Built ca. 1886 by Robert R. McCormick from Colorado, Seagull Cottage is the oldest standing residence in Palm Beach. In 1893, Seagull Cottage was bought by Henry Flagler to act as his personal residence until the completion of Whitehall. Seagull Cottage is said to have housed John D. Rockefeller, JP Morgan, Andrew Carnegie, President Warren G. Harding and others during their stays in Palm Beach.

Seagull Cottage is an example of the Victorian Era Shingle style that existed in Palm Beach before the emergence of the Mediterranean Revival Style of the 1920s. With its wood frame, sloped roof, covered porch, and lattice detailing, Seagull Cottage exhibits a style of home popular in the Northeastern United States and unusual in Southeast Florida. Seagull Cottage stands as one of the only remaining pre-Flagler structures in Palm Beach.

When Seagull Cottage was threatened with demolition in 1984, the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach restored the building to its original glory using original photographs and moved it from the ocean to lakeside of the island. The residence was designated originally on June 11, 1985 for a period of twenty-five years, and re-designated on November 18, 2009.