Houses of Ridgewood

Ridgewood has a rich history of houses. In 1853, Captain Samuel Dayton was the first New Yorker to purchase property in what is now Ridgewood, and he began at once to sell parcels of land to family members and business acquaintances from Manhattan and Brooklyn. Meanwhile, mill owners in places like Godwinville and Lydecker’s Mill lobbied for a station closer to them; this led to a flag stop and, by the late 1850s, the construction of passenger and freight stations. Regularly scheduled service led to the construction of at least a dozen of the beautifully designed homes on Prospect Street. Towns like Ridgewood offered suburban comfort, a healthy environment (outside the “salt air belts” that encircled the city, and very few mosquitoes!), and an affordable commute (in 1906, it cost $6.35 for a month of rides). Many beautifully designed Victorian homes built for and by New Yorkers still exist and help to make Ridgewood a desirable town in which to live.