Rectory of the Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton

James Watson House; Our Lady of the Rosary; 7 State Street

Description

The James Watson House is now the rectory of the Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first saint canonized in the United States. The Watson House at 7 State Street actually consists of two parts.

Constructed, 1793

The eastern portion, only two windows wide, was built in 1793. James Watson, the wealthy merchant and importer who lived at 7 State Street, was one of the ambitious, early-rising group called the “Peep o’ Day Boys” who awoke before dawn to scan the harbor for incoming ships. The wooden columns on the porch of his house are said to be repurposed ship’s masts.

Addition, 1806

The distinctive western portion with its curved porch is attributed to John McComb Jr. and was added in 1806. The Watson House was once part of an elegant row of townhouses, but by the late nineteenth century when Father John Joseph Riordan bought the property for the Mission of Our Lady of the Rosary the street’s glory days were in the past. At the turn of the twentieth century an elevated train rattled just outside the house’s front windows. By the 1960s the property had so deteriorated that the Watson House was gutted inside and 8 State Street, where Elizabeth Seton had lived, was demolished.

Opened, Jan, 1884

Economic hardship and political unrest in Ireland drove mass emigration to America between the mid-19th and early 20th centuries, with women forming the majority of Irish emigrants. Alarmed by the dangers faced by young, single women departing from Queenstown, reformer Charlotte Grace O’Brien established the O’Brien Emigrants Home in 1882 and investigated conditions upon arrival in New York.

Her efforts led to the creation of the Mission of Our Lady of the Rosary at Castle Garden in 1884, which provided protection, housing, job placement, and guidance for Irish immigrant women. Over time, the Mission assisted tens of thousands of women, safeguarded arrivals from exploitation, and became a critical support system for Irish female immigrants entering New York.

Addition, 1965

Sturges and Shanley (a descendant of Mother Seton), designed a new church for the 8 State Street site in a style that drew from the Federal and Georgian periods to complement the Watson House next door. It is said that Sturges and Shanley planned the sanctuary to be reminiscent of a ballroom because of Elizabeth Seton’s love of dancing.

Designations

New York City Landmark in Nov 23, 1965

National Register of Historic Places in July 24, 1972

Factoids

1806 -In 1806 Watson sold the house to Moses Rogers and the address was changed to 7 State Street. Rogers was the brother-in-law of shipping magnate Archibald Gracie, who built the spacious home on the northeast side of Manhattan that came to be known as Gracie Mansion. Moses Rogers combined his house with the residence next door which sat significantly back due to the curve of the street. In order to create a unified facade, a colonnaded portico was added, reportedly using masts from his fleet of merchant ships which he was converting to steam power.

Related People & Organizations

St Elizabeth Ann Seton

James Watson,James Watson was the first Speaker of the New York State Assembly and a Federalist member of the New York and United States Senates. He was a Yale University graduate who became a prosperous importer-exporter. Once part of a row of late-eighteenth-century mansions, the building recalls the time when New York's merchant families lived at Manhattan's southern tip, near the river, in order to have an unobstructed harbor view and to be in close proximity to their shipping interests. At that time it was numbered 6 State Street. In 1806 Watson sold the house.

Related Sites

Elizabeth Ann Seton is Canonized

St Elizabeth Seton statue at the Shrine

Elizabeth Seton statue at St. Patrick's Cathedral

Timeline

1806

1965+ 1

1975

Images

3 ResultsShow less

Images

3 ImagesShow less

The wooden columns on the porch are said to be repurposed ship’s masts

Two parts - Eastern side built 1793, and Western side added in 1806 by John McComb Jr.

1965 - Addition

3 ResultsShow less

1965 - Addition - Images

3 ImagesShow less

The church was designed in a style that drew from the Federal and Georgian periods to complement the Watson House next door.

"Shrine of Staint Elizabeth Ann Seton, first American born saint. 8 State Street."

Tablet Inscription

1806 - Addition

2 ResultsShow less

1806 - Addition - Images

2 ImagesShow less

The curved porch for early-rising group called the “Peep o’ Day Boys” who awoke before dawn to scan the harbor for incoming ships.

James Watson House, 1936

ASSOCIATED SITES

2 ResultsShow less

Events and Stories

1 ResultShow less

Elizabeth Ann Seton is Canonized

New York

Religion

Public Art

1 ResultShow less

St Elizabeth Seton statue at the Shrine

Robert E. Gaspari

New York

Sculpture

Phone App
Membership
Add Content
FAQ
Help
Contact Us

Newsletter Sign Up

37-24, 24th St, Suite 102, Long Island City, NY 11101