House at 176 Prospect Avenue
Why it's listed
Built in 1886 at the corner of Prospect and 15th Avenues in Sea Cliff, this two and one-half story clapboard house has a slate cross-gable roof and a prominent three-story square tower on the facade. The tower has a hipped roof with flaring eaves, a board and batten cornice, and scroll-sawn brackets. A wraparound porch with tapered Doric columns, curvilinear trusswork in the gables, corbelled brick chimneys, wall dormers, bay windows and original lightning rods add to its decoration. Its design draws on the Queen Anne style, with an asymmetrical composition and a conspicuous corner tower. The house went up while Sea Cliff was shifting from a Methodist camp meeting ground to a summer resort, as tent plots were sold off and summer houses multiplied. Although the interior was converted to three apartments in 1940, the exterior is largely unaltered and the interior keeps period finishes and trim. It illustrates the village's 1880s peak of resort growth.
Significance in brief: The nomination holds it to be a distinguished example of late Victorian resort architecture in Sea Cliff, with a design based on the Queen Anne style. It was built when the village was changing from a Methodist camp meeting ground into a fashionable summer resort. It keeps a high level of integrity and has a prominent corner tower and extensive decorative wood detail.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 88000012, listed February 18, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 176 Prospect Ave., Sea Cliff |
|---|---|
| County | Nassau County |
| Listed | February 18, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88000012 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne-based late Victorian resort architecture |
| Areas of significance | Entertainment/Recreation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Converted to three apartments in 1940; exterior relatively unaltered, condition good, and no known threats. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.84857, -73.65054 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 88000012.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5914002
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.