History
Edwin Clark Litchfield had no idea of the contribution he was inadvertently making to the future Prospect Park when he chose this remote hillside with views of the New York Harbor to build his dream castle. A prominent railroad pioneer and real estate developer, Litchfield purchased the old Cortelyou estate, and on the highest bluff, set out to build his home. World renowned architect A.J. Davis (who also designed the famous Gothic mansion Lyndhurst in Tarrytown, NY) designed a rare Italian-style villa rimmed with towers, bays and porches. A circular reception hall with multi-colored tiles, known as "The Grand Hall" was surrounded by a second floor gallery and illuminated by a sunlit dome. With three stories of rooms like "The Theater Room," which had its own stage, "The Gold Room," and a family chapel, Davis had created a palace for Litchfield, who named the mansion "Grace Hill" after his wife.



                                                                                            Litchfield Villa, c. 1900. Bob Levine Collection.


Litchfield owned all the land from the Villa down to the waterfront between First and Ninth Streets. As founder and president of the Brooklyn Improvement Company, Litchfield was busy developing the Red Hook waterfront and building the Gowanus Canal. Meanwhile the City of Brooklyn had its own plans, including an ambitious new park in the spirit of the newly created Central Park. In 1860, preliminary park plans were drawn up and Litchfield was forced to give up 24 acres of his estate to the greater good of Brooklyn’s future park. In 1866, Central Park designers Olmsted and Vaux were called upon to design the new park. The massive undeveloped acreage they determined to be necessary for the project happened to include all the land surrounding the Villa. Legislation designating the creation of the new Park passed through the New York State Assembly in 1858, and Litchfield was legally bound to accept just compensation for his property. In 1868, he surrendered his estate to the City of Brooklyn, after which he requested permission to rent the mansion from the City. For $2500 per year, Litchfield and his family stayed in the mansion during the Park’s construction. Following his wife’s death in 1881, he moved to upstate New York, where he died just two years later.

In 1911, the Litchfield Villa Annex, a two-story building connected to the mansion through an extended portico, was constructed by the architectural firm of Helmle, Huberty, and Hudswell (also responsible for the Boathouse and Tennis House). Since the departure of Litchfield, the Villa has been used as Parks Police headquarters, a public library, a museum of natural history and, since 1942, a Parks Department administrative office. In 1966, the Villa was designated a New York City landmark.

Restoration
In the 1930s, Litchfield Villa’s stucco exterior was removed, exposing the bare brick. The Annex received renovations in 1987. The Villa had a complete restoration of its roof and recently received historic painting of its interior.


Click here to see Litchfield Villa today.