SCOUTING
FIELD NOTES

The Saddest House In New York City

07/02/2012

This is the story of a little house in Queens that broke my heart.

A few years ago, I was working on a movie that sent me to Richmond Hill, Queens, to find a beautiful, one-of-a-kind house. If you’ve never visited, Richmond Hill has a number of gorgeous turn-of-the-century Victorians…

…and in fact, chances are you’ve seen at least one or two Richmond Hill houses before in a film or TV show. Productions are always in the neighborhood for this rare look that’s tough to find:

For this particular film, we were looking for something a bit smaller, and it didn’t take long before I stumbled on this gem, built in 1905.

The exterior was gorgeous, and looked to be in pristine condition…

…and I especially loved the two upper floors, with their wonderful ornamentation and two oval windows. It turned out the house was for sale, and I quickly made an appointment for a tour.

As we were walking around the interior, I was equally impressed by the quality and personal touch in each room. It was clear that whoever used to live here cherished this house.

Out of curiosity, I asked what the house’s background was, and was told that its former owner, Nancy Cataldi, a local preservationist, had recently passed away. And suddenly, it all made sense.

Nancy was a major advocate for historical preservation in Richmond Hill, and had worked tirelessly to preserve the neighborhood she called home. She served as the president of the Richmond Hill Historical Society for nearly a decade, and is a major reason why so much beauty can still be found in Richmond Hill today. In fact, the street we were on was given the co-name “Nancy Cataldi Way” following her death.

As we were walking around looking at what remained of her possessions, I suddenly got a very sad feeling in the pit of my stomach. Nancy was gone, but her soul was all around us – in the worn floorboards, the antique furniture, the intricate wallpaper…But it was like I could feel that soul fading.

Ultimately, we didn’t film in the house due to rewrites moving the characters into a Manhattan apartment. Still, I never forgot the place, and when I was asked to find a house a few weeks ago, I immediately headed out to Richmond Hill to see if it might still be an option.

But as I drove by, something was wrong…

Maybe I didn’t have the correct address? I pulled over and double-checked my notes.

And then I realized:

I was at the right address.

Despite all her efforts and the endless amounts of preservation work she did in Richmond Hill, Nancy was never able to get her own street protected; the Landmarks Preservation Commission rejected her proposal in 2001.

According to this 2010 Daily News article, the new homeowners claim they were forced to renovate due to an invasion of carpenter ants.

You know what? Words are kind of failing me, so I’ll just let my pictures speak for themselves.

We ALL benefit from people like Nancy Cataldi long after they pass, and while it’s cute to name streets after preservationists, it’s a lot more important to carry on their legacy. Hopefully, this is a reminder of that.

Rest in peace, Nancy.

-SCOUT

Many more posts in the archives!

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CJ

07/13/2012

This is sad – and so familiar. I, too, grew up in an historic part of Queens, NY. It was a neighborhood of beautiful 1930s Tudors, until recently. The homeowners association put up a good fight, but they could not get the neighborhood landmark status. So down came the Tudors and up went the yellow-bricked monstrosities (complete with concrete parking pads and stainless steel fencing) and out went the neighborhood charm and pride. It’s a shame when money meets a lack of taste and when greedy contractors (with no knowledge of architectural history) are allowed to run amok. But yes, let’s blame the carpenter ants.

Bravo New York – the city that can ban a super-sized soda, but not protect it’s own history.

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John F.

07/15/2012

Ugly 6 family tenaments in Ridgewood Queens were granted landmark status by the city but beautiful victorian homes in Richmond Hill arent? The nuts are running the nuthouse.

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P.j.

07/16/2012

Oh, that makes my heart hurt. We’re in the process of restoring a historic (as opposed to just OLD) house that was part of the Underground RR. It’s taking more time & $$ than initially expected, but when finished it will look as when it was built in 1851–a plantation style home near Baton Rouge, where Emily Proffit-Morgan’s family had lived. Anyone interested in our project can visit us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MorganManorBedandBreakfast &/or visit in person someday!

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P.j.

07/16/2012

One typo in the previous posts seemed especially appropriate to describe the abomination of Nancy’s home: “Icktorian” Maybe we can get that word added to Webster’s dictionary. 😉

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P.j.

07/16/2012

Money can’t buy good taste!

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Rich

07/17/2012

Just so you all know folks, the people who remodeled this house obviously love it. They own it, they pay the taxes. Not everyone, probably most, do not have Victorian taste. Italians, Indians, the Greeks whoever you want to decide owns the house, one thing remains, it is NOT YOUR HOUSE! I like how people blame capitalism. Darn right! When I buy and pay for a house, I like it to be what I WANT. I will not be clearing it with a bunch of people living in the past. Move on and find something better to worry about like preserving our earth.

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Catherine

07/18/2012

But it wasn’t just a house though, it was a piece of living history for everyone to enjoy, especially in the future.

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Jen

07/18/2012

While I can appreciate that everyone has their own personal style, why did the new owners have to project their style onto THIS house? It was a house with an already established set of design particulars that worked spectacularly well for its style. It makes me want to say, “Pick on a house your own style.”

So sad. 🙁

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Adam

07/19/2012

You can’t buy taste, as this abomination clearly demonstrates. Yes, of course they have the right to destroy the classical house they own. They also have the right to wear gaudy clothing and talk like the idiots in Jersey Shore. It’s America, we have all kinds of embarrassing characters.

But it’s not because they’re Italians, because they are not. Maybe their grandparents came from Italy, but whatever class or elegance they once had was flushed down the drain and into Raritan Bay. Real Italians, as in Italians from actual Italy, would have instantly recognized a beauty instantly.

Simply put, they are Staten Islanders, and that says it all. Besides, they probably have a few friends in “the construction business” and the cement fell off a truck.

Fugetaboutit yo! It’s Staten Island!

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Loretta

07/22/2012

This is exactly what happened to my grandmother’s house. Her house was the same vintage, and I admit that my grandparents had “remuddled” it in the 50’s when it had to be moved for the building of the New England Thruway. However, they were clever enough to keep all the original details inside by doing things like sealing up the solid mahogany sliding doors into the walls, etc. The new owners gutted it, turned it into 3 apartments – even ripped out the grand two story staircase with leaded glass window and flipped it to the other side so they could get more floor space on the second floor. The outside is a travesty worse than the one you have shown – I can’t even describe it. I now take the long way around the area so I don’t go by it. I wanted to buy it myself but didn’t have the money. So goes it and I have my memories and pictures.

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Tanya

07/22/2012

so sad ;(

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Mike V.

07/30/2012

W
T
F
That is one of the most horrifying “remodels” I have ever seen.

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stacey

08/01/2012

are the owners insane? what the hell happened to the old beautiful character and charm of that home? idiots like them did not have to buy the home. why can’t they make a law that if you move into an old home esp these turn of the century victorian, craftsman styles, then you cannot change it in any way and colors have to be of equisite taste to match the setting. we will never see this beautiful house again. worst is more and more idiots have no appreciation for aesthetics and charm and so they are taking advantage of these beautiful old homes and they are destroying it without a care in the world. and by the way i don’t believe it was due to carpenter ants!!!!! that is no reason to tear down important parts of the house. now the house looks stupid. what happened to form follows function? those people don’t deserve to have a home! perhaps there will be a bad luck karma following the bad deed they have done which is spitting on nancy cataldi and disrespecting her important wish as a preservationist which i highly respect. i spit on those people and all of them alike!!!

angry as hell,
stacey

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karL

08/05/2012

Yes the fact that this happens with other peoples money then the ‘owners’ being used is no joke. Many of the homes that lenders have lost there shirts on where subject to gut renovations and purchase as if new only to lose three fourths of the loaned value in a few years.

So yes the homeowners can do wrong- they can with sloth and lazyness run up bills destroying not just priceless value but hundreds of thousands of dollar of collateral ‘securing’ there mortgage, and then walk, and we end up bailing out the lender with nothing to liquidate of any substance left.

So it’s not about ‘owners’ rights at all- not always, and as mentioned not often enough the pollution and wasted energy is everyones business when plent yof vacant lots or homes too far goneto be restored exist to ‘play’ with.

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Anja

08/06/2012

That house was gorgeous, and it now looks like what happens when a Victorian house mates with a Fedders box.

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Marian

08/08/2012

What confuses me is why she didn’t landmark her home? Individual landmarks are possible and would have offered at least some protection to the house.

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SpragueD

08/11/2012

You just don’t appreciate modern Italian design 😉 But seriously, it’s an abomination compared to what was there. However, in 50 years, people will look back fondly on the current house when its owners then tear it down and start from the ground up. New York doesn’t respect history — never has, never will.

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Steve

08/13/2012

Ironically, NOW it looks like it belongs on a studio lot….

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helen

08/15/2012

The last time I made a comment about Jamaica Avenue in Richmond Hill as a great location (on an art project blog)the next thing I knew men in black three was on my corner (literally) filming.

I wish I could get the Landmarks Preservation Committee to stand up and notice. Richmond Hill’s character is worth preserving before it’s gone. The Richmond Hill Historical Society, based in Richmond Hill, Queens, representing the mere residents of this community, is utterly ignored. Maybe the film industry wouldn’t be. Will someone in the film industry back up Community Board 9 and help us get some protection? (by the way, there are streets outside of the proposed landmark district worth preserving as well!)

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Wanda in Edmonton

08/19/2012

Ken said exactly what I was thinking. It reminded me of the ornamentation around the house in “Mt Big Fat Greek Wedding”. I used to live in the Bathurst Manor neighbourhood of Toronto. All the houses were 1960s era brick, most of them lovely, well kept homes. But a couple of blocks over, we had a renovated house that rivalled the house in that movie. Good taste does not come naturally to everyone. Renos gone bad can be glaring eyesores in a community. I got so that I couldn’t even bear to walk by that house and changed the route of my morning walk. I feel bad for the neighbors of such homeowners.

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