230:. The 10 feet (3.0 m) wide house has 3 stories and was built on a 12.5 feet (3.8 m) wide plot of land sold to him by his neighbor, to whom he had earlier sold a larger plot of land. The house was constructed entirely from salvaged materials. The New York State Board for Historic Preservation noted “its efficient and beautiful design, careful engineering, and effective interior plan. Challenged by a narrow lot and minimal financial means, Seely created a house that demonstrated both his ingenuity and the desire to provide, above all else, housing for his family.” The Westchester County Historical Society said “its professional construction and ingenious design are a testimony to the dedication of a prominent black contractor to build a solid, functional, and delightful home. It represents both black enterprise and good neighborliness, and is architecturally significant as a symbol of American ingenuity and craftsmanship.”
275:. The Skinny House is sheathed in red brown wood shingles unifying the facades that are punctuated with a variety of windows and doors, which are trimmed in white painted wood. The main hip roof, first floor gable roof with a modified dormer, and entry gable roofs are of asphalt shingles. There are cables on the sides of the home to anchor it to the ground. Two railroad ties serving as beams run through the cellar. The sewer pipe is supported by finished marble. The house was heated with coal stoves on each floor. Floor grates allow heat to rise to the bedrooms. In the cellar there remains one original pot-bellied stove, coal chute and pails. One brick chimney on the west side of the house supports all of the stoves. The interior is finely finished with plaster and hardwood floors and moldings and woodwork throughout.
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purchased 11 lots within the
Washingtonville neighborhood and built several homes, including Nathan Seely's own house, a seven-room house that he had designed and built in 1926 on Grand Street for his own family. The house “showcased many amenities considered very modern at the time,” according to the submission to the National Park Service, which oversees the National Register of Historic Places.
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With little money to purchase new building materials, Mr. Seely salvaged and recycled building materials including railroad ties, windows, banisters and even a chicken coop to incorporate into his house. Seely designed and constructed his family's new home maximizing its utility by building a
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During the Great
Depression Seely lost both his house and his company. In 1931, his neighbor Panfilo Santangelo, an Italian immigrant and stonemason, gave Nathan a twelve-and-a-half-foot strip of land between the Santangelo home and the former Seely home for Seely to build upon. The land that
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The 10 feet (3.0 m) wide by 39 feet (12 m) long, 27 feet (8.2 m) tall, hip roofed, wood shingled home is set on a 12.5 feet (3.8 m) by 100 feet (30 m) property. The house is positioned approximately 20 feet (6.1 m) back from the modern set back line on which the
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In 1925 Nathan Seely and his brother
Willard founded Seely Brothers Inc., a construction company that aimed to build for African-American clients. Seely hired Italian masons from the Washingtonville neighborhood, as well as African-American laborers for the company's projects. Seely Brothers
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basement, two stories, and an attic. He also devised numerous built-ins and windows for natural lighting to give the impression of more interior space. He built the three ornate gables in the front facing facade, and added a ledge for flowerpots just under the second-level window
306:, Poland built by architect Jakub Szczęsny in 2012 may be the world's narrowest house at only 133 centimeters (4.36 feet) at its widest point however it is too narrow to be considered a residence under Polish law so it is considered to be an art installation.
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During the mid-1910s, Nathan and
Lillian Seely moved to the Washingtonville neighborhood of Mamaroneck, New York. The neighborhood was home to a community of first-generation immigrants predominantly Italian, and African-American families who moved to
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The house was designated by the local county historical society as a landmark in 1991 and was placed on the
National Register of Historic Places in 2015. The Skinny House is privately owned and is not open to the public.
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at 22 Oude
Hoogstraat is purported to be the narrowest house in Europe. That was constructed in 1733 and stands just 2.02 meters (6 feet 8 inches) wide. A living structure called
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Mr. Seely died in 1962. Family members lived in the house until 1986, and it was bought by the daughter of the man who originally gave the land to Seely, Ida
Santangelo, in 1988.
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Santangelo's house sat upon had been previously purchased by him from Seely and ran between the two men's houses, including the property Mr. Seely lost when the
Depression began.
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Seely Skinny House (Mamaroneck, New York), built in 1932 by Nathan T. Seely. It is 10 feet wide and is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
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The Grand Street home is one of a number of renowned “skinny houses” in the United States, including ones in
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465:"National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: South Salem Presbyterian Church Cemetery"
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Seely's great-granddaughter, Dr. Julie Seely, wrote a screenplay titled “Skinny House” in 2011.
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surrounding homes are built in order to maximize light exposure, and it is visible from the
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National
Register of Historic Places listings in southern Westchester County, New York
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638:- The creator of this content is not the current owner of the Skinny House.
510:"In Westchester, a Skinny House With Big Aims Vies for a Spot in History"
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Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state)
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National Register of Historic Places in Westchester County, New York
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New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
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Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 5/18/15 through 5/22/15
380:"159th Meeting NYS Board for Historic Preservation Meeting Notes"
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New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
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African-American history of Westchester County, New York
557:"Mamaroneck's 'Skinny House' Is Big On Family History"
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Julie Seely and Jennifer Betsworth (February 2015).
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History of the National Register of Historic Places
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362:. National Park Service. 2015-05-29.
584:Korutz, Steven (22 October 2012).
273:New England Thruway, Interstate 95
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555:Muchnick, Jeanne (8 April 2015).
296:the "Smallest House in Amsterdam"
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535:"The Skinny House of Mamaroneck"
508:Foderaro, Lisa (29 March 2015).
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107:Show map of the United States
1207:National Historic Landmarks
19:United States historic place
636:http://www.skinnyhouse.org/
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611:"Dom Kereta / Keret House"
586:"Filling a Void in Warsaw"
168:0.03 acres (0.012 ha)
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1282:Houses completed in 1932
960:Richmond (Staten Island)
481:Accompanying photographs
696:Keeper of the Register
561:Mamaroneck Daily Voice
280:Long Beach, California
1216:Outside New York City
711:National Park Service
691:Contributing property
444:(Searchable database)
378:Krattinger, William.
284:Boston, Massachusetts
149:40.95472°N 73.74250°W
1297:Mamaroneck, New York
900:New York (Manhattan)
224:Mamaroneck, New York
122:Mamaroneck, New York
82:Show map of New York
1203:Bridges and tunnels
294:, the Netherlands,
288:Deerfield, Illinois
243:as a result of the
191:Nathan Thomas Seely
154:40.95472; -73.74250
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590:The New York Times
514:The New York Times
319:In popular culture
241:Westchester County
120:175 Grand Street,
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389:. p. 10
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262:Construction
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220:Skinny House
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212:May 18, 2015
30:Skinny House
1196:Other lists
1045:Westchester
975:Schenectady
770:Cattaraugus
300:Keret House
152: /
128:Coordinates
1271:Categories
1035:Washington
955:Rensselaer
890:Montgomery
875:Livingston
780:Chautauqua
617:2 December
613:. Centrala
595:2 December
566:1 December
540:1 December
519:1 December
473:2016-03-01
453:2016-03-01
425:1 December
393:1 December
339:References
140:73°44′33″W
137:40°57′17″N
1177:Rochester
1172:Rhinebeck
1162:Peekskill
1123:Manhattan
980:Schoharie
860:Jefferson
743:by county
292:Amsterdam
1236:Category
1182:Syracuse
1108:Brooklyn
1055:Southern
1050:Northern
1020:Tompkins
1010:Sullivan
985:Schuyler
970:Saratoga
965:Rockland
915:Onondaga
855:Herkimer
850:Hamilton
830:Franklin
815:Dutchess
810:Delaware
805:Cortland
800:Columbia
790:Chenango
755:Allegany
677:New York
327:See also
203:15000235
188:Built by
117:Location
1187:Yonkers
1090:Buffalo
1078:by city
1062:Wyoming
1005:Suffolk
1000:Steuben
930:Orleans
920:Ontario
905:Niagara
880:Madison
840:Genesee
795:Clinton
785:Chemung
234:History
178: (
1113:Queens
1085:Albany
1030:Warren
1025:Ulster
990:Seneca
950:Queens
945:Putnam
940:Otsego
935:Oswego
925:Orange
910:Oneida
895:Nassau
885:Monroe
845:Greene
835:Fulton
775:Cayuga
765:Broome
750:Albany
684:Topics
304:Warsaw
1103:Bronx
1076:Lists
1067:Yates
1040:Wayne
1015:Tioga
870:Lewis
825:Essex
760:Bronx
741:Lists
468:(PDF)
459:Note:
383:(PDF)
290:. In
173:Built
1246:List
820:Erie
619:2015
597:2015
568:2015
542:2015
521:2015
478:and
427:2015
395:2015
286:and
218:The
180:1932
176:1932
165:Area
675:in
302:in
222:in
198:No.
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182:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
