S aint Genevieve Chapel, originally housed within the famed Inisfada estate in Manhasset, New York, represents a rare and complete example of early 20th-century American ecclesiastical craftsmanship. Designed and executed by Gorham & Company under the direction of Frank Moffitt, the chapel is richly adorned with masterful carvings, gilding, sculpture, and painted decoration throughout. At its center stands a monumental altar crowned by a gilded and carved wooden canopy and a bronze and gilded Crucifix flanked by hand-carved figures of Our Lady and St. John. The altar ensemble is further distinguished by marble columns, a carved tabernacle door depicting a pelican feeding her young, and a Latin inscription drawn from Psalm 83.
On either side of the altar, finely carved statues of the Madonna and St. Joseph occupy decorative niches, contributing to the chapel’s harmonious devotional program. The oak-paneled walls provide the setting for an extraordinary complete set of Stations of the Cross, each meticulously hand-carved in lemon wood by Italian artisans and framed in oak with accompanying angelic figures. Between the Stations stand sculpted representations of the Twelve Apostles, creating a continuous architectural rhythm around the space. Overhead, the carved oak ceiling honors the Virgin Mary through rosettes bearing her titles in Latin, including Stella Maris and Turris Davidica. An intimate sacristy, accessed through an exquisite wrought-iron gate, completes the chapel’s functional and artistic design.
Meticulously dismantled and preserved prior to the demolition of Inisfada, the surviving sections and artworks of Saint Genevieve Chapel now represent a singular opportunity to acquire components of an important lost American architectural monument.
"We hear Holy Mass every day, thank God. The Chapel is always open and everyone who wishes to come to pray can do so at any time"
Nicholas Brady and Genevieve Garvan built a magnificent eighty-seven room mansion between 1916 and 1920, designed by the Philadelphia architect John Torrey Windrim (1866-1934), on three hundred acres in Manhasset, New York. They named it Inisfada (In-ish-FAH-dah), Gaelic for Long Island. The Brady’s spent over $2.25 million in their creation of a Tudor-Elizabethan style masterpiece that stood as one of the most elaborate American mansions ever erected. It was the 7th largest historic house in America.
The house was constructed of multi-colored bricks, varying from yellow to red to brown-red and to charcoal grey. The façade was lightened by touches of limestone trim and the main architectural feature was its high-rising tower. The home had thirty-seven chimneys, each unique in design and pattern, giving character to the slate roof. Beautifully carved granite figures of nursery rhyme characters were placed tastefully on either side of the porte-cochere and on every side of the house, and high in the gables. The landscape architecture was done by the Olmstead Brothers, known for designing the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, and Samuel Bowne Parsons Jr. (1844-1923) who worked on Central Park in New York City.
Before they moved in, the house and its private chapel were blessed by Cardinal Giovanni Bonzano (1867-1927), Apostolic Delegate to United States.
Located on Inisfada’s second floor was its architectural masterpiece, Saint Genevieve Chapel. Purportedly designed and executed by Gorham and Company under the skillful direction of Frank Moffitt this magnificent chapel is adorned with exquisite carvings, sculptures, gilding and paint decorations.
There was a gilded and carved wood canopy over the altar; a beautiful bronze and gilded Crucifix with the symbols of the four Evangelists. Our Lady and St. John hand carved figures are looking intently at the Crucified. The tabernacle door was carved with a pelican feeding her young. The center niche of wood is painted with lattice effect in red and gold. The altar is supported by two marble columns on a marble base. The inscription on the altar Altaria Tua, Domine Virtutum, Rex Meus et Deus Meus “Thy Altars, 0 Lord of Hosts, my King and my God”, is from Psalm 83, verse 3.
On either side of the altar, in decorated niches, are attractive, hand-carved statues of the Madonna and St. Joseph. The chapel walls and ceiling are done in carved oak. The walls form a fittingly attractive base for the Stations of the Cross, each an architectural gem, executed in minute detail and framed by diminutive statues of angels and separated one from the other by statues of the twelve Apostles. The Stations are hand carved in lemon wood by Italians artisans who worked on site during the Inisfada’s construction, while their frames are in oak.
The ceiling honors Our Lady, the carved rosettes announcing her titles in Latin; Porta Coeli, Oliva Speciosa, Radix Jesse, Plantatio Rosae, Stella Maris, Se des Sapientiae, Civitas Dei and Turris Davidica. The tiny sacristy was entered through an exquisite wrought iron gate.
After Nicholas Brady’s sudden death in 1930 Genevieve continued to live in Inisfada. Though a small army of caretakers and gardeners kept Inisfada in sparkling condition, Mrs. Brady found the place increasingly lonesome. Since the Brady’s had no children, she decided to sell the estate to the New York Province of the Catholic Society of Jesus. To cover the costs of maintaining such a large estate she sold Inisfada’s contents at a six-day onsite auction managed by Anderson Gallery Inc. on May 10 thru 15, 1937. The auction raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for donation to charities and the Society of Jesus. By June of 1937 Inisfada had become the St. Ignatius House of Studies. From 1940 to 1963 it was a Seminary for Jesuits on missions and on retreats. In 1963 the primary purpose of this house was for retreats until 2012 when the home and remaining land was put on the market and sold in 2013 to the Hong Kong-based development company, Manhasset Bay Group Inc. On December 5, 2013, Inisfada was demolished to make way for a housing development.
Before Inisfada was razed, Fordham University, under the direction of its the then-standing president, arranged for Saint Genevieve’s Chapel to be meticulously measured, labeled, disassembled and crated. It was placed in storage at Fordham University with the desire to re-erect it on Fordham’s campus. The project was however abandoned in 2022 and Fordham University divested itself of most of the Chapel.
The significance of such an important architectural ecclesiastical monument cannot be understated and its appearance in the marketplace is a unique occurrence. Sotheby’s is glad to arrange a viewing of the various sections and artwork of the chapel at your convenience.
Erik Gronning joined Sotheby’s in 2004. He is a noted American furniture scholar who has written extensively on late 17th and early 18th century American furniture for numerous publications, including The Magazine Antiques, The Catalog of Antiques and Fine Art and American Furniture and the Chipstone Foundation’s yearly journal. He is currently researching New York seating furniture and a group of early Queen Anne Maine case furniture.
Prior to joining Sotheby’s, Mr Gronning was an active American furniture dealer and member of the Antique Dealers Association of America as well as numerous state dealer associations. He has worked for the New York Historical Society and the American Folk Art Museum and continues to advise various other institutions, including the Historic Warner House in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He also is a National Council board member of the Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Mr Gronning is a graduate of the University of Vermont with a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology and Chemistry. He received a Master of Science degree in Entomology from Virginia Tech in 1994. Mr Gronning graduated from Sotheby’s American Arts Course in 1997.
