{"nrhp_refnum":"80002757","name":"Elliott, Dr. Samuel MacKenzie, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"69 Delafield Pl.","address_restricted":false,"city":"New York","county":"Staten Island","state":"NY","lat":40.64402939900003,"lon":-74.10975463999995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-03-28","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Other","Health/Medicine","Exploration/Settlement","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A mid-nineteenth century random stone Gothic cottage at 69 Delafield Place in the Livingston section of northern Staten Island, New York, built by Dr. Samuel MacKenzie Elliott.","why_significant":"The house is presented as a fine, simple example of the picturesque rural Gothic cottages popular in the United States in the mid-1800s, in keeping with Andrew Jackson Downing's ideas. It was built by Dr. Elliott, a prominent eye specialist who developed the surrounding Elliottville neighborhood and was active in the anti-slavery movement.","narrative":"This small Gothic cottage at 69 Delafield Place, in the Livingston area of northern Staten Island, is built of dark grey, locally quarried stone with wooden trim and scalloped bargeboards on its gables. It has two main stories, an attic and a large cellar, and keeps original details such as marble mantels, wide plank floors and an ornate entry with tinted sidelights. Dr. Samuel MacKenzie Elliott, a Scottish-born physician described as the first American doctor to specialize in eye care, built it. Between 1839 and 1856 he bought lots near New Brighton, named the area Elliottville, and built more than twenty houses there, helping to spur local development. The cottage reflects the romantic, rustic principles of Andrew Jackson Downing's Cottage Residences. Reviewers noted its significance as an example of the Gothic cottage type. A tradition holds that the cellar fireplace was used by escaping slaves on the Underground Railroad. It remains a private home amid later houses.","period_of_significance":"Mid 19th Century","architect_builder":"Dr. Samuel MacKenzie Elliott","architectural_style":"Gothic cottage (picturesque rural Gothic)","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Continues to function as a comfortable residence; occupied private residence, altered but retaining many original interior details.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:42.31968-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/80002757.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80002757/f766d66c30-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80002757/f766d66c30-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Robert Haber","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dr._Samuel_MacKenzie_House_69_Delafield_Place,_Staten_Island,_NY.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Robert Haber</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dr._Samuel_MacKenzie_House_69_Delafield_Place,_Staten_Island,_NY.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75321345","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Samuel_MacKenzie_Elliott_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5304370"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/staten-island/elliott-dr-samuel-mackenzie-house-80002757/"}