Poillon-Seguine-Britton House
Why it's listed
Overlooking Great Kills Bay on Staten Island, this farmhouse began as a stone dwelling, probably built in the late seventeenth century after Jacques Poillon, a French Huguenot, bought the land in 1677. Details such as relieving arches above the first-floor windows, three-panel shutters, large floor beams and hand-hewn attic collar beams point to that early date. The Poillon family lived there until 1828, when Joseph G. Seguine bought it. The Seguines added a clapboard second story, a colonnaded veranda, a new roof and Greek Revival interior trim, and a wooden kitchen wing went up around 1845. Richard Hamilton Britton and his sister Harriet bought the house in 1912 and made the last major changes in 1930, including a sunroom and roof deck drawn by Robert C. Hornfager. The layers of construction remain readable, which makes the house one of the oldest in New York City and a reminder of the island's rural past.
Significance in brief: The house is one of the oldest in Staten Island and New York City, and it keeps an exceptional degree of integrity while showing its long construction history. It is named for the Poillon, Seguine and Britton families, early settlers of the island's south shore. It also recalls the rural character of Staten Island in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
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 84002942, listed February 2, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 360 Great Kills Rd., New York |
|---|---|
| County | Staten Island |
| Listed | February 2, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84002942 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1700-1799, 1800-1899 (specific dates: circa 1695, 1730, 1845, 1930) |
| Architect / builder | Unknown except for 1930 Robert C. Hornfager |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival alterations on a seventeenth-century stone core |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied as a private residence until 1982, then sold to developers of a health spa and undergoing interior renovation. Condition is listed as excellent and altered. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.54561, -74.13976 (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 84002942.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7207855
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.