Neville-tysen House Needs A Do-it-yourself Owner With Deep Pockets And Vision

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - NEW BRIGHTON -"For Sale and Salvation" reads the sign outside the distinctive 18th-century, cut fieldstone house at 806 Richmond Terrace, a designated New York City landmark since 1967.

Known as the Neville-Tysen House, the historic property is in "decrepit condition," and "not for the budget-minded or faint at heart," Fieldstone House acknowledges Gateway Arms, the realty company handling the sale.

The $350,000 asking price represents only the first go-round of the anticipated financial resources needed to bring the 200-plus-year-old building into good structural repair.

"It needs work immediately," said Martin Friedman, who is handling the sale. Priority tasks include foundation and roof work, "to keep the building dry," he noted. "You've got to be involved hands-on, and you also have to be in love with one of the oldest houses in New York State."

The poor condition requires all cash for the purchase because a mortgage is out of the question, Friedman added. Prospective purchasers are being asked to provide proof of liquid cash before a showing will be scheduled.

Estimates ...
... range from $600,000 and up, just to stabilize the structure, with additional funds required for cosmetic renovation.

The Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) dated the house's construction to the pre-Revolutionary War era, but Staten Island historians believe it was built after 1776.

"The cut stone of which it is formed is typical of a later 18th century date, as are the two alternating colors of the stone, which form a checkerboard pattern," wrote Barnett Shepherd, Contemporary architecture former executive director of the Staten Island Historical Society (1981-2000), in a report about the house's history.

"Further evidence for a post-revolutionary date is the fact that there is no record of the house being occupied by officers during the British occupation of Staten Island," he added.

Judge Jacob Tysen (1773-1848) lived in the house from 1808 to 1835, and at the time, the residence was described as "one of the beauty spots of the North Shore" with "flower beds bordered by box(wood)."