House at 65 Twentieth Avenue
Why it's listed
Built in 1893 as a carriage house for Eliza Lockwood, this two-story clapboard building at 65 20th Avenue in Sea Cliff was turned into a summer residence around 1900 and became a year-round home in 1946. It sits on a small wooded lot on a steep hillside with a view west toward Hempstead Harbor. The gable-roofed structure rests on a raised brick foundation and carries a tent-roofed cupola, an original feature. The conversion added a wraparound porch with turned posts, scroll-sawn braces and lattice base, plus geometric trusswork on the gable ends. The only exterior alteration was a garage added on the west side in 1950. The property matters because it shows how Sea Cliff grew as a seaside resort in the late nineteenth century, when seasonal housing was in short supply. The conversion was so thorough that the original use is hard to recognize, and the building keeps the look of a picturesque turn-of-the-century summer house.
Significance in brief: It is presented as a distinctive example of Sea Cliff's late nineteenth century resort architecture. Its conversion from carriage barn to summer house around 1900 reflects the demand for seasonal housing when the village was a popular seaside resort near New York City. It displays local Victorian-era features such as a symmetrical composition, broad gable roof, wraparound porch and intricate wooden decoration.
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 88000001, listed February 18, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 65 Twentieth Av., Sea Cliff |
|---|---|
| County | Nassau County |
| Listed | February 18, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88000001 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Victorian-era resort residential architecture (late nineteenth century) |
| Areas of significance | Entertainment/Recreation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used as a private residence; converted to a summer house about 1900 and a year-round home in 1946. Exterior retains its historic appearance, with a garage added under the porch in 1950. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.84589, -73.65213 (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 88000001.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5914440
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.