79 Howard Ave, Staten Island, New York. County/parish: Richmond.
Added to the National Register of Historic Places November 12, 2010. NRIS 10000899.
2 contributing buildings.Also known as:
Casa Belvedere is a cultural center devoted to Italian studies, located in the Louis A. and Laura Stirn House at 79 Howard Avenue in Grymes Hill, Staten Island, New York City. The mansion was constructed in 1908, and is an Italian Renaissance style building with Arts and Crafts detailing. It is a 2+1⁄2-story, stuccoed masonry structure with a 2+1⁄2-story service wing and attached conservatory. It features an overhanging clay tile hipped roof with bracketed eaves and a portico with Ionic order columns and Doric order corner piers. Also on the property is a contributing former garage.
Over the years it housed a number of different families, including for several years being the official residence of the President of Wagner College. It was declared a New York City Landmark in 2006 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.
In 2008 it was purchased by Gina Biancardi and Luciano Rammairone. In 2010, the Biancardi-Rammairone family established Casa Belvedere in the Stirn House and donated it to the newly formed Italian Cultural Foundation. Over the next 15 years, it underwent a $5 million renovation with funds provided by private donors, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and the Save America's Treasures program. The project included accessibility upgrades, structural reinforcement, and restoration of architectural details. During Hurricane Sandy, the building sustained structural damage.
(read more...)National Park Service documentation: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75321407