{
  "id": 10922001,
  "title": "Staten Island's historic Britton Cottage gets $2.1m transformation",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/staten-islands-historic-britton-cottage-gets-2-1m-transformation",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-30T10:26:55.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Art Newspaper",
    "slug": "the-art-newspaper",
    "url": "https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2026/09/30/staten-islands-historic-britton-cottage-transformation"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Staten Island's Britton Cottage, a 350-year-old structure with origins dating back to 1670, has received a substantial $2.1 million transformation grant. The cottage, once located in the waterfront New Dorp Beach area, has been preserved at Historic Richmond Town since 1965. It was threatened with demolition due to the planned construction of a parkway under the influence of urban planner Robert Moses. Restoration carpenter Russell Powell recounted how Richmond Town had to dismantle and relocate parts of the cottage to save it. Britton Cottage is one of about 30 historic buildings in the museum complex, all relocated to protect them. It was named after Nathaniel Lord Britton, co-founder of the New York Botanical Garden, and Obadiah Holmes, a judicial clerk during British control. Restoration officer Corbet Walser emphasized a holistic approach to preserving the building's history, using archival materials and physical evidence to understand its past and plan the restoration. Once restored, the cottage will host exhibitions on botany and potentially become part of the bicentennial celebrations of the abolition of slavery in New York in 1827, acknowledging the history of enslavers living in the house.",
  "summary": "Over 350 years old, the property once belonged to the founders of the New York Botanical Garden",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}