Billiou–Stillwell–Perine House


The Billiou–Stillwell–Perine House is a Dutch Colonial structure and the oldest standing building on Staten Island, New York.

History

The house was originally built by Pierre Billiou, a Huguenot who arrived at New Amsterdam fleeing religious persecution in Europe in 1661. He founded Oude Dorp in the same year, and subsequently received a land grant on Staten Island, erecting the original stone section of the house around 1662. His daughter Martha inherited the property and resided there with her husband, Thomas Stillwell, and later with her second husband, Rev. David de Bonrepos, whom she married in 1711.
About 1680, Thomas Stillwell, a well-to-do landowner, enlarged the house. His and Martha's descendants, the Brittons, owned it until the mid-18th century. It was then acquired in 1758 by Edward Perine, whose family owned it until 1913.
The building has a shingled sloping roof, a high jambless fireplace with a large stone hearth, and a ceiling with exceptionally large beams. Owned by Historic Richmond Town, the house is occasionally open to the public on a limited schedule or by appointment.