A Stage for the
World's Greatest Names
For nearly three decades, the Gustav Mayer House has served as one of New York's most sought-after photographic locations — a living set that no studio could replicate. Its distressed surfaces, marble fireplaces, hand-painted murals, grand staircases, and arched windows have provided the backdrop for the most prestigious names in global fashion, advertising, and entertainment.
World-renowned photographers including Steven Meisel, Paolo Roversi, Peter Lindbergh, Ellen von Unwerth, Carter Smith, and Tom Corbett have all worked within these walls. Publications from American Vogue to British Cosmopolitan, brands from Bottega Veneta to Apple, and personalities from Gisele Bündchen to Camila Cabello have each left their mark — and been marked by it.
It is a quality of atmosphere that cannot be manufactured — only inherited.
Imagine What
It Could Become
The Gustav Mayer House is a rare canvas — an architectural masterpiece that has survived 170 years with its bones, its character, and its soul intact. Every carved column, every arched window, every hand-painted mural is a foundation, not a relic. The renderings below offer a glimpse of what a full restoration could look like: a grand estate returned to the glory that made it one of New York City's most celebrated historic homes.
The grounds, protected by Landmark designation, secure the serenity of this unique and undisturbed property from time and development — a guarantee that the peace and character of this estate will endure.
For the right visionary — whether a preservationist, investor, contractor, collector, or a family seeking a distinctive residence-business combination — this is the opportunity of a generation. Drag the sliders to see the transformation.
170 Years. Captured.
Explore the estate through our complete photo collection.
Click any image to enlarge · All rights reserved
An Unprecedented
Opportunity
The Italianate belvedere cupola crowns the roof with arched windows on all four sides — offering 360° views of the tree canopy, Staten Island rooftops, Raritan Bay, New Jersey, and the Verrazzano Bridge. At 80 sq ft, its exterior has been fully restored and acknowledged by the Staten Island Preservation League, returned to its original glory. It is the crowning glory of the estate.
Unfinished upper floors retain all original character — exposed hand-hewn ceiling beams and original wide-plank Southern long-leaf pine floors. Electrical sub-panels and natural gas lines are pre-installed. These rooms await the vision of a new owner. Combined with the second floor: 2,800 sq ft of storied, ready-to-finish space.
Hand-painted Swiss and Italian landscapes by Paula Mayer cover the staircase walls and hallway corridors floor to ceiling — the very murals that graced the pages of Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and W Magazine. The floor features multiple bedroom suites, each with arched windows and a fireplace, with roughed-in plumbing and electric that allows for the addition of a kitchen, bathrooms, and more.
A fully museum-quality restored 2,250 sq ft main level. The Italianate Double Parlor — 15' × 36' — features two hand-chipped marble fireplaces, original antique pine parquet herringbone floors, crystal chandeliers, and French doors opening directly onto the wraparound porch. Stained glass transoms, ornate plaster crown moldings, original wavy-glass windows, and a grand mahogany staircase complete the floor. All utilities new throughout — radiant heat, central A/C, new plumbing and electric — without compromising a single original detail.
The birthplace of the Nilla Wafer. Originally the servant quarters — complete with a cooking fireplace, a servant's dining room, and a 5-foot marble fireplace — Gustav Mayer relocated his baking business here in 1890, where the recipes that became Nabisco's most beloved snack were perfected over the following decade. Stone foundation walls, original boiler, brick hearths, and period equipment remain intact. A rare living archive of American culinary history. At 2,400 sq ft with high ceilings, it remains one of the most intact historic basements in New York City.
See It In Motion
A short film by the listing agents — walk the grounds, the parlor, the murals, the cupola. The house as it lives and breathes.
The Dossier
The official property brochure for the Gustav Mayer House presents the full architectural record, landmark designation history, floor-by-floor documentation, restoration scope, and an illustrated account of the estate's 170-year cultural legacy — compiled for serious inquirers.
New Dorp Heights,
Staten Island
Perched atop a historic crossroads in New Dorp Heights, the Gustav Mayer House sits within easy reach of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, the Staten Island Expressway, and the New Dorp train station, with service to the Staten Island Ferry, just four blocks away.
Schedule
a Private Showing
"Experience 170 years of history firsthand."
Office: 718-668-2550