House at 195 Prospect Avenue
Why it's listed
Built in 1890 as a private summer house, this two-story residence on Prospect Avenue in Sea Cliff reflects the village's late nineteenth-century role as a seaside resort. It has a decorative slate jerkin head roof and a clapboard exterior with a stickwork string course, shingled second floor and gables, and bargeboards. A central projecting shed-roof dormer covers the entrance porch, which has spool-turned posts, fan-shaped brackets, a sunburst motif and a lattice frieze. Windows are one-over-one sash with stained-glass borders, and two tapered chimneys rise above the roofline. Inside, the original fireplaces, door and window moldings, and woodwork survive. Only a rear porch, added in the 1970s, changes the original form. The house is known locally because it is identical to its neighbor at 199 Prospect Avenue. Its ornate detail on a small residence illustrates the tastes and lifestyles of the seasonal visitors who fueled Sea Cliff's rapid growth in the 1890s.
Significance in brief: The house is considered a distinctive example of Sea Cliff's late nineteenth-century summer resort architecture. It was built at the peak of the village's resort development and shows the ornate Victorian detailing typical of that era. It is also a well-known local landmark because it is identical to its neighbor at 199 Prospect Avenue.
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 88000009, listed February 18, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 195 Prospect Ave., Sea Cliff |
|---|---|
| County | Nassau County |
| Listed | February 18, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88000009 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Victorian-era summer resort architecture (picturesque late nineteenth-century ornamentation) |
| Areas of significance | Entertainment/Recreation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is listed as good, and the house is still used as a residence. The interior is described as virtually unaltered, and a rear porch was added in the 1970s. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.84695, -73.65069 (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 88000009.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q15225970
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.