Hidden above the bustling commercial strip of Richmond Road in New Dorp, Staten Island, sits a remarkable 19th-century Italianate villa that most New Yorkers have never heard of. This historic home, located just four blocks from the New Dorp train station, was once the residence of Gustav Mayer, the German-born baker who invented the iconic Nilla wafer cookie. Today, the 2,400-square-foot house serves as an extraordinary time capsule, complete with original pine floors, a 120-year-old working icebox, and hand-painted murals that tell the story of Staten Island's rural past.
The property's fascinating history dates back to 1855 when David Ryers, a commander in the New York state militia, built the house. Ryers was the last proprietor of the nearby Rose and Crown Tavern, a historic establishment that had been occupied by British forces during the American Revolution. According to the Historical Marker Database, this tavern was the very site where General William Howe read the Declaration of Independence to his officers on July 9, 1776. When Ryers decided to tear down the tavern in 1855, he constructed this stunning villa in its place, drawing inspiration from the renowned landscape architect Andrew Jackson Downing.
In 1889, Gustav Mayer purchased the house and moved in the following year, transforming the basement into his personal laboratory for confectionery experiments. It was in this very basement that Mayer developed the recipe for what would eventually become Nabisco's famous Nilla wafer. The German-born baker's culinary innovations would go on to become a staple in American households for generations.
After Gustav Mayer's passing, his daughters Paula and Emilia inherited the home and turned it into their personal artistic canvas. Both women remained unmarried and lived in the house well into their hundreds, dedicating their lives to transforming the interior walls into breathtaking murals. Drawing inspiration from their travels to Switzerland and Italy, the sisters painted elaborate landscapes directly onto the walls throughout the second and third floors. Their artistic touches extend beyond the murals to include decorative elements on tilework and cabinets throughout the house, creating a unique blend of European artistry and American domesticity.
The current owner, Robert Troiano, discovered the property in his youth while growing up nearby and purchased it in 1990. As a professional restorationist and woodworker, Troiano saw the house as the perfect project to showcase his skills. He spent decades meticulously rehabilitating the structure from the inside out, rebuilding rooflines, restoring the original 19th-century windows, and carefully preserving Paula Mayer's precious murals. "Everything is original," Troiano explains. "The yellow southern pine clapboard is original from 1855. The longleaf southern pine flooring is probably worth $50 a square foot in salvage yards today. I made sure to put back any pieces that might have been tampered with or were missing."
The house's exterior, which was designated as a landmark in the 1980s, presents a striking appearance from Richmond Road, resembling something between a Gothic novel setting and an elaborate wedding cake. A wide front porch spans the entire width of the building, supported by intricately carved wooden columns and featuring original wavy glass windows that overlook a sloping lawn. The front of the house sits majestically atop a crest that slopes down through a half-acre landscaped garden to the busy street below. Many of the heirloom plantings in the garden date back to the 1930s, adding another layer of historical authenticity to the property.
Crowning the house is a square cupola that once served dual purposes: cooling the home during summer months and providing panoramic ocean views. On clear days, visitors to the cupola can still enjoy breathtaking vistas of Raritan Bay and Sandy Hook, New Jersey. While Troiano has modernized the utilities throughout the house, he has done so with such skill that electrical outlets remain hidden unless you know exactly where to look, maintaining the home's historical integrity.
Over the years, the house's unique combination of controlled decay, authentic period details, and artistic murals made it a sought-after location for the fashion and film industries. The home's distinctive aesthetic—complete with naturally peeling paint, sun-bleached shutters, and carefully patched plaster—attracted high-profile photo shoots for prestigious magazines including Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and Essence. According to Troiano, numerous celebrities have worked in the space, including supermodel Gisele Bündchen, actress and fashion designer Mary-Kate Olsen, and actress Amber Heard. The property's first brush with show business came in 1990 when Saturday Night Live used it as a location for a skit called "Fuzzy Memories."
Troiano continued renting the space for photo shoots until the pandemic prompted him to cease operations. Now, after more than three decades of careful stewardship, he is preparing to move south and has put this extraordinary piece of Staten Island history on the market. The asking price is just under $1.5 million for a property that has had only two owners since Gustav Mayer purchased it in 1889.
As Troiano prepares for the sale, he acknowledges that the future of this historic treasure remains uncertain. "The new owner reserves the right to do whatever they want with the house," he admits. "Although I might prefer it was maintained historically, it's not a criteria by any means." This uncertainty adds urgency to the story of a house that has witnessed more than 150 years of American history, from the aftermath of the Revolutionary War through the invention of a beloved cookie, to its transformation into an artistic sanctuary and eventually a backdrop for contemporary fashion photography. The Gustav Mayer house stands as a testament to Staten Island's rich but often overlooked heritage, where European immigrant ingenuity, American entrepreneurship, and artistic creativity converged in one remarkable home.
