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

Markham Playground, Willowbrook Staten Island

In 1959, Intermediate School 51 was built on Staten Island's North Shore.  The Markham Intermediate School, as it is also known, was named for Edwin Markham, a California teacher and school principal.  Markham became known to Staten Islanders after having published works of poetry and soon after moved to Staten Island.  While residing on Staten Island, he lived nearby, in the neighborhood of Westerleigh.

In 1962, a parcel of land adjacent to the school was transformed to be used as the school's playground.  It was then known as Junior High School 51 Playground.  For years, the playground has been operated by both the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation and the New York City Board of Education.  During the latter part of the twentieth…

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Mahoney Playground, New Brighton Staten Island

In 1933, a little less than two acres of land were acquired by the New York City Board of Education, who was planning 
on constructing a school on the site.  Three years passed and nothing had been done, so the site was transferred to the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.  By 1939, a playground had opened on the site.

In 1940, the playground was dedicated to honor Michael J. Mahoney, a member of the United States Marine Corps who 

was killed during the First World War.  Before enlisting in the United States Marine Corps, Mahoney lived on Staten Island in the neighborhood of New Brighton.  At the dedication, Mahoney's eldest brother presented a plaque which was cast in honor of the fallen soldier.

In 1961, the New York City Housing…

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Lopez Playground, Park Hill Staten Island

In the middle of the nineteenth century, a large parcel of land on Staten Island's East Shore was purchased by the president of the Staten Island Savings Bank, Louis Henry Meyer.  Upon this land, Meyer built his estate, which he named Fox Hill Villa.  Many nearby places were soon named after his estate.  In fact, the surrounding community was named Fox Hills.

By the twentieth century, much of Fox Hills was made up of the Fox Hills Golf Course and the adjacent Fox Hills Base Hospital.  Once these sites disappeared, the area began to be developed for residential use.  In 1938, a small parcel of land there was acquired by the City of New York.  This site soon came to be known as Fox Hill Playground.

In 1993, the park was transferred over to the New York…

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Egbert Triangle, Port Richmond Staten Island

Staten Island is home to many green spaces which hold war memorials. In the northern section of the borough, you can find Egbert Triangle, named for one of the members of the Egbert family. The Egbert family first settled on Staten Island in the seventeenth century. Over the years, many of them became prominent members of Staten Island's society. In fact, there was even a neighborhood named after them near the center of Staten Island-Egbertville which is commonly referred to as New Dorp Heights.

One of the members of this prominent family was Arthur Stanley Egbert, who was once a conductor of the Richmond Light and Rail Road Company. After the First World War began, Egbert became a Seaman apprentice for the United States Navy, a position that…

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Northerleigh Park, Westerleigh Staten Island

During the latter part of the nineteenth century, the neighborhood of Westerleigh was known as Prohibition Park.  At the time, the site housed many recreational activities for members of the temperance movement, so it's no surprise that once the neighborhood began to be developed, a few parks were created.

In the early part of the twentieth century, the National Prohibition Campground Association donated and sold several acres of land to the City of New York.  In 1907, three acres of land were purchased by the city.  For over half of a century, nothing was done to the three acres of woodlands.

In 1963, the site was assigned to the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.  Shortly after, a baseball field began to be created on the site by the…

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