ENDANGERED BUILDING OF THE MONTH:
The Drake-Dehart House

The Drake-Dehart house is located in historic Tottenville at 134 Main Street on Staten Island’s South Shore, an area under extreme developmental pressure. The Landmarks Preservation Commission held a hearing on the house in 1991, but no action was taken and it remains without protection. The house was built in the 1840’s and retains much of its original Greek Revival detailing, including railings with jigsawn trim. It is an extraordinarily intact survivor, and reminder of Tottenville’s history. Fortunately, the current owners have been good stewards of the building, but its future remains uncertain. It is currently for sale, and the realtors for the site advertise, “Land lovers - come see this property! Huge potential here. On Main street where there is a lot of commercial possibilities. Commercial overlay if needed.” All too often, we’ve seen older houses on large parcels of land get ripped down in order to build new buildings. According to our research, under the current zoning, the current building is under-built by over 13,000 square feet. That very fact puts the building under extreme risk for inappropriate additions at best. We strongly urge everyone to write to the LPC and ask them to designate this wonderful Tottenville house before it is too late. Please send an e-mail to LPC Chair Robert Tierney at comments@lpc.nyc.gov. To learn more about historic Tottenville, visit the Tottenville Historical Society’s website at: www.tottenvillehistory.org