Sea Cliff Railroad Station
Why it's listed
Built around 1868 on Sea Cliff Avenue in Glen Cove, this one and one-half story brick railroad station served the nearby resort village of Sea Cliff. F.W. Geissenhainer, a benefactor of the village, arranged with the Long Island Railroad to extend the north shore line, then bought land and had the station built. It later served as the terminus for trolley cars bringing riders from local points, and it carried thousands of summer visitors to the resort throughout the late nineteenth century. The building has a cross-gable roof with cornice returns, a bargeboard, a five-bay facade with a projecting central bay window, and shallow gabled passenger porches with spindles and scrollsawn lattice-like friezes. Its one-over-one sash windows are bordered with small-pane stained glass. The exterior remains intact, and the station is still in railroad use. Two small modern passenger shelters stand beside the tracks. The station was listed for its role in the resort's growth and for its unusually fine detail.
Significance in brief: The station was the main transportation link to the Sea Cliff summer resort and played a pivotal part in the village's late nineteenth century growth. It is also an architecturally distinguished Victorian-era station with a picturesque composition, flanking passenger porches and intricate scrollsawn decoration, with a level of craftsmanship uncommon for small mid-nineteenth century Long Island stations.
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 88000021, listed February 18, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Sea Cliff Ave., Glen Cove |
|---|---|
| County | Nassau County |
| Listed | February 18, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88000021 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Unknown (architect and builder both listed as unknown) |
| Architectural style | Victorian-era railroad station |
| Areas of significance | Entertainment/Recreation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in use as a railroad station. The exterior remains intact, though vandalism is noted as a threat. The covered baggage platform, Railway Express office and Freight Office were removed in the mid-20th century. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.85206, -73.62579 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
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 88000021.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7439860
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.