County Clerk's and Surrogate's Office CLIENT: Richmond County ARCHITECT: Unknown DATE: 1848 STYLE: Italianate The Historical Museum, formerly the Richmond County Clerk’s and Surrogate’s Office, is a charmingly scaled, red-bring building in a simplified Italianate Style built in 1849. It is part of the Richmondtown Restoration effort to restore and celebrate the local heritage of Staten Island.

Stephens-Black House CLIENT: Stephens D. Stephens ARCHITECT: Unknown DATE: 1837 The Stephens-Black House of about 1838-1840 has a fascinating reconstruction of a nineteenth-century general store attached. It is part of the Richmondtown Restoration effort to restore and celebrate the local heritage of Staten Island.

Old Richmond County Court House ca. 1954 A fine and simple example of the Greek School Revival Court House found in many American towns. Doric Order, four-column portico and pediment, surmounted by a cupola with a bell. This Court is part of the Richmondtown Restoration and is administered by the Staten Historical Society. In its time, from 1837 to its abandonment in 1920, the Court was the scene of many famous cases. Particularly of note is the Polly Bodine trial of 1844, one of the famous national cases establishing statutory law.

Between 1954 and 1957, the Municipal Art Society surveyed historic buildings in all five boroughs to create a database of potential landmarks to preserve. Local residents and MAS staff compiled individual sheets devoted to about 200 buildings. Each sheet outlined the building’s date, location, and style and provided a description and a small photograph. This is the list of Staten Island buildings.

"House of Buried Treasure," 1939. The earliest part of this house was built circa 1700 by Samuel Grasset, a local tanner. Over the next century, the structure served as a residence, commercial space (shoemaker's shop), and civic facility (an extension was added circa 1790 to serve as a courtroom). In the last two centuries, the building has also served as an inn, real estate office, hardware store, post office, antique store, and home to many. A supposed discovery of a cache of gold coins both in 1860 and again in 1921 resulted in the moniker the "House of Buried Treasure," but neither of these discoveries was documented, and the stories are considered oral tradition/local lore at best. The structure was acquired by the Staten Island Historical Society in 1951 and designated at NYC landmark in 1969. As per the Historic Richmondtown website: "The building is awaiting restoration and is not open to the public."

Treasure House CLIENT: Samuel Grasset ARCHITECT: Unknown DATE: 1700 STYLE: Clapboard The Treasure House is a modest clapboard structure built about 1700, with additions between about 1740 and 1860; a $7,000 cache of British coins was discovered within its walls about 1860–hence the name. It is part of the Richmondtown Restoration effort to restore and celebrate the local heritage of Staten Island.

The Historic House Trust’s main effort is the preservation and maintenance of 23 historic house sites located throughout the five boroughs of New York City. To highlight the Trust's work, we're showcasing each house!

Guyon Lake Tysen House, ca. 1975. Originally located on Tysen's Lane between Mill Road and Hylan Boulevard in the Oakwood section of Staten Island, the Lake-Tysen House was moved to Historic Richmond Town in 1962. The gambrel-roof home (meaning it has a symmetrical two-sided roof with two slopes on each side) was constructed circa 1740 by Joseph Guyon, a farmer of Huguenot descent. Over the next two centuries the farm house had additions and alterations as it changed hands through bequests and sales. It was home to the Guyon, Lake, and Tysen families. In 1962 the home was given to the historical society by the final Tysen family owners.

Third County Courthouse ARCHITECT: Unknown DATE: 1837 STYLE: Greek Revival The Third County Courthouse of 1837 is an imposing Greek Revival structured with pedimented portico and square cupola erected of local stone and wood. It is part of the Richmondtown Restoration effort to restore and celebrate the local heritage of Staten Island.

The Public Design Commission (PDC) was established as the Municipal Art Commission by the New York City Charter in 1898 (following the consolidation of NYC). The Commission was tasked with the oversight of all public artworks and monuments, but its purview quickly expanded to include public structures and open spaces. Renamed in 2008, the PDC reviews the design of permanent works of architecture, landscape architecture, and art proposed on or over City-owned property. Projects are submitted by City agencies and include the construction, renovation, or restoration of buildings; the creation or rehabilitation of parks, playgrounds, and plazas; installation of lighting and other streetscape elements; signage; and the installation and conservation of artwork, including monuments and memorials. The Commission also acts as caretaker and curator of the City’s public art collection, which is located throughout the city’s public buildings and open spaces, and maintains an extensive archive documenting the history of New York City's public works. The PDC Archive maintains a collection of projects reviewed by the Commission since 1902, documenting more than 7,000 sites throughout New York City and providing a unique view into the history of the City’s public works. The designs that have been reviewed by the PDC throughout its over 120-year history are representative of the policies and focus of Mayoral administrations while simultaneously following historical trends in public design, public health, and artistic and cultural movements in the city and country at large. The following examples illustrate the breadth of projects under the PDC's purview, from large scale developments to streetscape fixtures that often go unnoticed. For an in-depth history of the Public Design Commission, see Michele H. Bogart’s book, "The Politics of Urban Beauty."