Harlan’s History: VILLA MARIA BY-THE-SEA, 1967

This real-photo postcard, postmarked July 16, 1967, shows an aerial view of one of Stone Harbor’s most familiar landmarks: Villa Maria by-the-Sea. Built in 1937, the oceanfront convent sits between 111th and 112th Streets. The three-story complex included an impressive chapel, lecture hall, refectory, kitchen, pantry, laundry, and storerooms. Additional buildings on the grounds housed clergy. Villa Maria was built by—and served—the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

When it opened, the convent could accommodate about 250 sisters and primarily served as a summer retreat. The nuns enjoyed their own stretch of beach, watched over by Stone Harbor’s borough-trained lifeguards. Locals still know it fondly as “Nun’s Beach.”