Prodigy Real Estate - SI NY Real Estate Blog - June, 2012

Corporal Allan F. Kivlehan Park (New Dorp Beach Park), Staten Island NY

Corporal Allan F. Kivlehan Park is located in the neighborhood of New Dorp. This park is bordered by the streets of New Dorp Lane to the north, and Cedar Grove Avenue to the west. It is also bordered by the Lower New York Bay to 
the east, and by Cedar Grove Beach to the south.

Prior to being a park, this land used to hold bungalows for vacationers and residents of Staten Island. The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation obtained the land for this park in 1962 and it became known as New Dorp Beach Park. The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation had also obtained Cedar Grove Beach and Oakwood Beach at that time.

After the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation took over the land they removed all the houses that were there…

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Annadale Green, puts itself in the middle of Annadale's commercial town center.

If you've read most of the historical information on our website, you probably know all about the history of the Huguenots on Staten Island. These were French Protestants who fled France during the end of the seventeenth century once the Edict of Fontainebleau came into effect. These people left in fear of being killed due to their relig
ious beliefs, as the prominent religion at the time was Roman Catholicism. At some point prior to 1706, a James Sigin had fled from France to Staten Island. Over the next couple of centuries, his descendants became some of the most prominent people amongst the Staten Island residents.

In 1860, James Sigin's great-great-grandson, Stephen Seguine, became the treasurer of the Staten Island Rapid Transit railroad. At that…

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Art Deco Style Architecture

In 1925, 4,000 guests arrived in Paris, France for the "Exposition internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels modernes", or the "International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts".  The fair was held to introduce
the world to a new type of art.  This style, which focused mainly on simple designs dealing with geometric lines, spread throughout Western Europe and eventually reached the United States.  It dealt with just about everything dealing with art-architecture included.

Since houses began to be constructed in this new style, which was very different from other styles being built at the time, they needed a named to classify them.  That name came in the 1960s, when art historian Bevi Hillier shortened the exposition's name for…

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Corporal Thompson Park, West Brighton Staten Island

Corporal Thompson Park is located on the North Shore of Staten Island, in the neighborhood of West Brighton. It is bordered by the streets of Broadway, Henderson Avenue, and Chappell Street. Corporal Thompson Park has about ten acres of land that were transformed into an outdoors sports recreation park. The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation acquired this land around the 1970s.

Before this parcel of land became a part of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation's territory, it was used for factories. In 1851, Barrett Nephews & Company used this land for a dry cleaning and cloth dyeing factory. In the early to mid-20th century, Barrett Nephews & Company closed down their Staten Island location and moved to Manhattan. From 1947…

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Carlton Park is one of many small parks on Staten Island's South Shore.

Carlton Park is located on the South Shore of Staten Island, in the neighborhood of Woodrow. This is a small park that is only about two acres in size. It is bounded by streets on three sides, and houses on the last side. The stree
ts that border the park are Carlton Avenue, Foster Road, and Drumgoole Road West.

In the 1900s, this area was known as Little Farms. It was named by Wood Harmon, a real estate development company. At that time, Carlton Avenue was one of the main streets in the community. There is no certainty how this name came about, but it has stuck throughout the years and changes.

From 1928 to 1939, Carlton Park was the site of a public elementary school. The New York City Board of Education relinquished this site as a public school in…

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Ida Court Playground, Staten Island

Ida Court is a small playground park located on the South Shore of Staten Island. The land of the park is in the shape of a triangle and is only about one and a half acres in size. Ida Court is bordered by the streets of Ida Court to the east and Drumgoole Road East to the northwest. It is also bordered by North Railroad Street to the south, which currently ends once it reaches the parkland. 

Prior to being a park, this land was purchased by the City of New York for the Richmond Parkway. The Richmond Parkway opened in 1972; however, the land began to be acquired for it during the 1960s. Since 1997, the Richmond Parkway has been known as the Korean War Veterans Parkway. The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation acquired this land for park…

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Tottenville Shore Park, Staten Island

Tottenville Shore Park is located on the South Shore of Staten Island, in the neighborhood of Tottenville. This park is made up of three different sections of the Tottenville shore line. The main section of this park is located on Hopping Avenue. It runs from Hopping Street to the Raritan Bay and is between Patten Street and Arthur Kill Road. The other two sections of Tottenville Shore Park are divided by Bentley Street and bordered by the Raritan Bay. The first of these two is right on the water and has Arthur Kill Road as a third border. The second of these two is a smaller patch of land which is bordered on its remaining sides by houses.

In the past, there was an old ferry station which would take passengers to Perth Amboy, New Jersey. When it was in…

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De Matti Playground, in Rosebank Staten Island

De Matti Playground is a park on the North Shore of Staten Island. This park was named after Nicholas De Matti. Nicholas De Matti was born and raised on Staten Island, in the Rosebank neighborhood. Once old enough, Nicholas De Matti enrolled in the United States Army and became a Private during World War I. He served in the 78th Division of the United States Army and was part of Company K in the 310th Infantry. While serving the country overseas, in France, he died in action on September 26th, 1918.
 
After World War I was over, in 1918, the War Memorial Committee wanted to build a Memorial Arch to honor the soldiers killed during the war. When they were unable to raise enough money, they gave what they did raise to the City of New York. By 1934, the New…

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MacArthur Park, in Staten Island's Dongan Hills neighborhood.

In 1925, just ten days shy of turning forty-five, Brigadier General Douglas MacArthur, of the United States Army, was promoted to Major General.  This made him the United States Army's youngest two-star major general.  This wasn't the only honor which made General MacArthur significant, though.  In 1937, he had decided to retire, but was called back to the United States Army in 1941.  It wasn't until 1951 that General Douglas MacArthur retired a second time, after having become a very decorated soldier.

General Douglas MacArthur was such a prominent figure in America's history that over fifty places were named in honor of him.  If you couldn't guess, one of these places is on Staten Island.  This would be MacArthur Park, which is made up of a little…

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Joseph Manna Park, Staten Island is named after WWII hero.

On the borough of Staten Island, it's not rare to see parks dedicated to American heroes.  Oftentimes, these men and women were once residents of Staten Island.  A good example would be Joseph Manna Park, which honors Seaman First Class Radioman Joseph Manna.  Joseph Manna was an Italian immigrant who came to the United States and volunteered for the Second World War in 1941, at the age of seventeen.  Unfortunately, the ship on which he had become a radioman sank on October 11, 1942.

In 1958, the parcel of land now known as Joseph Manna Park was acquired by the City of New York.  In 1971, the New York State Department of Transportation had taken over the site, as the Staten Island Expressway was to be built there.  However, the parcel was deemed…

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