Garibaldi Memorial
Why it's listed
This small clapboard house on Tompkins Avenue in Staten Island's Rosebank section began as a country Gothic Revival dwelling, probably built around 1845. In 1850 the exiled Italian leader Giuseppe Garibaldi came to share it with his friend Antonio Meucci, and the two made candles for a living. After Garibaldi returned to Italy, Meucci stayed on and produced a working model of the telephone, though Alexander Graham Bell eventually received the patent. In 1882 the house was donated to the Sons of Italy in America, with Meucci allowed to remain until his death in 1889. It was moved three times, the last between 1900 and 1907, to its present site, where it became a memorial dedicated in 1907. A pedimented, columned structure enclosed it until 1952. Some details, including the vergeboards and sun porch, are gone, but the interior is close to original. It now serves as a museum and is regarded as a symbol of Italian-American pride.
Significance in brief: The house is tied to Giuseppe Garibaldi, the Italian liberator, who lived there for eighteen months in 1850-51. It was also the home of Antonio Meucci, who developed a working model of the telephone there. It has been a symbol of Italian-American pride since the late nineteenth century and is judged nationally significant.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 80002758, listed April 17, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 420 Tompkins Ave., New York |
|---|---|
| County | Staten Island |
| Listed | April 17, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80002758 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899, 1900- |
| Architectural style | Country Gothic Revival |
| Areas of significance | Other, Politics/Government, Invention |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and open to the public as a museum of Garibaldi and Meucci memorabilia; altered and moved from its original site. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.61510, -74.07373 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 80002758.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q3758341
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.