House at 18 Seventeenth Avenue
Why it's listed
Built in 1890 on a wooded lot in the heart of Sea Cliff, this two-story clapboard house at 18 17th Avenue was part of the village's late Victorian summer resort development. It has a cross-gable roof and a three-story square tower with a pyramidal roof, scroll-sawn brackets and a fishscale-shingled top floor. Other features include a bay window, paired interior chimneys, two-over-two windows with louvered shutters, and a wraparound porch with turned posts and lattice base. The interior retains its moldings, panelling and flooring, and the exterior has not been altered. Behind the house are an original lattice-work privy and a carriage house rebuilt in 1960 to replicate the original. The house is valued as a fine example of Queen Anne style resort architecture, reflecting the shift from the modest cottages of the 1870s and 1880s to the larger summer houses of the 1890s built for prosperous New York City families. It is credited to architect Richard S. Pearsall.
Significance in brief: It is presented as a distinguished, highly intact example of Sea Cliff's late nineteenth century resort-era architecture, with high quality Queen Anne detailing. It reflects the village's growth as a fashionable vacation community for upper-middle-income New York City residents in the 1890s.
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 88000011, listed February 18, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 18 Seventeenth Ave., Sea Cliff |
|---|---|
| County | Nassau County |
| Listed | February 18, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88000011 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Architect: Unknown on the inventory form (the significance text credits Richard S. Pearsall); Builder: Combs and Pearsall |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| Areas of significance | Entertainment/Recreation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Private residence in excellent condition on its original site; no exterior alterations; interior virtually intact; a 1960 carriage house replicates the original. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.74811, -73.64890 (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 88000011.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14706419
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.