Houseman, Peter, House
Why it's listed
This house at 308 St. John Avenue in Westerleigh, Staten Island, consists of two eighteenth-century sections. The older part, built about 1730, is a small story-and-a-half fieldstone house with a steep roof, heavy timber framing and a large stone chimney. In 1760 Peter Housman, a prosperous millwright, bought the house and forty-six acres from Thomas Dongan and added a larger frame section with shingle siding, six-over-six windows, a paneled parlor and an original staircase. The house is one of very few surviving examples of early Staten Island domestic architecture and shows the shift from basic shelter to a more stylish home. Housman was murdered there by robbers in 1784. His son John, a county official and judge, later owned it. After 1825 it passed through several owners, and in 1887 the farm was sold for the Prohibition Park summer resort, which became the Westerleigh neighborhood. Three lots were kept for the house, which remains a private residence on landscaped grounds.
Significance in brief: The house shows the basic forms of colonial domestic architecture as they developed on Staten Island in the eighteenth century, and it is one of very few surviving houses from that period. The stone wing reflects early settlement, while the 1760 frame addition, with its fine woodwork, reflects the prosperity of millwright Peter Housman. Its later history ties it to the 1887 development of Westerleigh.
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 82001261, listed October 29, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 308 St.John Ave., New York |
|---|---|
| County | Staten Island |
| Listed | October 29, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82001261 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1700-1799 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Colonial domestic architecture |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in excellent condition, carefully preserved and well maintained, and used as a private residence. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.61603, -74.13637 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
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 82001261.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7174743
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.