Lotta Crabtree Cottage

The Lotta Crabtree Cottage (1885-86) is a Shingle style house in the Breslin Park neighborhood of Mount Arlington, New Jersey. Designed by the noted Philadelphia architect Frank Furness, it is a contributing property in Mount Arlington Historic District.^[1]

"Attol Tryst," in 2007

Lotta Crabtree (1847–1924) was an American actress and comedian, best known for her Western roles.^[2]: 260 Furness designed the Breslin Hotel (1886, burned 1948)^[3] – a 175-room resort hotel built on a hill overlooking Lake Hopatcong – along with a number of summer cottages surrounding it.^[2]: 258 A popular celebrity, Crabtree "was given this house as part of promotion for the Breslin Hotel."^[2]: 260 She named it "Attol Tryst" ("Lotta" spelled backward), and summered there for 20 years.^[4]

The 18-room cottage sits on land that slopes down to Van Every Cove. It is 2-1/2 stories on the land side and 3-1/2 on the lake side. The exterior features Furness's "upside-down" chimneys, with corbels that flare outward near the top.^[5] An expansive porch/piazza, including a semi-circular section that traces the curve of the parlor, wraps around three sides of the house.^[2]: 260 The interior features Aesthetic Movement details characteristic of Furness, including a fireplace flanked by terra cotta dog-faced beasts.^[2]: 261 The billiard room's massive stone fireplace once featured a mosaic that spelled out "18 - LOTTA - 86" in gemstones.^[6]

Lotta Crabtree