The 1852 Elisha R. Belcher House at 14 East 11th St: A brick home for an affluent family
- Dr. Belcher’s father served in the Revolutionary War as a surgeon under General Israel Putnam
- Four stories tall and 21 feet wide, the house was one of a pair built by banker James Gallatin
Outwardly, 14 East 11th St. has changed little from the day the Belcher family moved in in 1852.
Have you ever passed by an interesting residential building in New York City and wanted to know more about its history? In this series, Brick Underground teams up with Tom Miller, creator of Daytonian in Manhattan, a blog about Manhattan buildings and other historic architecture. Each week, we run an excerpt from the Daytonian’s archives with a link to the full article.
Born in 1791 in Fairfield, Connecticut, Dr. Elisha Reynold's earliest American ancestors settled in Braintree, Massachusetts in 1640. His father, Dr. Elisha Belcher, served in the Revolutionary War as a surgeon under General Israel Putnam. Dr. Reynolds married Esther Rebecca Knapp on February 1st, 1814, and the couple had five children, William K., George Elisha, Henry White, John Southard, and Frances B.
In the early 1850s, the Belcher family lived in the newly built, brick-faced house at 54 East 11th St. (renumbered 14 East 11th St. in 1868). It was one of an identical pair erected in 1852 by banker James Gallatin. Four stories tall and 21 feet wide, it reflected the respectability and affluence of the family. The Belchers' country home was in Claverack, New York.
The Belcher children were young adults by 1855 when Henry listed his profession as "merchant," and John as "grocer."
Elisha Reynolds Belcher died at the age of 69 on March 19th, 1860. His funeral was held in the parlor two days later. Esther Rebecca remained in the house with John and Sarah Esther, and Frances (who never married) until 1865.
The house was purchased by Benjamin Richards, a real estate broker, and his wife, the former Eliza Fenno Verplanck.
In August 1896, the Richards advertised the house for rent. It was leased to a series of well-to-do tenants over the coming years. Henry Jefferds Goodwin and his wife, the former Annie Sutton, were perhaps their first.
The New York Times called Annie, "the elder of the beautiful Sutton girls, the daughters of the late Cornelius K. Sutton." Henry was a Civil War veteran and had been awarded a medal "for his bravery in the battle of Gettysburg," according to the Sun-Journal. The couple was still living here when Annie Sutton Goodwin died at the age of 51 on January 20th, 1899.
In 2016, 14 East 11th St. was returned to a single-family house. It sold in November 2020 for $28.5 million. Outwardly, it has changed little from the day the Belcher family moved in in 1852.
For more on the property and the adventurous people that lived here, check out the full article.
You Might Also Like
