Hyatt-Livingston House

About

Hyatt-Livingston House was an historic home located at Dobbs Ferry, Westchester County, New York, at the corner of Colonial Avenue and Broadway (Route 9). Originally constructed as part of the Philipsburg Manor around 1690 by land baron Frederick Philipse, the house was at first a smaller tenant-farmer's dwelling home to the John Hyatt family. In 1705, Hyatt's daughter Elizabeth married neighbor John Dobbs, who originally brought that family name to the area and perhaps started the ferry for which the village is named (the first ferryman was either John or his son William). In the early 18th century, the house was enlarged to a five-bay, 2+1⁄2-story dwelling that then formed the central part of the house. It was of wood-frame construction, with a gable roof, and sat on a fieldstone foundation.

Ownership changed as a direct result of the American Revolution. The Philipse family were loyal to the British Crown. By a state confiscation act affecting them and other loyalists, the entire huge estate and the land was auctioned off or, in some cases, turned over to the tenant farmers. The house and adjoining property was acquired by Philip Livingston, a wealthy New York merchant.