New Dorp Railroad Station #12

This railroad station, which once served the neighborhood of New Dorp, now stands on the south side of Center Street near Tysen Court. Its original location was near Rose Avenue and 6th Street (now New Dorp Plaza). It was built in 1889 and moved to Historic Richmond Town in 1965.

It is a 1 ½ story structure with a single rectangular room. The roof once had large eaves creating a porch around the building which served as the waiting platform; these features were removed for the process of relocating the structure and have not yet been restored. The architecture shows elements of the Queen Anne style and the stick style. Picturesque details include applied wood boards and brackets, double doors, and windows with sash holding multicolored glass.

New Dorp (which means "new town" in Dutch) was settled about 1671, making it about ten years "newer" than Oude Dorp (or Old Town). Early settlers were Dutch, French, and English who made their living through farming and fishing. In addition to the railroad station, Historic Richmond Town's Britton Cottage and Guyon-Lake-Tysen House also came from this area. New Dorp's location near the intersection of Amboy and Richmond Roads made it an early hub and the site of several early American taverns. Notable early residents included the Vanderbilts, who had a farm on New Dorp Lane at a site now known as Miller Field.

William H. Vanderbilt played a role in the establishment of a railroad line in the 1860s that ran through the area, and suburban real estate development began soon after, with a cluster of commercial establishments around the railroad station that continues to this day. The railroad also facilitated the growth of seaside amusement areas and resorts nearby.

The New Dorp Railroad Station was built by New York real estate developers Hughes and Ross in 1889 and operated by the Staten Island Rapid Transit Railroad Company. It is believed to have been designed by New York City architect Henry Knapp, based on style similarities to Knapp-designed residences in New Dorp. When Staten Island's grade crossing elimination project endangered the building in the 1960s, it was moved to Historic Richmond Town to prevent its destruction. The building is awaiting restoration and is not open to the public.