{"nrhp_refnum":"10000899","name":"Stirn, Louis A. and Laura, House","other_names":["Casa Belvedere"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"79 Howard Ave","address_restricted":false,"city":"Staten Island","county":"Staten Island","state":"NY","lat":40.630503634000036,"lon":-74.08731417499996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2010-11-12","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-and-one-half story Italian Renaissance-inspired villa with Arts and Crafts detailing at 79 Howard Avenue in the Grymes Hill section of Staten Island, New York. The stucco-clad house and its garage were built in 1908.","why_significant":"The nomination presents the house as a well-preserved example of an early twentieth-century American country house, designed by the firm Kafka & Lindenmeyr for Louis and Laura Stirn. It retains a high degree of integrity in its exterior and interior design, materials and craftsmanship. The property is also tied to the Stirns' local involvement and to its architects' work.","narrative":"Perched on the east side of Howard Avenue in the Grymes Hill section of Staten Island, this 1908 villa looks out over New York Harbor. Built for Louis and Laura Stirn and designed by the firm Kafka & Lindenmeyr, it combines Italian Renaissance forms with Arts and Crafts detailing. The stucco-clad masonry house has a clay-tiled hipped roof with bracketed eaves, a columned west portico, an elliptical east portico, and a conservatory wing on the south. Many original wood sash windows, stained-glass roundels and leaded glass survive, though the attic windows have been replaced with vinyl sash. Inside, the great hall, parlor, library and dining room keep their parquet floors, fireplaces and woodwork, and the second floor retains its original six-bedroom plan. A matching stucco garage, now used for offices, is part of the property. The nomination values the house as a largely intact early twentieth-century country residence in a hillside setting.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Kafka & Lindenmeyr (architects)","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Italian Renaissance","criteria":[],"status_note":"Historically a single dwelling; currently listed as work in progress for use as an arts and cultural center. The garage is used for offices, and plans are underway to restore the conservatory.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:47.942156-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/10000899.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/10000899/b66b3a30be-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/10000899/b66b3a30be-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"JERRYE &amp; ROY KLOTZ, M.D.","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LOUIS_A_AND_LAURA_STIRN_HOUSE,_STAPLETON,_RICHMOND_COUNTY,_NY.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">JERRYE &amp;amp; ROY KLOTZ, M.D.</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LOUIS_A_AND_LAURA_STIRN_HOUSE,_STAPLETON,_RICHMOND_COUNTY,_NY.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75321407","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casa_Belvedere","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5047786"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/staten-island/stirn-louis-a-and-laura-house-10000899/"}