Britton Cottage on Staten Island Receives $2.1m Restoration, Set to Reopen After 58 Years
A restoration project costing $2.1 million is currently in progress at Britton Cottage, a 350-year-old structure located in Historic Richmond Town, Staten Island, New York. Announced by the New York City Council in September 2025, this funding will enable the cottage to welcome visitors for the first time since 1967. The original fieldstone core dates back to 1670, with later wood-frame additions from the mid-18th century. Relocated from New Dorp Beach in 1965 to avoid demolition for a planned parkway by Robert Moses, the cottage is named after Nathaniel Lord Britton, who inherited it in 1894. The restoration, led by preservation officer Corbet Walser, adopts a comprehensive approach, with plans for botany exhibitions and a focus on the cottage's historical ties to the upcoming 2027 bicentennial of New York's abolition of slavery. Curator Gabriella Leone highlights the necessity of including all community narratives in the site's history.
Key facts
- Britton Cottage is over 350 years old, with a fieldstone core dating to 1670.
- It was relocated to Historic Richmond Town in 1965 to avoid demolition from a planned parkway under Robert Moses.
- A $2.1m restoration, funded by the New York City Council in September 2025, will open it to the public for the first time since 1967.
- The cottage is named after Nathaniel Lord Britton, co-founder of the New York Botanical Garden, who inherited it in 1894.
- Obadiah Holmes, an early judicial clerk, is associated with the cottage, leading to speculation that its stone section is one of New York's oldest surviving public buildings.
- Restoration carpenter Russell Powell has worked with Richmond Town since the 1980s.
- Corbet Walser, a preservation officer, says the museum is studying archival materials and physical evidence for the restoration.
- Plans include botany exhibitions and possible inclusion in the 2027 bicentennial of the abolition of slavery in New York, as owner Isaac Cubberly was an enslaver.
Entities
Artists
- Nathaniel Lord Britton
- Elizabeth Britton
- Obadiah Holmes
- Robert Moses
- Russell Powell
- Corbet Walser
- Isaac Cubberly
- Gabriella Leone
Institutions
- Historic Richmond Town
- New York City Council
- New York Botanical Garden
- Britton's Meadow
Locations
- Staten Island
- New York
- United States
- New Dorp Beach
- Bronx
- New York City