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An Abandoned Treasure May Soon Be Lost – The Fight to Save St. Paul’s

09/13/2010

Over the past few months, I’ve been getting letters from readers about an abandoned school in Garden City, Long Island, called St. Paul’s, on the verge of being demolished. Last Friday, I hopped the train with my bike and camera to have a look for myself.

It took less than five minutes to bike to St. Paul’s from the Garden City train station. Located in the center of town, the beautiful High-Victorian Gothic-style 500-room structure was built in 1879 as an all boy’s prep school, and was in use until 1991 (over a century!).

Today, despite being in fantastic shape, it is completely vacant.

Taking pictures of this awesome building, I have to admit – it was actually difficult to imagine so commanding a structure being subjected to a wrecking ball. And yet, a village-wide opinion poll was held in 2008, in which a majority of residents voted for its demolition, a course the town is actively pursuing.

Except, here’s the funny thing. On the ballot in 2008 were three options: 1) demolition (2,272 votes), 2) saving the exterior only (1,857 votes), and 3) converting the building into condos (873 votes) – in other words, two proposals to save the building, and one to destroy it. I’m no genius, but it looks to me that a majority of the town (2,730 votes) definitely wants to keep St. Paul’s alive.

So strange, then, that they’re moving ahead on the demolition proposal. A passionate public hearing regarding the matter was held on August 19th, and a final hearing will occur on September 30th. A town vote will then be taken, and St. Paul’s fate will be decided.

Suddenly, as I was taking pictures, it dawned on me: maybe the reason Garden City is willing to demolish St. Paul’s is because they’ve got similarly amazing buildings strewn all over town! Maybe clocktowers and gothic spires and beautiful brick work are commonplace in Garden City, to the point where one building won’t be missed.

I decided to take a little tour on my bike in search of something – anything! – as grand and impressive as St. Paul’s. My first stop was obvious: the incredible Garden City Hotel:

Built in 1901, the Garden City Hotel was renowned as one of Long Island’s premier hotels, located in the center of a golf course and host to such families as the Vanderbilts and the Morgans.

Only, I was a little late getting there. It was torn down in 1973, and replaced with this thing in the 80’s.

[Note: if this is a four star hotel, as it’s website claims, it is by far the tackiest four star hotel I’ve ever been to.]

Oh well – one gone, but surely there was much more to see. I decided to move on to another historic Garden City location: Roosevelt Field.

A former military airfield and airport, Roosevelt Field served as the take-off point for one of the most famous flights in aviation history: Charle Lindbergh’s solo transatlantic flight in 1927. Here he is prior to departure in Garden City:

A number of other famous pilots, including Amelia Earhart, used the field at some point, and I was looking forward to seeing some sort of historic remnant from a property with such an historic past.

Except it was turned into a mall in the 1950’s.

OK, don’t get me wrong – I’m not expecting a decommissioned airfield to remain vacant for 60+ years. But at the very least, I was hoping for some sort of sign that the town had a respect for its history – maybe a sign or something to commemorate the events that occurred here. I biked around for about 10 minutes, but didn’t find anything. Apparently, I should have gone inside – a small plaque is located in front of the Disney Store.

I decided to continue my search into town.

After biking around town for a solid four hours, I must say that Garden City seems like a very pleasant place to live. For one thing, there’s an endless abundance of trees. Trees trees trees. It seems like every street in town has about 20 or 30 trees to its name, and it really is very pleasant.

It’s also one of those towns that has a lot of gazebos, though I didn’t see anyone actually sitting in one.

The main downtown area is also pleasant, with additional trees and a nice collection of shops and eateries.

I had a nice sandwich in the 7th Street Deli.

Another commercial area on the edge of town:

The town library:

A new apartment complex across the street from St. Paul’s:

I then ventured into Garden City’s residential areas, where you find houses like this…

…and this…

…and these…

…and this.

I think it’s fair to say that what you’ve seen above represents 99.99% of what Garden City consists of. It’s nice and pleasant and pretty, and you could tear down any one of the above structures, and as long as you put up a decent-enough replacement, no one would ever notice the difference.

Again: what you’ve seen above is 99.99% of Garden City.

Now let’s look at the other .01% of Garden City, the unique and historical gems that have managed to survive public shortsightedness and soulless developers.

These beautiful Victorian houses are known as the Apostles, and date back to the late 1800’s.

Garden City was originally founded as a planned community by millionaire Alexander Turney Stewart, who purchased land from Hempstead Plains. The Apostles were the first homes built, the oldest nine dating to 1872.

Thankfully, the demise of the Garden City Hotel was not totally in vain. Watching the wrecking ball slam into bricks, a small group of citizens vowed that such a tragedy would never happen again, and in 1975, the Garden City Historical Society was founded.

Over time, 54 Stewart-era homes have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

A great example of stupidity:

Garden City is also home to the beautiful gothic Church of the Incarnation…

…which is covered with a dizzying number of spires and flying buttresses.

Also on the property is the stunning parish house:

There are a few other buildings of note around town, including several schools and the town’s post office. But with the possible exception of the church, I couldn’t find a single one to match the grandeur and beauty of St. Paul’s.

Since the town purchased St. Paul’s in 1993, its future has been a source of contention amongst Garden City residents, and the full history of debate is not worth recounting.

Still, as evidenced by the last poll in 2008, a majority of residents want it to be preserved in one form or another, and the ultimate vote for demolition must still be passed by a voter referendum.

Demolition itself is not cheap; it is estimated to cost nearly $6 Million to get rid of St. Paul’s once and for all. Meanwhile, the Committee to Save St. Paul’s has presented a plan that would preserve the exterior and parts of the interior for the same cost. However, annual upkeep would cost taxpayers approximately $200,000.

One resident was quoted in the Garden City News as saying, “While I realize that St. Paul’s is an iconic Stewart building, I feel that the history and character and intelligence of Garden City is not defined by any one structure…I believe…that there is a very large number of residents who are thoroughly sick of the ongoing situation and would like the saga of St. Paul’s to end.”

This maybe the case, but I really, really hope St. Paul’s isn’t demolished simply due to frustration. Preservation is always a battle, but it is a battle worth fighting. If for no better reason, simply look at the gym addition built onto St. Paul’s in 1962 as an example of what society has come to find acceptable in its standards for architecture:

This is the world we live in today.

When the magnificent Pennsylvania Station was torn down in New York City, the following was written in a NY Times editorial:

“Any city gets what it admires, will pay for, and, ultimately, deserves…We want and deserve tin-can architecture in a tinhorn culture.

“And we will probably be judged not by the monuments we build but by those we have destroyed.”

If you feel strongly about the preservation of St. Paul’s, the public comment period is ongoing until September 30, and your voice could make a difference! Send an email to mayor@gardencityny.net with your comments. I’ll post information on the September 30th town meeting later in the month.

-SCOUT

PS – I wish I could have toured the inside, but it is currently off limits. Luckily, you can find a full look at the interior here.

Many more posts in the archives!

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brianjmack

09/13/2010

Nice “shot.” Regarding the “Island” which many New Yorkers call
anywhere other than Brooklyn and Queens, for this New Yorker as well,
is sterile at best. I was born in Manhattan and we had relatives
who lived “out in the Island” and to visit was the most boring
experience I ever had. The comments from the “pro” who knows
so much more than you since he lives in Garden City speaks volumes.
Personally, there’s not really much I would preserve in Garden City
so go ahead pal and tear it down. One other comment to James K,
I hope and pray when and if you ever get out of Garden City and
are asked where you live, I think it appropriate that you tell them
Garden City and not New York City. You’re “from the Island” and it
sure as hell show. Again, nice job and I totally love your
website.

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1. Chris
  
  09/17/2010
  
  BrianJMack, You’re a NYC snob who probably never even leaves the city. That’s close-minded. Long Island has a lot to offer, as do many places outside of NYC. Maybe your relatives were boring. Don’t blame an entire geographical area for your sorry state of mind.
  
  Reply
JM

09/14/2010

Hey –
Great site – I’ve really enjoyed your posts, as a fellow lover of cool architecture…

I, too, am a GC resident, tho I’ve lived here for only a few years (also a MA transplant). St. Paul’s was one of the things my wife and I drove by many times while house hunting that made us think GC still had some “character.” We always wondered what those buildings were before we moved here. To lose the structures would be an unfortunate occurrence much like the tearing down and “rebuilding” of the GC hotel/high end condos (ugh).

To clear up a bit of confusion on James K’s part (without getting too in-depth) – the previous plan in place was to allow both public and private use of the facility – mostly condominiums, but with mandated public use for some of the building and still retaining public use of most of the land surrounding it. I think it would’ve been a nice compromise, but it was voted down by the town.

In a perfect world, it would be great to be able to save the building and use it as public space – concerts/events/etc. The town still uses the (1960’s) gym buildings attached to it for kids and sports programs during the year.

I think it’d be a pity for it to be torn down – hopefully we can come up with a compromise that will satisfy both sides of the issue.

I’m not sure in this economy that GC is ready for that kind of sacrifice – given other budgetary issues that have reared their ugly heads out here on the Island…

Thanks again for the blog – I look forward to every post!

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Jennifer

09/14/2010

Wow James, you’re biggest complaint here is that the “whole picture” wasn’t presented about “your” town and this building yet you didn’t bother to go into any bit of detail at all about the building or it’s complicated back story yourself. You didn’t even bother to provide a link with this info. You spent an awful lot of time slamming this blog for not doing the very things you yourself did not do (and you try so hard to come across as someone who cares so much about the truth of the situation). Bottom line is that it’s a beautiful building, worth saving and the people who actually live in or are from GC (like yourself) are the ones that should give a damn enough to spearhead activities in an effort to save it! It’s a nice sentiment that you suggest Scout be the one to lead the way in efforts to save the building but really, is he supposed to do that with every building that he profiles?? By simply profiling this building (politics or not) on this blog he has done more than you have to get the word out about it. Besides, this site is not about politics and I imagine people would stop reading the postings if they became bogged down with it! Stop being such a hypocrite and lighten up!!! PS. Are you sure you aren’t a developer?????

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Peter

09/14/2010

All this chatter about the relative merits of public vs. private uses presupposes that private developers are still interested in buying St. Paul’s and converting it to other uses. Given the structure’s deterioration, the requirement for asbestos abatement (hugely expensive), the fact that most of the surrounding land will remain in public use, and last but not least the condition of the economy, I’m rather doubtful that a stream of developers is beating a path to the village administrator’s office.

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Brian

09/14/2010

AMAZING! Long ago I lived in GC and remember hearing the grown-ups listing all the reasons the GC Hotel should be torn down (rotting from within, ‘beyond repair’, rat-infested, etc, etc). Then after the developers got their way and the building was obliterated – the empty hole sat undeveloped for years and Garden City-ites beat their breasts about what a mistake it was not to save the building. Now, the edifice that sat atop the now-gone building (not sure what the correct term for it is) has become the ‘logo’ of the town.

I guess all the original residents who remember the old hotel enough to mourn its passing are dead now and the new generation in charge either are too young to remember or are not long-time residents with any sort of historical memory to get in their way. It’s like black comedy though – to see the town slowly demolishing its grand architectural heritage.

As each iconic GC building is destroyed, they can join the tower from the GC Hotel as logos for the city.

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Cam

09/14/2010

Sorry if i’ve missed it–is there somewhere to donate? the link to the interior photos looks like a preservation group, but their site hasn’t been updated since 2006…

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ken mc

09/15/2010

man, you knocked this out of the park

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Brian

09/15/2010

Speaking as a lover of all things historic, I wholeheartedly agree that this building should be preserved. However, as a person with close ties to both politics and real estate development, I can say that preservation of historic buildings is much easier said than done. On the politics end of things, the biggest issue is money… where is the local municipality going to source the funds to maintain and repurpose such a grand structure? You guessed it, the tax payers, and not all tax payers would be as willing to cough up the money as ScoutingNY readers. On the development end of things, it is often cheaper to demolish old buildings and build new buildings than it is to bring old buildings up to current codes, and if a building doesn’t meet code, it sits empty. Whenever these situations arise, developers are called “greedy”, however, if there isn’t a profit to be made then the project isn’t undertaken and the building will either be repurposed at the tax payer’s expense or will continue to sit vacant at the tax payer’s expense. Either way, you will be paying for this building… either through increased taxes or decreased aesthetics.

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GC Resident

09/15/2010

It should be noted that the residents of the village were faced with the “3 choice” non-binding vote because AvalonBay (a developer) who wanted to develop the property when the residents purchased the property many years ago community use. The residents wanted a vote of AvalonBay yes or no but those in local government who supported the developer wanted to muddy the waters because they knew the residents of GC wanted to send AvalonBay packing! The developer was about to ink a deal that would have made them millions and left the residents of GC to pay for it with IDA Tax Credits and population density. The community got together to drive out the developer. The community DOES want to save the building and a group called the Committee To Save St Paul’s (CSSP) and the GC Historical Society have teamed up and made a proposal that is not being vetted by the village administration. The alumni of the St Paul’s/St Mary’s School also want to help defray costs. The costs are what holds everyone back. This issue has been a lighting rod issue for all residents of our town, greed is what has held back the process of restoration for village use, luckily there are new people on our village board who have a conscience, are truly altruistic and care about the historical significance of this building.

It should be noted that although the address for Roosevelt Field Mall is “Garden City” they are in the town of Uniondale and GC does not receive any tax revenues from the mall. They use the name GC because it is a more “upscale” town and they profit from that but GC gets nothing from Roosevelt Field….except traffic! (Also – two of you photos – the “high ranch” houses and the modern house with the droopy tree in the front yard are not in Garden City.)

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Peter

09/16/2010

To clear up some confusion, the Cradle of Aviation museum is in a former hangar at what used to be Mitchel Field airport. Roosevelt Field airport was just a short distance from Mitchel Field but was completely separate. If you look at a satellite view of the Mitchel Field site in Google Maps, there are some traces of a runway still remaining, plus of course the museum hangar. No physical traces of Roosevelt Field airport are still left.

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Sedge

09/16/2010

Great building indeed…and while I would love to see it saved, I also can understand the financial reality of what it would take. Right now, that kind of money is hard to come by, sad as it is.

Peter, I have never been out to Roosevelt Field mall, I am here on google maps trying to find evidence of the Mitchell Field runway and hanger, just not sure what I am looking for from above. Care to assist with objects to point me in the right direction?

Scout, love the site as always, and Peter, thanks!

Sedge

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Sedge

09/16/2010

Ok, check that, I do now see the hacksaw shaped runway segments. glad to see those nearby parking lots have not encroached on the runway itself!

Sedge

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Meg Norris

09/16/2010

Scout, I’m glad you enjoyed your trip around Garden City. It is a very lovely town.
One comment on your piece: I don’t think you can discount the importance of the history of the debate, as the seeds of the current problem lie therein.
Another commenter suggested that the interior of the building be renovated for condos while keeping the exterior preserved. In 1997 the Village considered doing something similar by allowing a developer of assisted living facility for the elderly to do essentially that. However, several residents sued and after a lengthy court battle the courts ruled that because of the way the building and land were purchased they could only be used for “public purposes”. The only way to get around the ruling would be for the New York State Legislature to specifically lift the restriction on the parcel.
Since that time, the Village has considered other “public” uses such as for a high school, moving the library or moving the Village Hall there. Each time it has decided the costs would be too high. However, the Committee to Save St. Paul’s feels that the public options have not been fully explored.
There’s a lot more history, but that’s some background that explains why we are where we are. Anyone who would like to read more is welcome to dig around in our archives at http://www.gcnews.com

Meg Norris
Editor and Publisher
The Garden City News

Oh yeah – one more comment: Roosevelt Field isn’t in the Village of Garden City (nor the school district). It shares the same zip code, but is actually in East Garden City (which also contains a lot of ugly commercial and industrial development).

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steven

09/16/2010

As a resident of Garden City its nice to see other people recognize not only the beauty of St. Pauls but the historical significance of the building. Many people don’t know this, but Garden City was the first planned community in America. The entire Hempstead plains were purchased by AJ Stewart to serve as a weekend-horse racing get-a-way for wealthy NYC’ers. Hence the Belmont Stakes that take place right down the road. The town contains many horse racing motifs if you look closely. The school was one of the first institutions to move in.

The fact remains, the building has reached a point where it is un-usable. The inside is wood. Water damage has made most of the building too dangerous to even enter. The town CAN NOT AFFORD to save the building. Residents already crushed by high Nassau County taxes won’t foot the bill. Hence, privatizing it. Residents didn’t want that either….. So now what does the town do?

The surrounding land the building sites on, St. Pauls’ Field, is one of the largest undeveloped areas in Nassau county. This will definitely be preserved. The town really need to put something there that serves the town – – but they can’t afford to do so.

Quite a problem. As a resident, I did vote for demolition. Sadly, the only other option is to let it sit and rot, or have someone pay for rehabilitation.

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Old Skool

09/16/2010

Scout, My what an interesting can of worms you opened up. I am not much of a Victorian Gothic kind of guy but I can see the merits of this building. Perhaps the reason you can’t get inside is because the city has allowed the interior to decay. I am sure if we saw some of those images that would be a bigger can. Don’t scouts lead the way thru difficult and dangerous terrain? This may be one of those instances.

Have you been out to Floyd Bennett Field? I would like to see your take on this other famous airfield. It still is used by aircraft restoration organizations.

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Krista

09/17/2010

Scout, the buzz you are creating surrounding St. Pauls is fantastic and I am personally grateful. You have been able to stir things up and make people take notice of this gem we may lose.

I am however disappointed that the efforts of Garden City to SAVE St. Pauls was unfairly represented. The clock is ticking and rather than rehash what’s been said I’d like to provide some information so we, as a whole, can take a proactive stance.

To learn more about the efforts being made visit savestpauls.org or gcnews.com

To make a donation please mail it to: Committee to Save St. Paul’s P.O. Box 7642 Garden City, NY 11530-0731

As Scout already noted, you can also make a difference by writing to mayor@gardencity.net

“He has the right to criticize who has the heart to help.” ~Abraham Lincoln

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Matt

09/17/2010

Scout, great article but you missed the best thing about Garden City. If you go south down franklin (or any north-south street), you get to cross the invisible line between Garden City and Hempstead. I lived in Hempstead for a long time, and it is a slum a world away from its affluent next door neighbor. You can literally cross a street, and the road goes from idyllic suburb to rundown urban sprawl. North is million+ dollar houses, south is used car dealerships, bodegas, and old, overcrowded houses. Just something to check out the next time you visit the area.

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Wendi

09/18/2010

I’ve lived in some really great old buildings that were converted into apartments or condos. The character, the history, the ability to say I live in that old building, you know, the on with the really cool decorative etc.s?

I would so live in the prep school. Can you imagine those floors and the heavy wood doors? So much of modern architecture is plywood and poorly made materials. Who wouldn’t want to live in a historic building where the structure is probably better made than a new home?

Sorry, it just bugs me so much when some town council tears something down to throw up some ugly “modern” monstrosity. Our town is big on that. College town so we’ve got these new apartment complexes popping up all over. From what I’ve heard the walls are thin, the carpets pill immediately. Some of these new complexes aren’t even finished so we’ve got ugly half built shells or skeletons of ugly buildings littering our otherwise pretty little town.

It’s such a shame.

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stefan topalovich

09/18/2010

hey – I graduated St Pauls in 1988. would hate to see it get teared down not so much because I went to school there but its been such a major staple of the town. My parents still live in GC and think St paul’s grounds gives a unique character to the town. GC has been able to maintain the town over the last few decades and not succumb to the downfall of other near by towns but seems the people managing the town are slowly letting the town go down the drains by letting the developers rule the landscape – its too bad

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Rebecca

09/21/2010

Just making sure you’re aware, Scout, of a grassroots Garden City group that’s growing on Facebook and Twitter thanks to your coverage of this travesty:

http://twitter.com/StPaulsGC
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=109169932478222

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