Built in 1849 for London-born insurance agent Charles Briggs and his wife Amelia Cruger to designs of James Galler & Company, this Gothic Revival cottage is one of six known examples of its type in New Orleans. Its cross gables, lancet windows and cloister-like gallery reflect an aesthetic popularized by 19th century writers Andrew Jackson Downing and Alexander Jackson Davis. When built, the home was two rooms deep, with carriage house and stable on adjacent land. A rear wing added in 1880 repeats the themes of the original, with variations. Visible from Third Street, its openings are designed as pairs of deeply molded lancet windows set into pointed arches. The 1864 acquisition by Bremen, Germany native Adolph Frerichs ushered in a thirty year period of ownership by international cotton and shipping interests in the Frerich, Woeste and Dinkelspiel families. Long term 20th century owners were the Martin Guy Staubs family, for whom the house was partly named. The house was extensively repaired and restored in 1992-1993 by Craig M. and Louise S. Ripley.