St. Nicholas Home, now closed, offered assisted living and respite care in the Bay Ridge neighborhood of Brooklyn, with its address at 425 Ovington Avenue and the nurses' home across the street at 443 Ovington Avenue, in a big redbrick building with Victorian-style details that looked like something out of old Brooklyn, which made it feel cozy and familiar to many seniors who lived there, and there was a nice garden outside where you'd often see residents enjoying fresh air in a safe courtyard. The facility had room for up to 75 people in a close-knit, community-oriented setting where folks could choose between one-bedroom, semi-private, studio, and private bath options, all with the comforts needed for those aged 55 and older, including full furnishing, housekeeping, daily room cleaning, linen and towel service, and some rooms even had kitchenettes, so folks could feel at home.
Residents got all-inclusive rent that covered nearly everything, which made paying easy to manage, and they could stay as their needs changed, since St. Nicholas Home offered a range of care from independent living to assisted living and memory care, plus short-term respite care if a caregiver needed a little break, with 24/7 staff on-site to help with medication, bathing, dressing, or transfers, and a nurse around up to 16 hours a day. Meals were served in a shared dining room, prepared fresh, and they could handle special diets like diabetic, vegetarian, kosher, low salt, or low fat, and snacks were always available, and loved ones could join for meals if they wanted. Amenities included a fitness room, movie room, small library, a computer center, a beauty salon, lounges, a chapel, and activity rooms, and there were sitting areas on each floor, a television room, and an outdoor garden for walking paths and fresh air.
The social and recreational programming was steady, with things like bingo, bridge, arts and crafts, movie nights, community-sponsored activities, planned day trips, and birthday or holiday parties, so there was always something going on, and the staff supported resident-led events and family involvement. The Home offered transportation for doctor visits and outings, concierge support, and an on-site pharmacy, along with mental wellness programs, wellness checks, and language assistance in English, Farsi, French, Italian, and Spanish. Residents-who could even have pets-felt supported with help for activities of daily living and could access health care as needed including medication management. Security was good, with 24-hour call systems, supervision, emergency alert systems, and regular staff checks.
St. Nicholas Home had a long history, dating back to 1912 as Bay Ridge Hospital before it became a nursing home and assisted living facility, and after a fire, they built a fireproof five-story building for safety. At its largest, it had 96 beds and served as a nonprofit, helping seniors age in place. Facilities included an on-site laundry, daily linen service, a chapel, a wellness center, and community spaces for socializing. The property had a total size of 54,512 square feet, sitting on 21,505 square feet of land, with frontage and a depth that gave enough space for both buildings and gardens, and while it was once a busy home for elders, it ended up closing and is set to become a new high school, after the city bought it for $10.2 million. The building is no longer open, but many remember its focus on belonging, comfort, and care in a place that once felt like home.
