Malverne Historical Society

The Joseph L. Landers

Memorial Restoration

On February 26, l996 the Malverne Historical & Preservation Society, with the cooperation of Collette Walls-Ward, and as a result of a private donation from Mrs. Jeanne Landers, purchased the house and land at 369 Ocean Avenue, Malverne, to be used as a restored home to display the society’s historical collection.

The restoring process was supervised by Society member Cathy Rayano. Materials, skills and time were donated by members, community residents and merchants. The Restoration was officially opened on June 2, l996. At that time the house was named in memory of Joseph L. Landers, Jeanne Landers’ husband, a father and forty-three year resident of Malverne. The Opening was dedicated to the memory of John Guarino Jr., a former Village Historian who passed away before assuming the presidency of the Society.

The Restoration house dates back to 1854 when eight acres of land were deeded to Samuel B. Shannon on which he built an English style “wing house”.  Mr. Shannon’s heirs in 1920 and 1921 sold the property to Paul Lindner who owned Norwood. The following year Paul Lindner sold the property to Melissa Ann Gregory who, in 1924 sold it to a Dr. Christopher Stapleton and his wife Alice Sepple.

Dr. Stapleton, who came from England and taught at Fordham University, and his wife were looking for a summer retreat convenient to the city. In 1924 they purchased a “farm house” on a dirt road - 369 Ocean Avenue. A year later, Dr. Stapleton added an Olde English style great room much like the study in his family castle in Oxford, England. The Studio, as he would call it, still has the original triangular stained glass windows that were imported from Oxfordshire, England.

The Stapletons had two daughters, Gwendolyn and Alice. In 1950, the deed to the property was transferred to Alice Stapleton Walls who lived there until her death in 1995. The Society then acquired the property.

The Malverne Historical & Preservation Society Restoration is a community focal point for both young and old, a place where our rich Malverne heritage is displayed.