Inisfada & The Brady Legacy

Nicholas Frederic Brady was born on October 27, 1878, in Albany, New York. He was the son of industrialist Anthony N. Brady, whose business interests formed the foundation of a large corporate empire. Nicholas attended private schools, graduated from Yale University in 1899, and began preparing for leadership roles within the family’s extensive utility and industrial holdings. Although raised Episcopalian, he developed a strong interest in the Catholic faith as a young adult.

Nicholas Brady & Genevieve Garvan Brady

Genevieve Garvan was born on April 11, 1880, in Hartford, Connecticut. She was raised in a Catholic household, educated at the Sacred Heart schools in Providence and Westchester County, and continued her studies in Dresden and Paris. Her early life emphasized Catholic instruction, international exposure, and participation in charitable work.

Nicholas and Genevieve met in the early twentieth century, and their shared values led to marriage on August 20, 1906. Before the wedding, Nicholas formally converted to Catholicism, aligning himself with Genevieve’s faith. The couple had no children but became widely known for their involvement in Catholic organizations, educational institutions, and social service efforts.

After their marriage, Nicholas and his brother James Cox Brady jointly managed the business empire created by their father. Nicholas served as chairman of the New York Edison Company and held directorships in Anaconda Copper, Westinghouse Electric, National City Bank, Union Carbide, and other major enterprises in the United States and Japan. The Brady brothers also played a critical role in supporting Walter Chrysler during the formation of the Chrysler Corporation, and Nicholas later served as a lifelong board member.

While Nicholas oversaw the family’s corporate interests, Genevieve expanded her work in philanthropy and Catholic service. During World War I she purchased the Old Colony Club in New York City and made it available to the United States government as a training center for nurses preparing for service in Europe. She was later honored by both France and Belgium for her contributions to refugee aid. Her civic roles included vice chair of the National Women’s Committee on Welfare and Relief Mobilization, board chair of the Girl Scouts of the USA, founder of the Carroll Club for Catholic businesswomen, and vice president of the Welfare Council of New York. In 1934 the University of Notre Dame awarded her the Laetare Medal as the most notable lay Catholic in America.

Inisfada

Around 1916, the Bradys began planning a major estate on the North Shore of Long Island. They selected a large tract of land in North Hills, eventually encompassing approximately three hundred acres. They named the property Inisfada, using the Irish term for Long Island. The architect chosen for the project was John T. Windrim of Philadelphia, known for his institutional and monumental designs.

Construction of Inisfada took place from 1916 to 1920 at a cost exceeding two million dollars. The mansion was built in the Tudor Revival style, combining stone construction, tall chimneys, carved woodwork, and leaded glass windows. When finished, the house contained eighty seven rooms. It was one of the largest private residences in the United States and ranked among the major Gold Coast estates of the early twentieth century.

The interior of Inisfada was designed to accommodate both private living and large gatherings. The mansion contained formal rooms, guest suites, staff quarters, libraries, and service wings. Several chapels were incorporated into the house, reflecting the Bradys’ close relationship with the Catholic Church and the Jesuit order. These chapels included carved altars, imported ecclesiastical furnishings, religious artwork, and intricate wood detailing.

The main rooms featured extensive use of fine woods, carved paneling, and imported materials. The scale of the estate also required landscaped grounds, long drives, and surrounding woodland designed to preserve privacy and create a controlled environment around the mansion. Inisfada was used to host clergy, Catholic leaders, and visitors from the United States and abroad. It also served as a setting for meetings and fundraising events related to the Bradys’ charitable commitments.

In the 1920s, Nicholas and Genevieve became increasingly connected to Vatican affairs. Nicholas received several papal honors, including induction into the Supreme Order of Christ, the highest papal distinction. In 1926 he was granted the title of Papal Duke by Pope Pius XI. Genevieve received papal honors as well, including the title of Papal Duchess, and was recognized by several Catholic orders for her philanthropy and civic work.

Nicholas died in New York City on March 27, 1930, at the age of fifty two due to complications from a spinal condition. He was buried in a crypt beneath the altar of the Jesuit Novitiate in Wernersville, Pennsylvania. Genevieve inherited his estate and continued her religious and civic involvement. That same year, she donated ninety five artworks to the Jesuit novitiate, one later identified as a work by Tintoretto.

On March 6, 1937, Genevieve married William Babington Macaulay, the Irish Free State minister to the Vatican, in a private ceremony. She died in Rome on November 24, 1938, after a brief illness. Her remains were returned to Wernersville and interred beside Nicholas.

In accordance with Genevieve’s wishes, Inisfada was bequeathed to the Jesuit order. The estate was first used as a seminary and later, beginning in 1963, became the St. Ignatius Retreat House. Its chapels and its quiet grounds were well suited to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. For decades the mansion served as a retreat center for clergy, religious groups, and laypeople seeking spiritual direction.

By 2012, the Jesuits determined that maintaining the property was no longer financially sustainable.

They announced the closure of both Inisfada and the Mount Manresa retreat center in Staten Island. Preservationists, community leaders, and historians attempted to save the mansion and sought landmark protection, but these efforts were unsuccessful. At the time of sale, the original estate had been reduced to thirty three acres.

In May 2013 the property was sold for thirty six and a half million dollars to the Manhasset Bay Group, a consortium of four Hong Kong based development firms. The final Mass at Inisfada was celebrated on June 2, 2013. The Saint Genevieve Chapel, known for its detailed woodwork, was removed and placed in storage under the care of Fordham University. Demolition of the mansion began on December 5, 2013, ending the physical presence of one of the largest homes ever built on Long Island.

A final change occurred in 2023 regarding the Bradys’ burial places. Although Nicholas and Genevieve had been interred since the 1930s in a crypt beneath the main altar at Wernersville, the closure of the Jesuit Center led to the relocation of their remains. On May 12, 2023, their coffins were removed and transferred to a newly constructed wall near the Jesuit cemetery. Nicholas’s bronze coffin, weighing more than fifteen hundred pounds, required mechanical equipment and a coordinated effort from workers and clergy. Their new memorial markers were designed in a style consistent with Jesuit tombstones.

Inisfada no longer stands, but the history of Nicholas and Genevieve Brady remains closely connected to the estate they created. Their work in business, philanthropy, and Catholic service shaped both the house and the institutions that benefited from their support. The property has disappeared, but the story of the Bradys and their estate continues to be an important chapter in the history of Long Island and American Catholic philanthropy.