Queen of Peace Cemetery

Last updated
Queen of Peace cemetery in July 2021. Headstone foundations for the first eight rows of burial plots are visible, with the chapel and administration building still under construction at left in the distance. Queen of Peace Cemetery Section 1 2021b.jpg
Queen of Peace cemetery in July 2021. Headstone foundations for the first eight rows of burial plots are visible, with the chapel and administration building still under construction at left in the distance.

Queen of Peace Cemetery is a cemetery of the Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre in Old Westbury, New York. The land was previously a farm that had been owned for two centuries by the Titus family, and then by the Hitchcock polo family. The land was purchased by the diocese in 1995 at auction from the federal government following seizure from a former owner; however, the Village of Old Westbury delayed construction for over two decades by litigation, which was settled in 2016. The cemetery was opened in 2020, earlier than expected and before the completion of construction, because the COVID-19 pandemic had caused nearby Cemetery of the Holy Rood to run out of space.

Contents

History

Background

Historic guest house in use as the temporary administration building in 2021 Queen of Peace Cemetery guest house 2021a.jpg
Historic guest house in use as the temporary administration building in 2021

The land was initially known as Broad Hollow Farm, a 30-acre (12 ha) grant made in 1664 to Edmond Titus, [1] founder of Westbury, New York, [2] and a son of Robert Titus. [3] Its pond was used as a boundary marker. The estate remained in the Titus family for many generations. [1] A farmhouse was built around 1725 by S. W. Titus, [4] which was later noted for its "severe Quaker simplicity". [1]

The estate was eventually purchased in 1890 by Thomas Hitchcock Sr. and occupied by his family, including his son Tommy Hitchcock Jr. The former had helped found the Meadowbrook Polo Club and pioneered the steeplechase, [5] [6] and was called "the Babe Ruth of American polo". [7] [8] Both father and son were 10-goal polo players. [5] [6] Alterations were made to the farmhouse around 1892 by Richard Morris Hunt. [5] By 1913 the house had been reconstructed in an English style [1] with additions to the original house preserving the historic feeling of the building. [6] By this time the estate encompassed 97 acres, [4] and contained a race track, steeplechase course, polo field, and other facilities. [6]

The Hitchcock family sold the farm in the 1950s, and it passed through several owners. [7] In 1980, the property, by then known as Old Westbury Farm, was sold to Dominick Imperio. He was suspected by the FBI of being an associate of the Colombo crime family, and in 1990 he was caught trying to sell the house to FBI agents posing as drug dealers, and offering to launder the money. [8] The property was then seized by the federal government as part of a plea bargain. [7] It was the most expensive property ever seized by the U.S. Marshals Service Eastern District. At the time, the property contained a 42-room 14,000 sq ft (1,300 m2) mansion that was in a dilapidated state, a barn complex with 49 horse stalls, a five-door garage and a three-bedroom guest cottage. [8]

Establishment

The chapel under construction in 2021 Queen of Peace Cemetery chapel 2021a.jpg
The chapel under construction in 2021
The chapel near completion in August 2022 Queen of Peace Cemetery chapel 2022a.jpg
The chapel near completion in August 2022

The federal government auctioned the property in 1995. [8] The Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre won the auction, planning to convert the property into a cemetery, as its Cemetery of the Holy Rood, then the only major Catholic cemetery in Nassau County, was running out of space. [7] It was initially planned that 70.5 acres (28.5 ha) would be used for the cemetery, while 26.75 acres (10.83 ha) on the northern end of the property would be used for a residential subdivision. [9] In 2016, the residential subdivision was eliminated, with 87 acres (35 ha) allocated to the cemetery. [10] The cemetery was planned to have up to 200,000 burial plots. [11]

However, the cemetery's opening was delayed for over two decades by legal disputes with the Village of Old Westbury, which denied the necessary zoning change in 1995. The diocese sued the village in state court to compel the zoning change under religious land use protections, and received a favorable ruling in 2000 that was upheld on appeal in 2002. The diocese sued in federal court in 2009, alleging that the village was abusing its powers to delay and prevent the cemetery's development. The litigation was settled in 2016, with the village paying a $7.5 million settlement to the diocese. Construction had begun by 2018. [10]

To mitigate concerns from nearby residents expressed about impacts on property values and traffic, the Diocese constructed six-foot berms at the property's edges and required processions to arrive only through the cemetery's Jericho Turnpike entrance. [10] However, the plan was criticized by the Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities for not retaining the historic structures and altering the site's rural setting. [9]

The cemetery was opened early due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as the number of daily burials at the Cemetery of the Holy Rood was many times its normal rate, and its plots were exhausted. Elizabeth O'Sullivan became the first person buried there on May 14, 2020, four months before the groundbreaking on the cemetery's chapel and other buildings. [11] The chapel was about half complete in December 2021 when the tops of the five-story steeples were installed. [12]

Chapel

The chapel's architecture is modeled after the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in France. It contains 32 Munich-style stained glass windows that were transferred from Sisters of Christian Charity's convent in Mendham Township, New Jersey, as they were not being used in its own new chapel. The windows were crafted in Germany in the 1958 as 13-foot-high rectangular pieces, with 20 depicting the life of Mary and 12 depicting saints. These were reconfigured into 6-foot-tall arched ones, and in one case a rose window, for the new chapel while preserving all elements of the iconography. [13] [14]

The chapel was also received wrought-iron filigree front doors and a carved mahogany narthex screen from the Sisters of Christian Charity, as well as an altar set from Guardian Angel Chapel in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, and 120-year-old wooden pews from the former Church of the Epiphany in Williamsburg. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barrington Hills, Illinois</span> Village in Illinois, United States

Barrington Hills is a village located about 40 miles (64 km) northwest of Chicago in the U.S. state of Illinois. Per the 2020 census, the population was 4,114. It straddles approximately 29 square miles (75 km2) over four counties, Cook, Kane, Lake, and McHenry. The Village of Barrington Hills was incorporated in 1957.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brookville, New York</span> Village in New York, United States

Brookville is a village located within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 3,465 at the time of the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Westbury, New York</span> Village in New York, United States

Old Westbury is a village in the Town of North Hempstead and Oyster Bay in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 4,671 at the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wyandanch, New York</span> Hamlet and census-designated place in New York, United States

Wyandanch is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Babylon in Suffolk County, New York. The population was 12,990 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State University of New York at Old Westbury</span> Public University in Old Westbury, New York

The State University of New York at Old Westbury is a public university in Old Westbury, New York, with portions in the neighboring town of Jericho, New York. It enrolls just over 5,000 students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bayard Cutting Arboretum State Park</span>

Bayard Cutting Arboretum State Park is a 691-acre (2.80 km2) state park located in the hamlet of Great River, New York, on Long Island. The park includes an arboretum designed by Frederick Law Olmsted for William Bayard Cutting in 1886, as well as a mansion designed by Charles C. Haight. Today Bayard Cutting Arboretum State Park is one of the last remaining estates on the South Shore of Long Island. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1973 as a historic district. Robert Fulton Cutting, known as the “first citizen of New York” and his wife Helen Suydam Cutting, niece to Caroline Astor, would frequent the manor house and estate as both William and Robert were brothers. Together Robert and William brought the sugar beet industry to the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rockefeller State Park Preserve</span> State park in New York state, United States

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre</span> Latin Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in New York, USA

The Diocese of Rockville Centre is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in the Long Island region of New York State in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of New York.

The Confederate Memorial State Historic Site is a state-owned property occupying approximately 135 acres (55 ha) near Higginsville, Missouri. From 1891 to 1950, the site was used as an old soldiers' home for veterans of the Confederate States Army after the American Civil War. The Missouri state government then took over operation of the site after the last veteran died in 1950, using it as a state park. In 1981, a cottage, a chapel, and the Confederate cemetery were listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Confederate Chapel, Cemetery and Cottage. The chapel was moved from its original position in 1913, but was returned in 1978. It has a tower and a stained glass window. The cottage is a small wooden building, and the cemetery contains 723 graves. Within the cemetery is a monument erected by the United Daughters of the Confederacy which is modeled on the Lion of Lucerne. In addition to the cemetery and historic structures, the grounds also contain trails, picnic sites, and fishing ponds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Hitchcock Sr.</span> American polo player (1860-1941)

Thomas Hitchcock was one of the leading American polo players during the latter part of the 19th century and a Hall of Fame horse trainer and owner known as the father of American steeplechase horse racing.

George Herbert "Pete" Bostwick was an American court tennis player, a steeplechase jockey and horse trainer, and an eight-goal polo player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">F. Ambrose Clark</span>

Frederick Ambrose Clark was an American heir and equestrian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Mary Help of Christians Church (Aiken, South Carolina)</span> Historic church in South Carolina, United States

St. Mary Help of Christians Church is a Catholic parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston. The main parish church is at 138 Fairfield St. SE in Aiken, South Carolina. The campus also includes the historic 1905 church at the corner of Park Avenue and York Street, and Ste. Claire Chapel (1880), which sits to the left of the historic church. These two church buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places

The Cemetery of the Holy Rood is a Catholic cemetery located in Westbury, New York. The 65-acre (0.26 km2) cemetery, established in 1930, is part of the Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philipsburg Manor</span> Manor in the Province of New York

Philipsburg Manor was a manor located north of New York City in Westchester County in the Province of New York. Netherlands-born Frederick Philipse I and two partners made the initial purchase of land that had been part of a Dutch patroonship owned by Adriaen van der Donck. Philipse subsequently bought his partners out and added more land before being granted a royal charter in 1693 for the 52,000 acres (21,000 ha) estate, becoming its first lord.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lillian Sefton Dodge Estate</span> Historic house in New York, United States

Lillian Sefton Dodge Estate, also known as Sefton Manor and Mill Neck Manor Lutheran School for the Deaf, is a historic estate located at Mill Neck in Nassau County, New York. It has 34 rooms and is 60,000 square feet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Denys' Church, Sleaford</span> Church in England

St Denys' Church is a medieval Anglican parish church in Sleaford, Lincolnshire, England. While a church and a priest have probably been present in the settlement since approximately 1086, the oldest parts of the present building are the tower and spire, which date to the late 12th and early 13th centuries; the stone broach spire is one of the earliest examples of its kind in England. The Decorated Gothic nave, aisles and north transept were built in the 14th century. The church was altered in the 19th century: the north aisle was rebuilt by the local builders Kirk and Parry in 1853 and the tower and spire were largely rebuilt in 1884 after being struck by lightning. St Denys' remains an active parish church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hagley, Tasmania</span> Town in Tasmania, Australia

Hagley is a rural locality and town in the local government area of Meander Valley in the Launceston region of Tasmania. The locality is about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north-east of the town of Westbury. The 2016 census has a population of 335 for the state suburb of Hagley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beede Farm</span> Historic house in New Hampshire, United States

Beede Farm is a historic farm and summer estate at 178 Mill Bridge Road in Sandwich, New Hampshire. The property includes a c. 1830s farmhouse that was erected by John Beede, whose uncle, Daniel Beede, was responsible for platting out much of Sandwich. The 303-acre (123 ha) includes a family cemetery. It was transformed into a summer estate in 1938. The farm was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Lucia Preserve</span> Unincorporated community in California, United States

The Santa Lucia Preserve or The Preserve is a private, 20,000 acres (8,100 ha) gated development permitting 297 homesites. It is located in the foothills of the Santa Lucia Range between Palo Corona Regional Park and Carmel Valley, California. The Preserve consists of a 12,000 acres (4,900 ha) nature reserve, 8,000 acres (3,200 ha) of open land, and 2,000 acres (810 ha) for development. It contains most of the watershed of Las Garzas Creek, a tributary of the Carmel River.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Old Quaker homestead in a charming modern guise". The Sun (New York). 1913-07-13. p. 38. Archived from the original on 2021-08-20. Retrieved 2021-07-27.
  2. ↑ "Westbury". Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2021-07-27.
  3. ↑ Titus, Anson (1881). The Titus family in America : three generations. University of California Libraries. [New York : The New York Genealogical Society. pp. 2–3.
  4. 1 2 L., Zach (2008-11-09). "Broad Hollow Farm". Old Long Island. Archived from the original on 2021-07-27. Retrieved 2021-07-27.
  5. 1 2 3 L., Zach (2009-10-14). "Broad Hollow Farm". Old Long Island. Archived from the original on 2021-07-27. Retrieved 2021-07-27.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "More from the North Shore Land Alliance". Old Long Island. 2008-12-12. Archived from the original on 2021-07-27. Retrieved 2021-07-27.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Smith, Andrew (1995-01-21). "It's R.I.P. for Old Westbury estate". Newsday . p. 6. Archived from the original on 2021-08-20. Retrieved 2021-07-27.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Claffey, Michael S. C.; Chang, Dean (1995-01-15). "Losing finish at race farm". Daily News. Part 1, part 2.
  9. 1 2 Wolfe, Alexandra Parsons (2008-12-19). "A Message from SPLIA Regarding the Hitchcock Estate". Old Long Island. Archived from the original on 2021-07-27. Retrieved 2021-07-27.
  10. 1 2 3 Chung, Christine (2018-06-18). "Diocese creating fourth cemetery". Newsday. Part 1, part 2.
  11. 1 2 Jones, Bart (2020-09-24). "New Catholic cemetery opens" (PDF). Newsday. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-07-27. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
  12. ↑ Gralla, Joan (2021-12-01). "Queen of Peace cemetery in Old Westbury gets two new steeples". Newsday. Retrieved 2021-12-26.
  13. 1 2 Greben, Deidre S. (2022-08-19). "Stained-glass from old convent illuminates new LI chapel". Newsday. Retrieved 2022-09-03.
  14. ↑ "Newsday highlights Queen of Peace Cemeteries' new chapel and stained glass windows". YouTube . 2022-08-22. Retrieved 2022-09-03.

40°46′21″N73°34′48″W / 40.77250°N 73.58000°W / 40.77250; -73.58000

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.