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Alice Austen House   

Alice Austen House The Alice Austen House, also known as Clear Comfort It, is located at 2 Hylan Boulevard in Rosebank, Staten Island, New York, New York. The house was the lifelong home of photographer Alice Austen. It is now on display as part of the Historic House Trust. The house is run by a volunteer organization called Friends of Alice Austen. Alice Austen House hosts a variety of classes. In addition, the Alice Austen House hosts many types of programs, including summer photography camps and field trips for students of all ages.

 The house was built in the late 1690s/1790s. In the early 1930s, as a one-room Dutch Colonial on the shores of New York Harbor near the Narrows, the most likely early residents were brothers Jacob Johnson and Lambert Johnson. The Johnson brothers bought 120 acres of land from George Brown in 1698. Jacob Johnson’s mother-in-law was Winifred King Benham. Johnson was accused of witchcraft in Wallingford, Connecticut, which may have been the site of his acquittal and exile. The house was renovated and expanded several times during the 19th century. But most important was the period followed by Alice’s grandfather, John Haggerty Austen,  who bought the house, renamed it the home, and restored it in 18.

In the 1950s and 1960s, photographers Berenice Abbott and Philip Johnson led a group of historic preservationists. Who fought to save the structure from destruction. As a result, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. In 1971, it was also designated as an officially recognized New York landmark. The property was purchased as a landmark by New York City in 1975 and opened in 1975. The building was then declared a landmark in 1993. A National Historic Landmark, and in 2002, it was said the home and studio of the historical artist. EZ Staten Island Junk Removal

Special Exhibitions  

The Alice Austen House participates as an institution in the Smithsonian’s Museum Day event program. In 2016, Austen House presented its first juried triennial exhibition, Staten Island Unlimited, featuring photographs from all three New York boroughs. When the exhibition opened, it was a toast in honor of Alice Austen’s 150th birthday. Other activities included triennial discussions, debates, and conversations with artists about their work in  areas such as “Staten Island as a Place” and “Staten Island as a Community.” The first Staten Island Unlimited was financed by Macy’s and Duggal’s and partly by public funds from the New York City Department of Culture (New York City Department of Culture) and the New York City Council (New York City Council). The museum’s Alice Austen House permanent collection of photographs and other documentary photographs taken by Alice Austen has been digitized and is available through the museum’s website.

On March 16, 2016, The Whitney Museum hosted New Eyes on Alice Austen. The event was a panel discussion celebrating Women’s History Month and Alice Austen’s birthday. The conversation included, in Austen’s words, the scholars of American Photo magazine, “scholars and historians who have studied her incredible work and unusual lifestyle.” It was a Whitney program funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities 50 Years of Excellence.

Address: 2 Hylan Blvd, Staten Island, NY  

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