High Church - North Shore Episcopalian Churches Pt. 3

Just one church today. The old photos are dark so I decided to include newer shots to accompany each one.

St. Mary's Episcopal Church

On the corner of Castleton and Davis Avenues in West New Brighton, this beautiful little church shares its grounds with a parsonage and garage. Surrounded by medical offices, lawyers, and slightly rundown houses, it looks a little out of place these days. The parish was founded in 1848 and the present building is from 1905. 

The West Brighton Projects Project: Part Five - Northside of Castleton Avenue between Alaska and Richmond Streets

Just a short blast of buildings today, all commercial (with the usual upstairs apartments), all gone. We continue along Castleton Avenue heading west. The remnants of the avenue's once glorious business days linger on in rundown shops lining the southside of the street, but from these pictures and the past batches, we can see just how impressive it all once was.

The West Brighton Projects Project: Part Four - Richmond Street, Castleton Avenue, State Street, and Market Street

It's been awhile since I've posted (holidays, new contractor), so here's a great big West New Brighton post. Today, it's only a sidewalk between buildings, but once upon a time a street called Richmond Street ran north from Castleton Avenue between Broadway and Alaska Street. State Street cut across Castleton and ran north for another two blocks before ending at West Union Street, itself a lost street.

This block is an interesting one. Starting from the northwest corner, there's a row of multi-unit buildings followed by a bowling alley/restaurant, then another apartment. 

Coming around the corner to Castleton, there's a densely packed block of stores with apartments overhead. It's hard to read all the signs and awnings, but there's an Italian American grocery, a hardware store, a jeweler, and finally a Roulston's. The latter was a widespread grocery chain (about 300 stores in the forties. When its founder died, the family sold off the property).

Looping back around the block, down State Street and around to Market Street, there are two more businesses (the first being a barbershop) and then a run of houses. 

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Above location seen from same vantage point modern day

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The West Brighton Projects Project: Part Three - Castleton Avenue between State and Broadway and Broadway between Castleton and Market

I'm a startled at my recent burst of energy regarding the various reconstructions I've started of several lost Staten Island neighborhoods. With each new post I've been reminded a little bit more about why I started this: documenting places that have been destroyed or damaged that are worth remembering. 

Staten Islanders talk a lot about the devastation wrought by development on the south shore, and while true, the north shore saw significant troubles as well. Whether it was the urban planners' deciding Stapleton's back streets were "blighted," or Port Richmond's stores falling prey to the Penny's Plaza, the north shore of the past is truly past. I believe it's worth documenting what that past looked like, if only to remind us, especially now as major development is taking place, that the Island's constantly changing. It's nothing new, it just needs to be handled with an eye toward not letting it look like garbage.

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The first two pictures are from the north side of Castleton Avenue between State Street and Broadway. You can see it was very similar to the surrounding stretches of Castleton: commercial spaces with apartments above. 

 NE corner of State and Castleton

NW corner of Castleton and Broadway

The remaining pictures are of the west side of Broadway between Castleton and Market Street. Off the main thoroughfare, we get something we've seen a lot of these posts, a heterogeneous mix of stores and housing. There was even an attached house on the corner of Market Street (#04).

The biggest, saddest thing I'm taking away from the projects projects is that existing neighborhoods were declared blighted. They were then wiped out and replaced with mono-zoned high density buildings. Now, fifty-five years later, these neighborhoods are far more blighted and run down than they were before the housing projects. It's almost as if the urban planners decided to corral as many poor people as possible into a single location and then forgot about them. 

Banksapalooza! Part Two - Richmond County Savings Bank

   Standing at the corner of Castleton Avenue and Taylor Street, this 1930 picture gives us so much more than just a great shot of the Richmond County Savings Bank.  There are several little details worth examining.  

In the window at the center left of the picture is a sign advertising the law offices of Francis F. Leman.  I couldn't find much information about him, but in 1920 he had an office at 1619 Richmond Terrace (which was right next door to the Richmond County Savings Bank's office).  According to the American Lawyer he was was from Mariners' Harbor and admitted to the bar in 1894.  I'm sort of 

   At the top of the building with Leman's offices it reads Richmond Insurance Company of NY.  Again, I don't have many specifics concerning the institution, but it was chartered in Illinois.

   Finally, there is the Richmond County Savings Bank.  The bank was found in 1886 just a few blocks away in the Odd Fellows Hall at Broadway and Richmond Terrace.  Today it's one of several divisons of the New York Community Bank.

From the New York Times - October 21, 1886

   The fact that such an impressive neo-classical design is parked on such a grubby commerical strip is a testimony ot how much that part of West New Brighton's changed over the last eighty years.  Once upon a time there were nice department stores, bakeries and movie theaters.  Today, it's not quite the same.

   The bank itself is stripped some of its old architectural charm.  The entrance lamps are gone.  The beautiful clock is now replaced with an ugly light up plastic sign.  It's a rare building on the Island from so long ago that seems able to hold on to the little exterior frills that help make it special.

   So there's another bit of old time Staten Island for you.  Someday I need to get pictures from inside these institutions.  This and the Stapleton SI Bank & Trust are beautiful inside.  So, I guess I got to work on that.