The Guastavino House – a little bit of Valencia in the USA

Sometimes houses are, completely accurately, described as unique yet few can measure up to the quirky individuality displayed by Casa Guastavino.

Walk along the South Shore of Long Island and you cannot fail to notice the row of elegant, well-established residences that evoke a period when life was lived on a grand scale. Considering that these memorable buildings were constructed between the 1880s and the 1920s, this is not surprising. However there is one especially eye-catching property that is very closely linked with the Spanish city of Valencia.

This extraordinary structure evokes Moorish Spain even from the exterior, but inside the cultural influence is stronger still. Its appearance is so remarkable that small craft owners on the Great South Bay frequently use it as a landmark.

Built in 1912 by Rafael Guastavino Jr., Casa Guastavino is known by many locals as “Tile House”, a moniker explained once one crosses the threshold and is confronted by the breathtaking display of ceramic tiling.

Brought to America from Valencia in 1881 by Rafael Guastavino i Moreno Sr., Rafael Jr. benefited from his father’s ingenuity. Guastavino Sr. had invented and patented the tile arch or timbrel system, an intricate process which formed self-supporting arches and vaults by interlocking fireproof terracotta tiles in a herringbone pattern.

Rafael Jr. took over his father’s company, maintaining his control until the 1960s, by which time the tile arch system had helped the Gustavino family to amass a considerable fortune. Among the most famous Guastavino projects are the Boston Public Library, Grand Central Terminal, Ellis Island and Carnegie Hall.

Casa Guastavino, later inherited by Rafael Jr’s daughter on her marriage to mustard millionaire, Frank Gulden, is a living monument to the tiler’s art and is best appreciated visually.

It is almost impossible to decide on the highlights of this wonderfully unique house, but of particular interest are the details around the fireplaces and the fabulous ceilings, which set Casa Guastavino apart from even the most lavish mansions on Long Island.

For once the expression “has to be seen to be believed” is entirely justified.

Request more information about Casa Guastavino from Rimontgó or contact at

New post on at Friday, 29 January, 2010, 6:36 am and is archived in Art, Culture, Lifestyle, People, Places of Interest. Subscribe to answers with RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.