| Neighborhood
at risk: stapleton
Staten Island’s residential Stapleton neighborhood illustrates
several major architectural styles of the Victorian era and embodies
an important period in Staten Island and New York City’s history.
In June of 2004, the St. Paul’s
Avenue/Stapleton Heights Historic District in Staten Island was
designated by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. This collection
of 92 buildings, primarily wood-framer free-standing houses, is
the third historic district in the borough, and is a major victory
for community-based preservation groups, such as the Mud Land Society
for the Renaissance of Stapleton and the Preservation League of
Staten Island, who have fought for decades to protect this beautiful
neighborhood. Their efforts are yet another example of the effectiveness
of community advocacy in the landmarking process.
 During
the 1870s, Stapleton emerged as the leading commercial center of
Staten Island. Fresh springs encouraged development of German-American
breweries in the mid-1800s, and their commercial success enabled
wealthy brewers and other businessmen to build a number of impressive,
spectacularly sited houses overlooking the harbor. Two areas of
Stapleton–Stapleton Heights and the Stapleton Nook–are
particularly notable for their well-preserved houses and streetscapes.
In Stapleton Heights, beautiful houses on large, hilly lots face
the harbor and the city beyond. Those lining St. Paul’s Avenue
and adjacent streets serve as picturesque examples of a variety
of 19th century architectural styles, including some of the best
Queen Annes in the city. Originally known as Mud Lane, St. Paul’s
Avenue today stands as a well preserved reminder of its builders’
intentions to a create pastoral retreat from the city. The neighborhood
church, St. Paul’s Church and Rectory, an individual landmark,
form one of the finest High Victorian Gothic religious complexes
in the city. The Landmarks Preservation Commission made special
notice of both the topography of the area, and the variety and quality
of late 19th-century architectural styles.
Down the hill from St. Paul’s Avenue lies a secluded enclave
of architecturally significant houses along Harrison Street, the
Stapleton Nook. Harrison Street is lined with houses of great architectural
variety and high quality. Its Italianate Victorian row houses and
Greek Revival detached houses are often cited as good examples of
these styles in Staten Island. Built for families of modest means,
they are less grand than the houses on the Heights. Unfortunately
this area remains unprotected by landmark designation, although
thanks to the efforts of dedicated homeowners many of these “modest”
homes now rival their neighbors up the hill.
HDC salutes both the community groups who advocated for this new
district, and the officials who acted to save this neighborhood.
We look forward to continuing to work with them to preserve the
rest of Staten Island’s endangered historic resources.
For more information, visit:
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