John Wheeler House

The John Wheeler House was built in 1873 in the French Second Empire style. Wheeler is credited to have participated in the design of his home, which is part of the Bell Place-Locust Hill Avenue Historic District in Yonkers, NY. The Bell Place-Locust Hill Avenue Historic District, including the John Wheeler House, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

The John Wheeler House was built in 1873 for prominent Yonkers resident John Wheeler. Wheeler had significant real estate holdings in Yonkers, served a term as village trustee, and was a founder and long-time trustee of the People's Savings Bank of Yonkers. Wheeler is credited with designing some of the buildings on properties that he owned.

The John Wheeler House was constructed in the French Second Empire style, which is a style seen in many of the other historic homes in the district. A distinguishing feature of the house is the high mansard roof, which has a concave curved lower slope and is ornamented with paired brackets. The house also exhibits segmental arched windows marked with basket-handle surrounds and a spacious veranda.

In the early 1980s the John Wheeler House and other historic houses in the area were in danger of being replaced by apartment buildings. To protect these historic homes, the city of Yonkers applied for state and federal landmark designation for the Bell Place-Locust Hill Avenue Historic District. In 1985, the Bell Place-Locust Hill Avenue Historic District, including the John Wheeler House, was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

1. “Bell Place - Locust Avenue Historic District #85001936.” National Register of Historic Places. United States Department of the Interior/National Park Service. 1985. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75322957
2. Brown, Betsy. Westchester Housing; Status Sought for Yonkers Enclave. The New York Times. Feb. 28, 1982. Accessed June 30, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/1982/02/28/nyregion/westchester-housing-status-sought-for-yonkers-enclave.html
3. Williams, Gray. Picturing Our Past: National Register Sites in Westchester County. Westchester County Historical Society. 2003.