The New York City Landmarks Preservation today voted unanimously to approve the designations of Horton’s Row on Staten Island, a group of four, rare single-family rowhouses on Staten Island, citing their distinctive architecture and important roles in the history of housing in New York City. Horton’s Row is comprised of four rarowhouses at 411, 413, 415 and 417 Westervelt avenues between Scribner and Corson avenues in Tompkinsville, located in northeastern Staten Island. They were constructed between 1880 & 1882, and were originally part of 12 identical attached masonry rowhouses that were built as affordable rental housing for middle-class families, but were converted to multi-family flats around 1901. The rowhouses were developed by Harry L. Horton, a successful banker and broker who also constructed and operated water plants on Staten Island, and was the president of the village of New Brighton.
The row was considered an anomaly, not only because most dwellings constructed in the 19th century on Staten Island were single-family frame houses, but also because it’s built on a slope with each building rising higher than the other, creating a stepped pattern.