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After World War II, many American towns and communities needed to rebuild. Dongan Hills was one of the first community to rebuild on Staten Island after the war. The neighborhood saw an upsurge in home construction during the 1950s. Small, one family homes and other public housing were built by the city. The area experienced accelerated growth with new developments and new residents. Throughout the neighborhoods decline during the war and then its new growth, one building stood standing and watched it all happen. In fact, this building was there from the very start of Staten Island. The Billiou-Stillwell-Perine House remains the oldest standing building on Staten Island in New York.

Before Staten Island was home to Italian and Irish Americans, it was known as New Amsterdam. The Dutch were the first to start settlements in the area. Like many other settlers coming to the New World, Pierre Billiou was fleeing religious persecution when he came to what is now Staten Island in 1661. In the same year, he founded Old Town or Oude Dorp and received a land grant on the Island. Old Town is in the same area as Dongan Hills. Billiou began construction of his Dutch Colonial home in 1662 by laying down the first stone section of the home. His new home structure was being built in today’s Dongan Hills. If you are in need of additional help with your classes, a tutor could be what you need. Contact a tutor in your area to help you with your classes and studies. After Billiou’s death, his daughter Martha inherited the property. Her husband Thomas Stillwell, who had lots of experience as a landowner, enlarged the home in 1680. After Martha’s death, Martha in 1736, the home was acquired by her and her husband Stillwell’s descendants, the Brittons. Edward Perine was the home’s new owner in 1758 and his family owned it until 1913.

The home sits in its same spot in Dongan Hills. A shingled, sloping roof shelters the white wood and stone structure. The original Dutch fireplace is still standing and its brick can be seen from the street. The home even has its own secret chamber which opens into a room with large beams. Now the home is owned by the Historic Richmond Town which is a museum complex and located in the middle of the island. The organization works to preserve many historical buildings on Staten Island. In 1976, the Billiou-Stillwell-Perine House was enlisted on the National Register of Historic Places. The home is open to the public on a strict schedule or by appointment only. The home remains a reminder, for Dongan Hills and the rest of the island, of their Dutch roots.