Brougham Cottage, Staten Island

Address: 4745 Amboy Road
Architect: unknown
Constructed: early 18th century
LPC Action: Public Hearing in 2000
LPC Backlog Hearing: Prioritized for designation

Designated - December 13, 2016  

LPC-Fact Sheet | Research File

HDC Testimony 

The Cottage is a living testament to the changing character of Staten Island. The most distinctive feature of its original one-story section, dating from the early part of the 18th century, is the substantial stone chimney that recalls the Island’s rural quality. Eventually, when development began in earnest, the house was used as an office to sell land for a housing development. Now located in a park, and managed by the Historic House Trust, it is deserving of landmark status for its long history, as well as its rustic charm.

LPC Statement of Significance:

Brougham Cottage is a remarkable survivor of Staten Island’s rural past, both in its architecture and in the history of its inhabitants. Known as the oldest continuously-occupied house in Staten Island, the story it and its inhabitants tell is a compelling tale of development on Staten Island, from country-side to suburban community. Originally used as a farm residence, the cottage has served as a home, a horticultural nursery and the local office and clubhouse of a residential development. It was while serving as the clubhouse for the Woods of Arden development in 1922, that the real estate developer and civic leader Cornelius Kolff hosted the meeting that accomplished the merger between the Antiquarian Society and the Historical Society into the Staten Island Historical Society, which has acted for the past eight decades as a powerful force for the appreciation and preservation of history on Staten Island.

 

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