Staten Island History RSS Feed

For investors with development plants, families looking to expand, or a house hunter who wants more space explore, 27 Sideview Avenue is framed in lovely trees and has double the yard space of a typical Bullshead home!

This single family colonial home will reach its centennial next year! Built in 1920, the home has been kept up nicely and still maintains that old world charm. 27 Sideview Avenue has 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, and a 60x100 lot- actually, two separate taxable lots within this property. Zoning allows the builder to construct another home if desired!

From the first impression, you can see the home is quietly set back from the street with a large front yard. The outside features a grey vinyl siding in good condition.

Past the classic…

In the Staten Island market, Chinese buyers have shown the most interest in properties near the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge

Foreign investment activity can be a litmus test for the real estate market conditions. And lately, it has practically slowed to a crawl.

Over the past several years in New York City, real estate has been heavily propped up by Chinese investments. This has been a major vehicle driving more intense bidding wars and rising prices, particularly through the period of 2015-2017.

The New York Metro area has the largest foreign buyer pool in the United States. While the city has long been known for its high-priced real estate, foreign capital has been instrumental in pushing values to record highs over the past five years.

…

On the whole, US homeowners still routinely prefer detached homes. 82%, in fact, according to the US Census Bureau in 2015. Just 5.5% of US homeowners live in townhomes. But this is another story in metropolitan areas like New York.

Semi-attached homes, which refer to a dwelling that shares a common wall with another, are extremely popular in Staten Island and the outer New York City boroughs in general. This type of home, ideal for small urban and suburban land plots, has a rich and varied history of helping to meet housing demand in densely populated areas throughout the world.

A Brief History of Semi-Attached Homes

To accommodate growing populations and save on construction costs, semi-attached homes popped up all over Staten Island post…

We always try to keep on top of Staten Island's real estate progress. And there is always much to talk about with this ever-changing borough!

But it's also interesting to reminisce on those projects lost to the wind too. What could have been, you may wonder? Were they better off unfinished?

So in reverse order, let's count down the Top 6 White Elephants in Staten Island real estate before these strange events are left in the sands of time.

6. Fast Ferry

We are certainly grateful to have a free 24/7 ferry leaving from St. George every 30 minutes that docks in Manhattan. However, residents on Staten Island's South Shore face the longest commute times in the country- about a quarter of them have commutes of at least two hours each…

Staten Island was once a very different place than it is today. So many of the things we take for granted about our way of life were not always this way. In this live video segment, we tackle the Top Ten events that changed Staten Island forever.

Correspondent Hannah Jay and Broker/Co-Owner Anthony Licciardello run the gamut through more than three centuries taking us into the modern day. Who were the first European settlers on Staten Island? How much did Staten Island cost to purchase from the Lenape tribe? And, how did people get to the island before the first bridge was built in 1928? What was the main event that changed the infrastructure, demographics, and culture of Staten Island in such a short time?

But many of these events are…

March has been a crazy month for weather! As we wait on the precipice of yet another snowstorm this evening, we reflect on the worst storms Staten Island has seen in a lifetime. Correspondent Hannah Jay interviews broker and co-owner Anthony Licciardello as they count down the 7 Most Severe Staten Island Storms.

Some of these storms are record holders; others can't be quantified in their toll on our lives. All have one thing in common- their destructive impact that lasted long past the storm itself.

Staten Islanders will find a few of these in our recent memory, while others provide a history lesson for younger residents. As each winter goes by, it makes for uncertain times during blizzard and Hurricane seasons. Many of you will remember the unease…

Over the years, a lot has changed in Staten Island. Many historical properties have fallen into disrepair, struggled to maintain landmark status, or been sold off to developers for their valuable land.

Perhaps the most high profile and most controversial of these over the past few years was Mount Manresa, the Catholic retreat and natural gem filled with some of the oldest trees in New York City. Environmentalists and Catholics alike rallied to save this property and have it landmarked by the City of New York LPC.

When the almighty dollar won out and the property was sold to The Savo Brothers, many in the community were angered to lose this natural beauty. Borough president James Oddo was so peeved that he took revenge and named the streets in the…

What are Staten Island's best kept secrets? We're here to let you in on them! On Staten Island's North, Mid-Island, and South Shore sections, Anthony Licciardello and Hannah Jay identify some of the most beautiful yet mysterious locations in Staten Island.

These neighborhoods are home to luxury Staten Island homes and are each charming in their own unique way. Yet, since they lie off the beaten path, these streets offer luxury homes for a great value. This is an depth discussion about the history, home styles, transportation, unique views and amenities each of these neighborhoods has to offer.

PLUS- a discussion about property taxes that may just save you lots of money! There are lots of ways to reduce the property taxes you pay each year, whether…

Early February, Wall Street plunges downward as the DOW Jones sends investors into a panic. How does this compare to other stock market dips of the past? Should we look for warning signs?

Not yet, exactly. This dip in the stock market (which has since recovered) does not represent a crash. The dip would have to be greater for it to be considered a crash, to at least 30%. At around 11%, this is more likely classified as a correction. If it fell further, it would be classified as a bear market.

The important thing to take away is that this may not be cause for panic, yet anyway. Stock market ebbs and flows are a normal part of the economy. We should be on the lookout for changes in the future and it is a fact that this upward spike could not sustain…

Our recently published article explored Mall 2.0 in America – or how malls can adapt by embracing change, not fearing it.

On the simplest level, malls will survive by focusing on alternatives to clothing stores that involve experience and entertainment, including stores for major purchases like furniture, and utilizing smart technology with integrated social media. Malls should also emphasize quality instead of expanding for the sake of it, and offer shoppers everyday staples like drug stores instead of just impulse items.

How can this be applied to the Staten Island retail sector? We have some ideas based on malls that are succeeding today.

High Priced Necessities, Not Luxuries

Retailers such as Cache and Bebe have shut their doors…