William H. Hurst House

This historic building was once was the home of William H. Hurst, a businessman who made his fortune selling stock ticker equipment. Hurst had the house built in 1912 for his family, including twelve children. Hurst's wife, Minnie died in January 1929 and Hurst passed away a few months later. The building was used as a convent and girls' school, the Gerard School of the Academy of the Sacred Heart of Mary, from 1946 to 1969. The Seventh-Day Adventists bought the building in 1974 to house the Northeastern Academy, along with an adjacent, newer building. The Hurst House has been vacant since the 1980s and the interior has been damaged by fire and vandalism. As of 2020, the property was listed for sale and while preservationists fear the house may be demolished, some are hoping to renovate the house to create a community center.

William H. Hurst was president of the New York Stock Quotation Telegraph Company (he was not related to William Randolph Hurst, the California millionaire newspaper publisher). He and his wife, Mary Ellen Murphy ("Minnie"), lived in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan at Lafayette Boulevard and 176th Street in 1907 when their house was robbed. A bicycle policeman saw the thieves carrying away some of the goods and chased them through Fort Washington Park. One of the three robbers was caught with several oil paintings, vases, and other items. Mr. Hurst also had a residence at 238 Central Park West. After the robbery, Mrs. Hurst had most of their valuable items moved to the Central Park West property. Perhaps this prompted the Hurst family to look for a new place to call home. Mr. Hurst bought a lot in Inwood in 1910.

James W. O'Connor (1875-1952) designed the three-and-a-half-story brick house for Hurst in Inwood in 1912. The architect was a Columbia U. grad who specialized in designing schools, convents, hospitals, and public housing projects, including the Morrisania Projects in the Bronx. He partnered with James F. Dulaney to design the Tuberculosis and Cancer Hospital on Roosevelt Island.

The family's former butler sued Hurst because he had been bitten by the family's poodle. James J. O'Brien was bitten by Chiquita, the pet of Miss Claire Hurst, while serving tea on the lawn of the home in June 1918. O'Brien asked for $2,000 and Hurst offered $25. The matter was settled out of court. One Hurst daughter. Theo passed away in 1925. Mrs. Hurst (Minnie) was survived by her husband and eleven children at the time of her death in January 1929: Edmund, Nathalie, William H. Jr., Gerald, Austin, Mark, George, Mary, Katherine, Theresa Redmond, and Clare Forney. After Mr. Hurst's death in March 1929 at the house in Inwood, his estate was divided among his eleven children, with each receiving over $24,000. The house was sold by Hurst's estate and became a Catholic girls' school in 1949.

The Academy of the Sacred Heart of Mary, later called the Gerard School, was established in 1938 at 37 Park Terrace East, with 120 students. The school opened at the larger building, the former Hurst House, in September 1949. Nuns who taught at the school lived on the third floor of the house. There were two sitting rooms on either side of the entrance on the first floor. Double staircases behind a chandelier led to the upper levels. A sunroom on the second floor served as a sacristy for the chapel. Classrooms also occupied the second floor; each had a fireplace. A kitchen and dining room were in the basement. The students were taught to pray in French. The Gerard School closed circa 1969 and merged with a Catholic high school.

Hurst family members, some who had never met before, held a reunion in Inwood in 2013, at the public garden behind the house (Bruce's Garden, which honors local police officer Bruce Reynolds who died on 9/11). The descendants contributed historical photos and stories to local realtor, Cole Thompson, who was been documenting Inwood's history.

The house last sold in 2020. The new owners put the property up for sale in 2021 for $2.2 million. The catch is that you wouldn't really own the property, but would be leasing it for 49 years. Zoning would allow up to an eight-story building to be constructed on the lot, so the house may not survive for much longer.

Anonymous. "Thieves at W. H. Hurst's." The Sun (New York) March 19th 1907. 14-14.

Anonymous. "Asks $2,000 for Dog Bite." New York Times (New York) January 11th 1921.

Historic Districts Council. William A. Hurst House, Six to Celebrate: Inwood, Manhattan. Accessed November 19th 2021. https://6tocelebrate.org/site/william-a-hurst-house/.

Hurst House: A Forgotten Relic of Uptown's Gilded Age. Thompson, Cole. William H. Hurst family photos. United States. 2020. YouTube video.

Kilmer, Robin Elizabeth. A cousins' club, Manhattan Times. July 3rd 2013. Accessed November 20th 2021. https://www.manhattantimesnews.com/a-cousins-clubun-club-de-primos/.

Saltonstall, Gus. A 50K Sq-Ft Lot in Inwood Can Be Yours For 49 Years For $2.5M, Patch: Washington Heights-Inwood, NY. April 8th 2021. Accessed November 19th 2021.

https://patch.com/new-york/washington-heights-inwood/50k-sq-ft-lot-inwood-can-be-yours-49-years-2-2m.

School & College Listings. Academy of the Sacred Heart of Mary - Park Terrace, School & College Listings. October 1st 2021. Accessed November 20th 2021. https://www.schoolandcollegelistings.com/US/New-York/186681854706216/Academy-of-the-Sacred-Heart-of-Mary---Park-Terrace.

Thompson, Cole. William H. Hurst House, My Inwood. June 23rd 2013. Accessed November 18th 2021. https://myinwood.net/william-h-hurst-house/.