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Historic 19th-Century City Island Home Is Now a NYC Landmark

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The house was built around 1860 and was part of William Schofield's estate

Amid love for Queens and Brooklyn, the city's Landmarks Commission also designated an over 150-year-old house on City Island, in the Bronx — a structure that's deeply enmeshed in the Island's history.

On Tuesday, the LPC landmarked the Italianate style farmhouse at 65 Schofield Street that was built around 1860. The house was once part of the estate of William Schofield, who along with Thomas Pell was one of the first few people to settle their families on the island in the 1820s, according to the research conducted by the LPC.

"The Schofield House reflects a significant part of the history of City Island, particularly when it was transitioning from a place dedicated to maritime industries to a suburban and residential community," Meenakshi Srinivasan, the chair of the LPC, said in a press release.

Some of the standout features of the house include a one-story porch that runs the width of the ground floor, tall windows, and a flat roof with an overhanging cornice and paired acorn drop brackets. The body of the house is still covered in the original wooden clapboard.

The Schofield Street House is reflective of the design adopted for a large number of American homes built between 1850 and 1880.

In the latter part of the 19th century, the house was owned by William Schofield's daughter, Elizabeth, who subsequently passed it on to her heirs.

The house underwent renovations carried out by architect Zachary Schweter, prior to the designation. The work was a much needed boost for the house, which had previously reached a state of disrepair.

The Schofield Street House was calendared for landmarking in 2009, and last October it was one of the several buildings that was reviewed as part of the Commission's backlog initiative. In February, the house was one of 30 items, prioritized by the LPC for landmarking.