The Skinny House in Mamaroneck, New York, was built in 1932 by African-American carpenter and building contractor Nathan Thomas Seely on an extremely narrow lot of donated land after he lost his home to foreclosure and his company to bankruptcy during the early years of the Great Depression.

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.” [2] 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.”[3][4] 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 Westchester County as a result of the Great Migration.

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.

[3] The Grand Street home is one of a number of renowned “skinny houses” in the United States, including ones in Long Beach, California, Boston, Massachusetts and Deerfield, Illinois.