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] and it opened on November 5, 2023. [13]

Chapel

The chapel's altar set was transferred from Guardian Angel Chapel in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn. Queen of Peace Cemetery chapel interior 2023c.jpg
The chapel's altar set was transferred from Guardian Angel Chapel in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn.
The chapel's wrought-iron filigree front doors and mahogany narthex were transferred from the Sisters of Christian Charity's convent in Mendham Township, New Jersey. Queen of Peace Cemetery chapel interior 2023e.jpg
The chapel's wrought-iron filigree front doors and mahogany narthex were transferred from the Sisters of Christian Charity's convent in Mendham Township, New Jersey.

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. [14] [15]

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. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acre</span> Unit of area

The acre is a unit of land area used in the British imperial and the United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one chain by one furlong, which is exactly equal to 10 square chains, 1⁄640 of a square mile, 4,840 square yards, or 43,560 square feet, and approximately 4,047 m2, or about 40% of a hectare. Based upon the international yard and pound agreement of 1959, an acre may be declared as exactly 4,046.8564224 square metres. The acre is sometimes abbreviated ac but is usually spelled out as the word "acre".

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

Nassau County is a suburban county located on Long Island, immediately to the east of New York City, bordering the Long Island Sound on the north and the open Atlantic Ocean to the south. As of the 2020 United States census, Nassau County's population was 1,395,774, making it the sixth-most populous county in the State of New York, and reflecting an increase of 56,242 (+4.2%) from the 1,339,532 residents enumerated at the 2010 census. Its county seat is Mineola, while the county's largest and most populous town is Hempstead.

<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 2,939 at the time of the 2020 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 towns 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, United States. The population was 12,990 at the time of 2020 census.

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

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">Rockville Cemetery (Maryland)</span> Cemetery in Montgomery County, United States

Rockville Cemetery is a cemetery in Rockville, Maryland, United States. It is the oldest burial ground in the Rockville community. It sometimes is referred to as Rockville Union Cemetery, although that has never been its name.

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

Rockefeller State Park Preserve is a state park in Mount Pleasant, New York in the eastern foothills of the Hudson River in Westchester County. Common activities in the park include horse-riding, walking, jogging, running, bird-watching, and fishing. The park has a rich history and was donated to the State of New York over time by the Rockefeller family beginning in 1983. A section of the park, the Rockwood Hall property, fronts the Hudson River. It was formerly the private residence of William Rockefeller, and began use as a New York state park in the early 1970s. In 2018, the park was added to New York's State Register of Historic Places.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Eustis Jr.</span> American politician

George Eustis Jr. was an American lawyer and politician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Shaffer Phipps</span> American lawyer and businessman

John Shaffer Phipps was an American lawyer and businessman who was an heir to the Phipps family fortune and a shareholder of his father-in-law's Grace Shipping Lines. He was a director of the Hanover Bank, U.S. Steel Corp. and W. R. Grace & Co.

<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> American heir and equestrian

Frederick Ambrose Clark was an American heir and equestrian.

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">Hagley, Tasmania</span> Towns in Tasmania

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. Archived from the original on 2021-12-26. Retrieved 2021-12-26.
  13. ↑ "The dedication of the Queen of Peace Chapel". Diocese of Rockville Centre. 2023-11-07. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  14. 1 2 Greben, Deidre S. (2022-08-19). "Stained-glass from old convent illuminates new LI chapel". Newsday. Retrieved 2022-09-03.
  15. ↑ "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.