alice austen house museum & garden

Disappointed! Very small museum, grounds were not well maintained. Limited assortment of pictures to view. If you are in the area worth the visit. Not worth travelling from far to see. (Sorry)

For the frequent visitor to New York, and for those interested in women's history and lesbian history, the Alice Austen house in Staten Island--known as "Clear Comfort"--is a treat. First built in 1690, the house was expanded in later centuries, and today exists in its Victorian form. Alice Austen (1866-1952) was the daughter of a prosperous family and lived a life of luxury. She never married, and lived openly with her female companion for most of her life. Unusual in her day for anyone, and especially for a woman, was her dedication to photography. She never sold her work, but made over 8000 photos of New York life. Her fortune collapsedin the 1929 crash, and she ended up living in a poorhouse in Staten Island. In her final year of life her pictures were rediscovered, and today she is regarded as a major photographer. The house is charming, and the views over New York harbor and lower Manhattan will bring out the camera for anyone. Take the Staten Island ferry, the bus S51 to 2 Hyland Blvd.

Would recommend a visit to any Staten Islander. Building is of historical interest. View of the Narrows is splendid. Has access to a beach and a large open grounds. Wonderful place for children. Try to visit when the museum is having a special event.

It is right on the water, the setting is beautiful and fun to imagine Alice's life there. They frequently do photo exhibits and offer classes regarding the same.

They have preserved this house and have done a great job in recreating the decor. Very interesting learning about Ms. Austen and her life. The grounds are beautiful and there is a beautiful view overlooking the narrows.

This is the restored home of Alice Austen, one of America's first female photographers. It is on Staten Island, overlooking Manhattan, set in several acres of parkland. There are only two period rooms and a few of Austen's photographs on display. There are also volumes of her photographs you can look through and a video about her life. There is a gallery space where work of other photographers is shown. To get here by public transportation, you must take the (free) Staten Island Ferry (which is a very nice experience and a great way to see the Statute of Liberty without paying for a harbor cruise) and then take a city bus. Total travel time will be at least an hour each way, plus the time it takes to get to the ferry terminal in lower Manhattan--and it could be substantially more. We felt that the amount of travel and waiting for the ferry and bus was more than this attraction warranted. If you have a private vehicle, it might be a better bet.

Although we didn't visit the alice austen house it was a very pretty thing to see. We heard many wonderful things about it like the amazing history of alice austen and her achievements. It wasn't just a mueseam it was also a venue used for verious occasions, that was always a nice thing to see.

Located at the very north end of Hylan Blvd on Staten Isl. just north of the Verrazano Bridge, the house itself is pleasant in the summer with its pretty flowers, many glass doors, and light airy porch. It's in an inviting park setting at the water's edge with fantastic views of upper New York Harbor.Admission is free with a donation jar. It's important to see the video of Alice Austen's life and her photo albums on the porch. You won't believe the quality of these photos or the stories they tell of Staten Isl. and Manhattan in the late 1800's.Pull into the driveway on the right before the end of the street. You're allowed to park behind the house even though it's just a dirt space.

Beautiful little house/museum. This was my first trip to Staten Island so I was wowed by the entire location, the view, the ships coming into harbor. But the life of Alice Austen! Fascinating. My favorite part was the room where I could sit and study the portfolios of her photographs up close. The staff was so helpful. It was a pleasure to walk the grounds and just sit and take in the atmosphere. I wish I lived closer so that I could visit again.

Staten Island has several small museums,this is a good one. The location is breath taking sitting on a hill overlooking the narrows lower bay. Alice lived here over 100 years ago & took many pictures with the old big box cameras, her pics are here & also her Victorian furniture. The building holds events like recitals and dances & also leases out weddings & such. All in all not bad.

Beautiful views from the front yard of the historic home, called Clear Comfort by the late photographer. The museum is open for special programming and events throughout the year. Concerts held outside are a treat and the park surrounding it is open to the public daily.

The Alice Austen House has been one of the top 5 attractions of mine on State Island. Located not far from Ft. Wadsworth, it was the home of photographer Alice Austen. From this house, you get magnificent views of the Verazzano Bridge and the Brooklyn shoreline. The grounds were nearly destroyed by Hurricane Sandy as the force of the tides and waves took our foliage and trees. The Staten Island Garden Club, which will celebrate its 100th Anniversary of existence, takes care of the site, planting and replanting trees and perennials. It has taken a long time to recover, but the results are there.

The guided tour was really wonderful and the view of New York , Brooklyn and the bridge is breath taking. On a clear day you can see the Statue of Liberty.

We were staying on Staten Island and taking the ferry into NYC. One day we wanted a break from Manhattan so decided to do some touring around SI. This little house museum was a nice find. Beautiful views. Fun to learn about the photographer and read about how different SI was when she was growing up there. Enjoyed seeing the Progressive era photos Austen took of NYC and the immigrants.

Come see works by this pioneering woman photographer shown in her charming home. Sit in her harborfront garden watching ships pass by, as she did. Then: masted and steamer ships. Now: Container ships, ocean liners. A rare treat!