Pfau–Crichton Cottage

The Pfau–Crichton Cottage, best known as Chinaberry, is a historic cottage in Mobile, Alabama. The ​1 ¹⁄₂-story, wood-frame, Gulf Coast cottage was completed in 1862.[1] The house was built by the Pfau family, but its best known resident was Miss Anne Randolph Crichton, known for the elaborate gardens that she developed on the property.[2] She enlisted in the Navy at the outbreak of World War I and continued her service until retirement, in the 1950s. She traveled extensively in Europe during the 1930s, maintaining scrapbooks that recorded her visits to various art museums, gardens, and monuments.[3] She was the last direct descendant of Hugh Randolph Crichton, the founder of the Mobile County town of Crichton.[2] The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 18, 1984 as a part of the 19th Century Spring Hill Neighborhood Thematic Resource listing of well-preserved buildings that represent the historical development of what was once the village of Spring Hill.[4]

Pfau–Crichton Cottage
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
The house in June 2014
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Location	3703 Old Shell Rd., Mobile, Alabama
Coordinates	30°41′55″N 88°7′40″W
Area	0.5 acres (0.20 ha)
Built	1862
MPS	19th Century Spring Hill Neighborhood TR
NRHP reference No.	84000120[1]
Added to NRHP	October 18, 1984

The cottage is unique in its architectural features. The home itself is a two-story structure, each floor being measured at 700 sq ft (65 m²). The bottom floor of the home is the central living area consisting of the kitchen, library, bathroom, living room, dining room, and a single bedroom. The unique part of this part of the architecture is that all rooms are connected by multiple doorways, but no hallways. The upper floor is a one-room storage area.

On the property there are a total of three structures. Aside from the cottage itself there is an outlying kitchen and a chapel. There are brick walkways that lead to each structure and all garden areas.