The William Cass house, also known as The Crimson Beech, is a historical home located on Lighthouse Hill. This house received its name from an old copper beech tree that once sat on the land which William and Catherine Cass acquired for their home. The tree remained there for 10 years until a hurricane destroyed it and a new one was planted. 

The architect behind this house, and many other important buildings around the country, such as the Guggenheim Museum, is Frank Lloyd Wright. Although he is more known for his larger architectural masterpieces, he also created many houses for middle-class people in the mid 1900s, after the Great Depression ended. The houses he built were primarily in 2 styles, the Marshall Erdman Prefabricated Houses #1 and #2, named after the builder he worked with, Marshall Erdman. Prefab #1 was usually a single story L-shaped house while #2 was usually a two-story home with a two-story living room. The team built eleven of these houses, two of them in New York, one in Staten Island, and the other in Rockland County. 

Although all of the houses have similar architectural structures, they each have their own unique traits. Though it might not look that way from a distance, Crimson Beech actually has two stories since it is located on a hill. The home was officially designated a New York City landmark in August of 1990 and continues to be privately owned. Stay tuned to our website tomcrimminsrealty.com to see the multitude of other historical landmark homes located throughout Staten Island.

Posted by Tom Crimmins Realty on

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