An Old Victorian on Spuyten Duyvil Hill

[ndembowski]

When I lived on Spuyten Duyvil I was always intrigued by an old house that looked to be a Victorian-era home from its Mansard roof and design elements.  It is 2640 Arlington Ave, which you can see from 227th Street between Arlington and Netherland Aves.

KHS member Alan Lasky spotted the house in the top left of this 1914 photo looking northwest with Spuyten Duyvil Hill in the far background (click the link to go to the photo and zoom in on the top left to see the house):

What a view this house had before the apartment buildings went up!  All of the real estate sites have the place listed as being constructed in 1899 but I think it was built earlier.  Maps from the 1870s depict a building in this spot with this same footprint and position.  Check out the below 1872 Beers map of Spuyten Duyvil.  Dead center you will see a home belonging to George H. Petrie on Sidney Street between Troy and Berrian Streets.  These are now 227th, Netherland, and Arlington Aves:

Same spot as 2640 Arlington today:

If the building was constructed before 1872, that means that it was built when the area was still part of Westchester County.  The Westchester County Archives indeed reveal that George H. Petrie bought his property in June of 1869 from Isabella Porter.  So it was likely built shortly thereafter–perhaps 1870.  The dormer windows on the 3rd floor are very similar to the dormer windows on the 3rd floor of the Moller Mansion:

So who was George H. Petrie?  He was a real estate agent that was active in Riverdale Presbyterian Church.  He moved to East Orange New Jersey in the late 1800s.  Oddly enough, he was also Theodore Roosevelt’s Sunday school teacher.

This house is certainly a relic of a bygone era.  I wonder, assuming this house was built between 1869 and 1872, would it be the oldest building in this part of Spuyten Duyvil?

 

 

 

 

[ndembowski]

Here it is on an 1885 E. Robinson Map (in the center along Sidney Street):

This one better shows the placement of the house, which is positioned at an odd angle relative to the streets.

[Thomas Casey]

Edge Hill Church may come in second oldest at 1888

[Author]

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