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 1, 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 Street (renumbered 11 East 11th Street 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.
Dr. Elisha Reynolds Belcher (original source unknown)
The Belcher children were young adults by 1855 when Henry listed his profession as "merchant," and John as "grocer." (John had studied medicine, but "then, for family reasons, went into the grocery business in New York, under the firm name of Mead, Belcher & Titus," according to The Class of 1845 of Yale College in 1881.)
Henry married Martha Ann Garrison in 1842 and the couple initially moved into the East 11th Street house with the family. On December 15, 1853, John married Emma Snyder at the family's country home. They lived here with the Belchers and on August 24, 1855, the couple had a daughter, Sarah Esther. Shortly afterward, Henry and Martha moved away.
Emma Snyder Belcher died here on January 14, 1858 at the age of 25. Her funeral was held in the parlor the following day. John Southard Belcher was now tasked with rearing his three-year-old daughter alone.
John Southard Belcher as he appeared in 1888 at the age of 65. The Record of the Class of 1845 of Yale College, 1888 (copyright expired)
There would be one more Belcher funeral in the house. Elisha Reynolds Belcher died at the age of 69 on March 19, 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. Born in 1835 and 1838, respectively, the couple was married on September 30, 1862 and would have four children: Guy, born in 1866; Louisa Verplanck, born in 1868; Philip Verplanck, burn in 1872; and Gulian Crommelin Verplanck (known as Guy), born two years later.
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 20, 1899.
Henry D. Whitfield followed Henry Goodwin. He was gone by the autumn of 1905. On September 8 that year, the New-York Tribune reported, "Mr. and Mrs. Harry B. Hollins, Jr., will be at No. 14 East 11th-st. throughout the winter." Henry was the son of millionaire financier Henry Bowly Hollins and his wife was the former Lilian Livingston.
From 1907 through 1909, Helen Bulkeley Redmond rented the house. Born in 1858, she was the widow of millionaire Roland Redmond, who died in 1894.
The Benjamin and Eliza Richards finally returned to 14 East 11th Street. Eliza died in the house on November 25, 1914. In reporting her death, The New York Times remarked, "She was one of the pioneer workers in the suffrage cause, and was a member of the various organizations and clubs connected with it in this city."
The house was soon home to attorney Charles MacVeagh and his family. The assistant general counsel of the United States Steel Corporation, MacVeagh was born on June 6, 1860, the son of Wayne MacVeagh, who was United States Attorney General under President James Garfield.
He and his wife, the former Fannie Davenport Rogers, had six sons. Their summer estate, Fasnacloich, was in Harrisville, New Hampshire. The couple erected the mansion there in 1911. (Although the architect of record is A. S. Bell, Fannie is generally credited with much of its design.)
On December 30, 1916, Lincoln MacVeagh's engagement to Margaret Charlton Lewis was announced. He was a graduate of Princeton and would go on to be the U.S. Ambassador to Portugal, Greece, Yugoslavia, South America, and Iceland.
When America entered World War I, two of the MacVeagh sons--Charles Jr. and Francis Wayne--were inducted into the U.S. Army. They were sent to the Plattsburgh, New York training camp on the same day, June 8, 1918.
At the end of the war, Charles Jr. returned to college and graduated from Harvard in June 1919. He lived with his parents in the East 11th Street house.
Charles MacVeagh would become U.S. Ambassador to Japan in 1925. from the collection of the Library of Congress.
Early in 1920, Fannie traveled to Washington D.C. to have an eye operation and in February, Charles Jr. went to Fasnacloich for the winter sports. He took along his friend, Charlton Reynders.
After being there a few days, on the afternoon of February 14, the two young men started out to climb to the summit of Mount Monadnock. The New York Times said, "The weather was fair and mild...They did not wear heavy coats, hats or gloves, as they expected to make a quick trip and believed the exercise would be sufficient to keep them warm." They were about a half mile from the summit when a snowstorm began. It quickly developed into "a wild mountain blizzard," as described by the newspaper.
In their attempt to get back down the mountain, they lost their bearings in the blinding storm. The conditions worsened with the loss of daylight. After becoming exhausted and stumbling several times, at around 9:00 MacVeagh lost consciousness. Reynders attempted to shield his friend from the snow and cold, but the 22-year-old MacVeagh died at around 4:00 that morning.
In the meantime, the Fasnacloich caretaker, Frederick Nettleton, realized that the young men had not returned and set out to find them. He fired his revolver at intervals and, finally, Reynders heard the shots and fired back. Nettleton helped Reynders, who was exhausted and suffering from exposure, to the foot of the mountain where he collapsed. Nettleton was forced to leave him there while he went to a farmhouse for help.
The farmer and Nettleton transported Reynders, who was unconscious, to the farmhouse on a toboggan. The New York Times reported, "although suffering severely from exposure, [he] is expected to recover."
On the night of February 15, Charles traveled to Washington to break the news to Fannie, who was still recovering. The Evening World reported that he would meet Lincoln MacVeagh in New Hampshire "to take charge of the body of his son."
The MacVeaghs left 14 East 11th Street that year and the Richards family leased it in August to the William George Sickel family. Described by The New York Times as being "prominent in shipping circles both here and in Europe," William Sickel was an executive with the American Ship and Commerce Corporation. He and his wife, Sallie Ruby Allen, had three children, Pearl A. Loraine, Jane Allen, and John Allen.
Five months after moving in, on January 21, 1921, the Sickels announced Jane Allen's engagement to George W. Lewis. In reporting the event, The New York Times remarked, "Miss Sickel is a graduate of Miss Wright's School at Bryn Mawr, Pa." The wedding took place in the parlor here on August 13, 1921.
After being in her family's possession for more six decades, on May 9, 1925, the Record & Guide reported that Louise Verplanck Richards had sold the house to Isabel Schelling.
Isabel was the wife of Dr. Henry I. Schelling. He was her second husband. In 1898, she was the secretary to General Stewart L. Woodford, a Civil War veteran and U.S. Minister at Madrid. When the Spanish-American War erupted, he and his legation party, including Isabel, left Spain for Paris. Two years later she and her employer were married. He died in 1913.
Isabel and Henry were married in 1915. Their summer home was in Southport, Connecticut. The intrepid Isabel went to Paris in 1917 with the American Red Cross, originally in charge of "a large surgical-dressing station," according to The New York Times. She later was attached to a Red Cross aviation canteen in Clermont-Ferrand, France.
Isabel was involved in politics, as well. On January 13, 1926, for instance, she hosted a meeting of the Republic Committee of One Hundred here.
Like the previous residents of the house, the Schellings not only enjoyed their country estates, but world travel. On April 1, 1928, The New York Times reported that they had sailed on the Volendam "for a motor trip of two months through Belgium and Holland."
The Shellings were in Southport on September 28, 1934 when Isabel died "of an apoplectic stroke," as reported by The New York Times. Her funeral was held in the Connecticut home.
image via the NYC Dept of Records & Information Services
In March 1950, esteemed architect Edgar A. Tafel and his wife, the former Lucille Blair, purchased the house. The New York Times reported that he intended to alter it "into a residence and architect's office." Instead, he converted it into one apartment each on the basement through third floors, and three furnished rooms on the fourth.
Born on March 12, 1912, Edgar Tafel had trained under Frank Lloyd Wright. During his nine-year residency, he had worked with Wright on Fallingwater, the Johnson Wax Headquarters and Wingspread, among others.
A young Edgar Tafel looks over the shoulder of Frank Lloyd Wright at Taliesin, in Spring Green, Wisconsin in the summer of 1938. photo by the Associated Press
In 1958, Tafel received the commission for the La Hermosa Community Center at Fifth Avenue and East 110th Street. At the same time, he was designing the Church House for the First Presbyterian Church. The latter project earned him a design award from the Fifth Avenue Association.
The following year he remodeled 14 East 11th Street again. It now held a duplex apartment in the basement and parlor floors, and one apartment each in the upper stories.
The Tafels were in St. Thomas, Virgin Island, on February 23, 1972, when Lucille Blair Tafel died. After having been a buyer for several department stores, she had until recently operated her own buying office, Hudson Blair.
On January 25, 2011, The New York Times reported Edgar Tafel, "among the best known of Frank Lloyd Wright's many apprentices," had died in the East 11th Street house a week earlier, on January 18, at the age of 98. The article said, "On his own, Mr. Tafel designed 80 houses, 35 religious buildings and 3 college campuses, among other projects."
Five years later, 14 East 11th Street 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.
photographs by the author
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