Alice Austen House
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Alice Austen House
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| Location | 2 Hylan Boulevard, Staten Island, New York City, New York |
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| Coordinates | 40°36′53.7″N 74°3′49″W / 40.614917°N 74.06361°WCoordinates: 40°36′53.7″N 74°3′49″W / 40.614917°N 74.06361°W |
| Built | 1690 |
| Architectural style | Dutch Colonial, later Gothic Revival |
| NRHP Reference # | 70000925 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | July 28, 1970 |
| Designated NHL | April 19, 1993 |
| Designated NYCL | August 2, 1967 |
The Alice Austen House, also known as Clear Comfort, is located at 2 Hylan Boulevard in the Rosebank section of Staten Island, New York City, New York. It was home of Alice Austen, a photographer, for most of her lifetime, and is now a museum and a member of the Historic House Trust. The house is administered by the "Friends of Alice Austen", a volunteer group. Today, the Alice Austen House hosts many school programs, including photography summer camps and day trips for classes of all age groups.
It was originally built in the 1690s/early 1700s as a one-room Dutch Colonial House on the shore of New York harbor, near the Narrows with brothers Jacob Johnson and Lambert Johnson being the likely first occupants. The brothers Johnson purchased 120 acres of land from George Brown in 1698. Jacob Johnson's mother-in-law was Winifred King Benham, who was tried for witchcraft in Wallingford, Connecticut and may have been a resident of the house after her acquittal and virtual banishment.
The house was remodeled and expanded several times in the 1800s, most notably after John Haggerty Austen, Alice's grandfather, purchased, renamed, and remodeled it in 1844.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970, became a New York City Landmark in 1971. It was purchased by New York City in 1975 and opened to the public. In 1993 it became a National Historic Landmark, and in 2002, it became a Historic Artist Home and Studio.
Alice Austen House participates as a museum in the Smithsonian program of Museum Day events. In 2016 Austen House presented its first juried triennial exhibition, Staten Island Unlimited featuring 35 photographers from three boroughs of New York. During the members' preview reception of the show, a toast was made to Alice Austen's 150th birthday. Other activities included Triennial Talks, discussions with artists about their work on the subjects of "Staten Island as Place" and "Staten Island as Community." The first Staten Island Unlimited was supported by Macy's, Duggal, and, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the New York City Council.
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