James Watson House
- Architect
- John McComb Jr.
- Style
- Federal
- City
- Manhattan, NY
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The James Watson House at 7 State Street, built in 1793 and extended in 1806 by architect John McComb Jr., is a rare surviving Federal-style townhouse near the southern tip of Manhattan. It was built for James Watson, the first Speaker of the New York State Assembly and a Federalist member of both the New York and United States Senates, at a time when merchant families lived at the Battery for harbor views and proximity to shipping interests. The house now serves as the rectory of the Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton.
the building
Merchant's harbor house. Built when merchant families clustered at Manhattan's southern tip for unobstructed harbor views and easy access to their shipping interests, the house was once part of a row of similar late-18th-century mansions, of which it is a rare survivor.
the style
John McComb Jr. built the house in the Federal style, the restrained, classically proportioned idiom typical of New York townhouses at the turn of the 19th century, making it a rare surviving example at the Battery.
More on Federalthe architect
John McComb Jr. built the James Watson House and also co-designed New York City Hall with Joseph-François Mangin.
significance
The James Watson House is a New York City Individual Landmark (LP-00036), designated November 23, 1965, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
nearby
- Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Church
- Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House
- Fraunces Tavern
- Battery Maritime Building
- 1 Broadway
- American Bank Note Company Office Building