The area that is now Historic Richmond Town's main site served for nearly two centuries as the government center of Staten Island (Richmond County). After Staten Island became one of the five boroughs of New York City in 1898, the county offices were gradually moved to the northern part of Staten Island, closer to Manhattan, and Richmond Town became a quiet community as government offices, and the many businesses that served them, left the neighborhood.
In the 1930s, the Staten Island Historical Society, along with Borough Historian Loring McMillen, saw a historic preservation opportunity in the buildings that had been vacated, and in 1933 the Society obtained permission to renovate the former County Clerk's and Surrogate's Office for use as a museum. The museum opened in 1935, and in the following years the Society acquired several other nearby historic buildings. In 1948 the Society was granted use of the Third County Courthouse (which today serves as the Visitor Center). In the early 1950s, the City of New York acquired the 100-acre Richmond Town site, which was designated Richmondtown Restoration and set aside for preservation. Today this site, with 30 historic structures, serves as the largest of the four sites that make up Historic Richmond Town.
The Treasure House stands on its original site on Arthur Kill Road at the foot of Richmond Road, across Richmond Creek from the Church of St. Andrew. The house is an example of early American architecture that arose from European traditions transplanted to the New World.
Read MoreThe foundation is all that remains of the Second County Courthouse, a wood frame structure that was built in 1793-1794 on the west side of Arthur Kill Road. It is visible today as a rubble stone foundation between the Boehm House and the Treasure House.
Read MoreThe Christopher House is set back from the west side of Arthur Kill Road near Richmond Creek. Its original location was at 819 Willowbrook Road in Willowbrook. It is a one and one-half story stone farmhouse in a simple vernacular style with Dutch influences such as a spring eave and jambless fireplaces. It was constructed in two sections, ca. 1720 and ca. 1730, each having one room with a cellar below and a garret above.
Read MoreBased on its architectural fabric, the house is thought to have been constructed ca. 1750, but the original owner / occupant of the house is not known. The first recorded occupant was Cornelius Poillon, who mortgaged the property in 1814. Three other property owners are recorded between 1819 and 1855, when educator Henry Martin Boehm purchased the house.
Read MoreThe name “Voorlezer’s House” has been used since 1938. At that time, the building was believed to be a structure built ca. 1695 at that location by the Dutch congregation, a conclusion based on research and architectural analysis using the best resources available to early historians. That original structure served multiple functions for the community, as a religious meeting house, a school, and the home of the Voorlezer (lay reader) for the congregation.
