Constructed at a time when Staten Island was rapidly evolving from an isolated rural area to a community populated by new institutions and their structures, suburban developments, and growing villages, the John King Vanderbilt House is a telling survivor of this transitional period. A Manhattan grocer who became active in real estate transactions, Vanderbilt joined the growing influx of newcomers to Staten Island in 1825.
Constructed c. 1836, the Vanderbilt House illustrates how the Greek Revival style, which had been adopted for contemporary institutional and residential structures on the island, modified and incorporated existing building traditions. The distinguishing features of the more urbane Vanderbilt House include its imposing two-and-a-half story height, Greek Revival inspired entranceway, facade-wide porch and twin end-wall chimneys.
