Office of Borough President James P. Molinaro
Staten Island, New York
Alice Austen House Museum and Park
Located just a few minutes from the Verrazano Bridge is the Alice Austen House, the former home of noted photographer Alice Austen.
The Alice Austen House, or Clear Comfort, built in 1690, was purchased by John Haggerty Austen, Alice Austen's grandfather, in 1844.
John Austen's original intent was to use Clear Comfort as a summer home, but following the illnesses and deaths of two infant sons in 1852, Austen moved his family from Manhattan to permanent residency on Staten Island. In the late 1860s Clear Comfort's most famous resident, Alice Austen (1866-1952), and her mother, Alice Cornell Austen, moved into the family home after they had been abandoned by Alice's father
Alice Austen would become one of America's earliest and most accomplished female photographers. Alice's devotion is evident in her photographs. Her home was frequently the backdrop and the subject of her images, as she recorded in extensive and loving detail family members, visitors, and events.
Alice Austen spent most of her life at Clear Comfort until financial problems and illness forced her to move in 1945. In her absence, the house fell into disrepair, but a group of concerned citizens saved it from demolition in the 1960s
Restoration began in January 1984, and was completed in April 1985. Because of its historic significance, the Alice Austen House was included in the National Register of Historic Places in 1970, was designated a New York City Landmark in 1971, and a National Historic Landmark in 1993.
Alice's own photographs of the interior and exterior of the house and surrounding grounds made an exact restoration possible – from the rustic post gate, to the 1879 Statue of Liberty figurine on the parlor mantelpiece.
Today, the Alice Austen House serves as a museum of Alice Austen's life and times. Located at the entrance to New York Harbor, the Alice Austen House is a reminder of the picturesque suburban "cottages" that dotted the shore and hills of 19th century Staten Island. The house and grounds recall the home as Alice knew it and a way of life that has passed into history.
The home also hosts photography exhibitions, events, photography lessons, and other fun activities.
Address: 2 Hylan Boulevard
Phone number: 718-816-4506
Admission: A suggested donation of $2.00
Hours of Operation: The house is open all year (except January, February and major holidays). Thursday through Sunday 12:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M. The grounds are open every day until dusk.
Alice Austen House website:
www.aliceaustenhouse.org
Photo by Chris J. Johns