Staten Island Neighborhood Profile: Shore Acres

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During the late nineteenth century and the early twentieth century, one of the most well-known men on Staten Island was Cornelius Geertruyus Kolff. During his prominence, he was referred to as "Staten Island's Most Obedient Servant". This was because he had dedicated his life to enhancing Staten Island.

A number of organizations on Staten Island had Kolff as their founder, leader, President, Secretary, or trustee. These organizations included the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce, the Staten Island Historical Society, the Staten Island Institute of Arts and Sciences, the Parks Association, and the Tree Planting Association.  In addition to being a member of these societies, Cornelius G. Kolff was a prominent real estate developer, developing numerous areas on Staten Island during the late 1920s and early 1930s.

To the north of Fort Wadsworth, along the eastern shore of Staten Island, Kolff had a number of houses constructed. The small section of upscale houses, which were erected in the 1930s, was named as Shore Acres. Shortly after their construction, the surrounding area began to be referred to as Shore Acres. It is usually denoted as being surrounded by Nautilus Street to the north, Bay Street to the west, Arthur Von Briesen Park to the south, and the Narrows to the east. Aside from the streets, Shore Acres is surrounded by trees, which provide shade to the community.

Shore Acres offers a serine setting, and the real estate market has a very limited supply of homes, with limited residential turnover. The area is considered a high end even a luxury home community. Some homes in the area sit directly on the New York Harbor waterfront offering panoramic views from the Verrazano Narrows Bridge right up to New York Harbor. The location is rather strategic from a commute perspective as it sits about one quarter mile away from the entrance to the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, and sits on the opposite side of Bay St. down the road from the Staten Island Ferry Terminal. 
 
Housing stock consists of  older home stock, with Federal Style, Tudor and Colonial Style architecture. However, in recent years there has been some new construction in the area.   

In 1975, the City of New York established Special Natural Area Districts. Shortly after, the community became one of these districts. This designation came with zoning regulations on the area of Shore Acres. The reason for designating a site as a Special Natural Area District is to protect its natural features from having any residential sturctures developed on them. These natural features include any flora or bodies of water located within the area. Basically, if any of these existed in the area, the land may not be modified.

Popular Streets in Shore Acres include: Shore Acres Rd., Harborview Place, Wadsworth Rd., Sea Gate Rd. and Polk Walk.

Shore Acres is served by just one bus-the local s51, which will take you along Bay Street to the St. George Ferry Terminal or Grant City. While this may be the only bus that travels through the community, the s52 bus stop is within walking distance on Tompkins Avenue.  This bus will take you to the St. George Ferry Terminal as well, in addition to Staten Island University Hospital. If you're adventurous, you can walk further north along Tompkins Avenue or south to Narrows Road, where you can access the bus stops of a number of other buses.

There are several public and Catholic schools for children who live in the community to attend. The closest public schools are P.S. 13, at 191 Vermont Avenue; P.S. 57, at 140 Palma Drive; P.S. 39, at 71 Sand Lane; I.S. 49, at 101 Warren Street; and Concord High School, at 109 Rhine Avenue. The closest Catholic schools are St. Mary School, at 1124 Bay Street; St. John Villa Academy, at 57 Cleveland Place; St. Joseph's Parochial School, at 139 St. Mary's Avenue; St. Joseph Hill Academy, at 850 Hylan Boulevard; and Notre Dame Academy High School, at 134 Howard Ave.

For more information on Staten Island real estate, contact our Realtors® at RealEstateSINY.com (718) 701-5626