#something abt amelia almost consistently leaving her family home and never looking back.

[sanctamater]

the van nostrand family home sits firmly at 51 east 80th street, at the intersection of madison ave and a block away from 5th avenue; firmly at the seat of both the metropolitan museum of art and central park. it is an impressive, classic brownstone with italian influence in the wrought iron doors and the carvings of the stone; boasting four floors in addition to a lower basement level which serves as a work and living quarters for any staff. the brownstone, which was commissioned in 1879 by amelia's father, james van nostrand, boasts six bedrooms (with two dressing rooms), seven bathrooms (not counting staff quarters), a ballroom, two dining rooms (informal and formal), a library, two offices, a music room, parlour, sitting room, and a drawing room. the interior boasts italian marble floors and imported walnut and oak panelling/floors; and is furnished with family heirlooms and portraits. the decoration was left to the matriarch of the family, anna van nostrand, who had it decorated in the same popular italian style that the brownstone is based off of - what the family did not possess, they imported directly from italy, sparing no expense. in addition, it boasts indoor plumbing, gaslamps, and a fireplace in almost every room.

while the home was built to accommodate the growing family after amelia's aunt and james' widowed sister-in-law, marianne, came to live with her in-laws with her two young daughters after her husband passed suddenly; it was also strategically planned - their former, smaller family home (a plain, three floor brownstone - much too small for eight people to occupy as a family) was 201 east 18th st; an area that had been slipping out of fashion over the past decade as more and more of the 400 left to build newer mansions in the trendier areas along 5th avenue - to stay in favour, one had to keep up with the jones family. literally.

51 east 80th st was completed in 1883; only a few months before amelia's mother, anna, died in childbirth - casting a permanent shadow on the family home that lasted well after her passing. its fate is always up in the air - the mrs comstock signs the deed over to zachary upon marrying him; and he, in turn, sells it to the van nostrands when they leave for columbia. in other universes, booker sells it to the van nostrands after inheriting it from amelia after her passing - and sells it to them for an astronomically low some. in others, it becomes the family home of the dewitts after booker and amelia marry - and passes down through the dewitt family well into the present. once the circle is broken, amelia simply signs the deed over to her cousin upon leaving for england, and does not return to her childhood home - or new york - ever again.