as well as searching for skilled volunteer workers and funding for Habitat for Humanity.
Although this A. T. Stewart House is on the National Registry of Historic Places, there are no local laws that will prevent its demolition. Replacement of the historic house with a newer building has already been approved by the Garden City Architectural Review Board. The Boychuks might be willing to delay the demolition, but the house could be demolished within the next few weeks or less if Nassau County’s relocation plan does not transpire or no one else comes forward to move the home.
CONTACT INFO
The Garden City Historical Society
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