The Rockaways and Coney Island lashed by storm
One hundred years ago today … The February 5th papers promised a break from what had been a bitter and stormy winter so far.
The Sun and Herald, Feb. 5th, 1920, p.1.
But meteorology had not yet reached the state of perfection it has now. A storm hit New York City, “the worst sleet and snow storm in years,” said the Daily News the next day, which, accompanied by high tides, caused extreme damage to the south shores of Brooklyn and Queens.
The Daily News Feb. 6th, 1920, p. 1.
In other tragic news, the Daily News of February 5th reported that a fire at 52 W. 9th Street in Manhattan killed a NYC high society member and her two daughters.
The Daily News Feb. 5th, 1920, p. 1.
According to reports, Mrs. William Forbes Morgan died trying to save her two daughters from the fire. Her name indicates her connection to two famous families, and she also happened to be a cousin by marriage to Eleanor Roosevelt.
Now, this wouldn’t be an NYC site without an occasional bit of real estate porn. So, yes, “the Morgan House” in the photo above was restored and still exists. Here is its real estate listing, which includes a photo of that same front facade, no longer burnt-out, of course, and what looks like the same fireplace as above (though that would suggest some construction on the house since). The real estate website at the link estimates the building’s current cost at $8.5 million.