Clifton is a neighborhood on the North Shore of Staten Island in New York City , United States . It is an older waterfront neighborhood, facing Upper New York Bay on the east. It is bordered on the north by Stapleton , on the south by Rosebank , on the southwest by Concord , and on the west by Van Duzer Street.
112-497: The name "Clifton" for the area dates to 1817, when a town by the name, larger in area than the present neighborhood, was laid out along the waterfront. In its early history, much of the surrounding land was owned by the Vanderbilt family. As a young man, Cornelius Vanderbilt established ferry service from the waterfront to Manhattan at the foot of present Vanderbilt Avenue . Bayley Seton Hospital , north of Vanderbilt Avenue,
224-465: A housing project sponsored by the State of New York , had opened two years earlier; at eight stories high, its buildings are the tallest within any such project on Staten Island, and is the largest New York City Housing Authority project in the borough. The city built piers in 1920, but they were never fully exploited. From 1937 to 1942 several of the piers were used as the first Foreign Trade Zone in
336-495: A boy, quitting school at the age of 11. At the age of 16, Vanderbilt decided to start his own ferry service. According to one version of events, he borrowed $ 100 (equivalent to $ 1,900 in 2023) from his mother to purchase a periauger (a shallow draft, two-masted sailing vessel), which he christened the Swiftsure. However, according to the first account of his life, published in 1853, the periauger belonged to his father and
448-745: A business in Brooklyn and lives in Staten Island. In recent years, Liberian families have been settling in nearby New Jersey, with a large community in the Trenton, New Jersey area. The area has become a regular stop for Liberian politicians and leaders visiting the United States. Local Liberian civic groups organize Liberian-American involvement in their homeland, and promote a variety of charitable missions in West Africa. The troubles of
560-722: A church for his second wife's congregation, the Church of the Strangers. In addition, he donated to churches around New York, including a gift to the Moravian Church on Staten Island of 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 acres (3 hectares) for a cemetery (the Moravian Cemetery ). He chose to be buried there. Cornelius Vanderbilt died on January 4, 1877, at his residence, No. 10 Washington Place, after being confined to his rooms for about eight months. The immediate cause of his death
672-542: A college education or higher. The percentage of Stapleton and the North Shore students excelling in math rose from 49% in 2000 to 65% in 2011, though reading achievement declined from 55% to 51% during the same time period. Stapleton and the North Shore's rate of elementary school student absenteeism is slightly higher than the rest of New York City. In Stapleton and the North Shore, 25% of elementary school students missed twenty or more days per school year , more than
784-555: A cousin from Mobile, Alabama , with the name — unusual for a woman — of Frank Armstrong Crawford . Vanderbilt's second wife convinced him to give $ 1 million ($ 22,890,000 in 2023 dollars ), the largest charitable gift in American history to that date, to Bishop Holland Nimmons McTyeire , the husband of her cousin, Amelia Townsend, to found Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, named in his honor. He also paid $ 50,000 for
896-622: A ferry entrepreneur named Thomas Gibbons asked Vanderbilt to captain his steamboat between New Jersey and New York. Although Vanderbilt kept his own businesses running, he became Gibbons's business manager. When Vanderbilt entered his new position, Gibbons was fighting against a steamboat monopoly in New York waters, which had been granted by the New York State Legislature to the politically influential patrician Robert Livingston and Robert Fulton , who had designed
1008-628: A grievous loss when George Washington Vanderbilt II, his youngest and favorite son, and heir apparent , a graduate of the United States Military Academy , fell ill and died without ever seeing combat. Though Vanderbilt had relinquished his presidency of the Stonington Railroad during the California gold rush, he took an interest in several railroads during the 1850s, serving on the boards of directors of
1120-408: A key advantage: it was the only steam railroad to enter the center of Manhattan, running down 4th Avenue (later Park Avenue ) to a station on 26th Street, where it connected with a horse-drawn streetcar line. From Manhattan it ran up to Chatham Four Corners , New York, where it had a connection to the railroads running east and west. Vanderbilt brought his eldest son, Billy, in as vice-president of
1232-532: A landmark legal case— Gibbons v. Ogden —to the United States Supreme Court to overturn the monopoly. Working for Gibbons, Vanderbilt learned to operate a large and complicated business. He moved with his family to New Brunswick, New Jersey , a stop on Gibbons' line between New York and Philadelphia . There his wife Sophia operated a very profitable inn, using the proceeds to feed, clothe and educate their children. Vanderbilt also proved
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#17327986408761344-890: A member of the Moravian Church to his death. Along with other members of the Vanderbilt family, he helped erect a local Moravian parish church in his city. On December 19, 1813, at age 19 Vanderbilt married his first cousin, Sophia Johnson. They moved into a boarding house on Broad Street in Manhattan. They had 13 children together: Phebe in 1814, Ethelinda in 1817, Eliza in 1819, William in 1821, Emily in 1823, Sophia in 1825, Maria in 1827, Frances in 1828, Cornelius Jeremiah in 1830, George in 1832 (who died in 1836), Mary in 1834, Catherine in 1836, and another son named George in 1839. In addition to running his ferry, Vanderbilt bought his brother-in-law John De Forest's schooner Charlotte and traded in food and merchandise in partnership with his father and others. But on November 24, 1817,
1456-400: A mile-long waterfront esplanade while soliciting proposals from private developers to build on six sites—three residential and three commercial—across the 36-acre (15 ha) base. City officials have said infrastructure work could begin in early 2007 with a projected completion date of 2009. Demolition of the old Navy buildings began in late 2011. On October 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy threw
1568-406: A presence. In 1801, the local Union American Methodist Episcopal church was founded in the neighborhood. It still stands at 43 Tompkins Avenue and has a very active congregation, most of whom are descendants of former slaves on Staten Island. The church is the oldest African-American church in the borough and one of four which predate the 20th century. Edgewater Village Hall and Tappen Park ,
1680-605: A quick study in legal matters, representing Gibbons in meetings with lawyers. He also went to Washington, D.C., to hire Daniel Webster to argue the case before the Supreme Court. Vanderbilt appealed his own case against the monopoly to the Supreme Court, which was next on the docket after Gibbons v. Ogden . The Court never heard Vanderbilt's case, because on March 2, 1824, it ruled in Gibbons' favor, saying that states had no power to interfere with interstate commerce. The case
1792-472: A rascal, combative and cunning, he was much more a builder than a wrecker [...] being honorable, shrewd, and hard-working." Cornelius Vanderbilt's great-great-great-grandfather, Jan Aertson or Aertszoon ("Aert's son"), was a Dutch farmer from the village of De Bilt in Utrecht , Netherlands, who emigrated to New Amsterdam (later New York) as an indentured servant in 1650. The Dutch van der ("of the")
1904-525: A school) has seen a large increase in the Hispanic population, with the 2011–2012 school year being the first one in which Hispanics have made up the majority of the student body. This is reflective of the overall increase in the Hispanic population in the area. Stapleton, like much of the North Shore , has two major coexisting cultural spheres: that based in the old, standalone homes that have been in
2016-587: A state of disrepair. The average price of a private house in Park Hill increased from 2002 ($ 159,254) to 2007 ($ 321,426). The Clifton neighborhood consists mostly of one-family houses; however, in the past decade many duplexes and attached houses have been developed on property previously zoned for commercial use. Park Hill/Clifton (along with nearby Stapleton ) has the largest Liberian population of any city outside Africa, with an estimated 6,000 – 8,000 strong community of direct immigrants in 2007. Beginning in
2128-489: A while (though there has always been a noticeable White and Hispanic presence), while the areas further away have been a little bit more diverse. The overall neighborhood has seen a decrease in the White population, which reflects the overall trend of Whites moving back towards the city center (as well as those moving to newer suburbs further out). The local school, P.S. 14 (which has since become P.S. 78 due to P.S. 14's failing as
2240-680: A whole. The 120th Precinct has a lower crime rate than in the 1990s, with crimes across all categories having decreased by 83.3% between 1990 and 2022. The precinct reported seven murders, 14 rapes, 118 robberies, 384 felony assaults, 124 burglaries, 338 grand larcenies, and 136 grand larcenies auto in 2022. Stapleton is served by the New York City Fire Department (FDNY)'s Engine Co. 153/Ladder Co. 77, located at 74 Broad Street. As of 2018 , preterm births and births to teenage mothers are more common in Stapleton and
2352-424: A year and was ultimately won outright by Billy, who increased the bequests to his siblings and paid their legal fees. One of Vanderbilt's great-great-granddaughters, Gloria Vanderbilt , was a renowned fashion designer, and her youngest son, Anderson Cooper , is a television news anchor. Through Billy's daughter Emily Thorn Vanderbilt , another descendant is actor Timothy Olyphant . Cornelius Jeremiah Vanderbilt
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#17327986408762464-417: Is still considered a landmark ruling. The protection of competitive interstate commerce is considered the basis for much of the prosperity which the United States has generated. After Thomas Gibbons died in 1826, Vanderbilt worked for Gibbons' son William until 1829. Though he had always run his own businesses on the side, he now worked entirely for himself. Step by step, he started lines between New York and
2576-1111: The Vanderbilt , to the Union Navy . Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles refused it, thinking its operation and maintenance too expensive for what he expected to be a short war. Vanderbilt had little choice but to lease it to the War Department, at prices set by ship brokers. When the Confederate ironclad Virginia (popularly known in the North as the Merrimack ) wrought havoc with the Union blockading squadron at Hampton Roads, Virginia , Secretary of War Edwin Stanton and President Abraham Lincoln called on Vanderbilt for help. This time he succeeded in donating
2688-751: The Erie Railway , the Central Railroad of New Jersey , the Hartford and New Haven , and the New York and Harlem (popularly known as the Harlem). In 1863, Vanderbilt took control of the Harlem in a famous stockmarket corner , and was elected its president. He later explained that he wanted to show that he could take this railroad, which was generally considered worthless, and make it valuable. It had
2800-449: The NYPD , located at 78 Richmond Terrace. The 120th Precinct ranked 12th safest out of 69 patrol areas for per-capita crime in 2010. As of 2018 , with a non-fatal assault rate of 94 per 100,000 people, Stapleton and the North Shore's rate of violent crimes per capita is more than that of the city as a whole. The incarceration rate of 719 per 100,000 people is higher than that of the city as
2912-562: The New York Central and Hudson River Railroad , one of the first giant corporations in United States history. In 1869, Vanderbilt directed the Harlem to begin construction of the Grand Central Depot on 42nd Street in Manhattan. It was finished in 1871, and served as his lines' terminus in New York. He sank the tracks on 4th Avenue in a cut that later became a tunnel, and 4th Avenue became Park Avenue. The depot
3024-738: The S76 and S86 buses along Vanderbilt Avenue. Starting in August 2018, express bus service to and from Manhattan is also provided by the SIM30 route. Due to increased traffic congestion in Clifton, the Staten Island Transportation Task Force and Co-Chairs New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Iris Weinshall and Department of City Planning (DCP) Director Amanda Burden have acted to relieve
3136-811: The Staten Island Stapletons . In their last two years they were known as the Staten Island Stapes. This professional American football team was founded in 1915 and played in the National Football League from 1929 to 1932. Jack Shapiro , who was a blocking back for the Stapletons, was the shortest player in NFL history. In 1963, I.S.49 , which sits across from the Stapleton Houses , opened. The Houses,
3248-593: The Stonington . By cutting fares on competing lines, Vanderbilt drove down the Stonington stock price, and took over the presidency of the company in 1847. It was the first of the many railroads he would head. During these years, Vanderbilt also operated many other businesses. He bought large amounts of real estate in Manhattan and Staten Island, and took over the Staten Island Ferry in 1838. It
3360-667: The Vanderbilt to the Union Navy, equipping it with a ram and staffing it with handpicked officers. It helped bottle up the Virginia, after which Vanderbilt converted it into a cruiser to hunt for the Confederate commerce raider Alabama , captained by Raphael Semmes . For donating the Vanderbilt, he was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal . Vanderbilt also paid to outfit a major expedition to New Orleans . He suffered
3472-482: The "spirits"—during a point in the session when said spiritualist would fall into a "trance" in the Commodore's presence—claimed William would be the most trustworthy to inherit the estate and business and that his other children actually hated him and were just waiting for him to die. A "spirit", during this session, came in the form of William's deceased mother, Sophia. Not wanting to risk further public humiliation of
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3584-592: The 1960s as a private apartment complex to which many people from the other boroughs of NYC moved after the opening of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge. By the late 1960s, however, people realized that it was relatively inexpensive to move to Staten Island and purchase a home or rent an apartment in smaller buildings, which resulted in a loss of the emerging middle-class population it initially attracted. Park Hill remained privately owned but became federally subsidized low-income housing complex, and became
3696-571: The 1964 construction of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge , which shifted the commercial development of the island to its interior. Stapleton is part of Staten Island Community District 1 and its ZIP Code is 10304. Stapleton is patrolled by the 120th Precinct of the New York City Police Department . The neighborhood was the site of the farm where Cornelius Vanderbilt grew up, at the location of
3808-545: The 1970s. The last, used for fishing, was removed when the U.S. Navy proposed to build a base in Stapleton in the 1980s. In 1983, Secretary of the Navy John Lehman selected Stapleton to be the homeport for a naval unit headed by the battleship USS Iowa (BB-61) , as part of the dispersal of the navy during a military build up ordered by President Ronald Reagan . This proposal became highly controversial throughout Staten Island when analysis of
3920-637: The 1990s to extend the "deferred enforced departure" (DED) status, which since the Presidency of Bill Clinton has had to be deferred on a yearly basis by presidential order for immigrants who fled the Liberian war without immigration visas. Clifton-based community groups like the Staten Island Liberian Community Association (SILCA) have become politically active in defending the estimated 3,600 Liberians across
4032-525: The Harlem. Billy had had a nervous breakdown early in life, and his father had sent him to a farm on Staten Island. But he proved himself a good businessman, and eventually became the head of the Staten Island Railway . Though the Commodore had once scorned Billy, he was impressed by his son's success. Eventually he promoted him to operational manager of all his railroad lines. In 1864, the Commodore sold his last ships, in order to concentrate on
4144-560: The Liberian Civil War period have been carried into the diaspora as well. There are thought to be dozens of former child soldiers living in the Park Hill area. These former child soldiers are often unwilling to talk about past experiences and fear judgment (or prosecution) for wartime deeds. Because of the large population of Liberians in the neighborhood, the Liberian Truth and Reconciliation Commission established after
4256-530: The New York Central Railroad. To his younger surviving son, Cornelius Jeremiah Vanderbilt, whom he regarded as a wastrel, he left the income from a $ 200,000 trust fund. (Although his daughters and Cornelius received bequests much smaller than those of their brother William, these made them very wealthy by the standards of 1877 and were not subject to inheritance tax .) Vanderbilt's biographer T. J. Stiles says, "He vastly improved and expanded
4368-535: The New York City Council approved a massive redevelopment plan for the site. It will be transformed into a new community with 350 housing units, restaurants, parks, a recreation center and farmers' market. The City Council pushed the project through its final regulatory hurdle when it approved the $ 66 million blueprint for the former Navy base. The city will use the money and an additional $ 1.1 million state grant to create streets, utilities and
4480-415: The North Shore than in other places citywide. In Stapleton and the North Shore, there were 96 preterm births per 1,000 live births (compared to 87 per 1,000 citywide), and 22.6 births to teenage mothers per 1,000 live births (compared to 19.3 per 1,000 citywide). Stapleton and the North Shore have a relatively average population of residents who are uninsured . In 2018, this population of uninsured residents
4592-478: The North Shore, 24% of residents are obese , 9% are diabetic , and 26% have high blood pressure —compared to the citywide averages of 24%, 11%, and 28% respectively. In addition, 21% of children are obese, compared to the citywide average of 20%. Eighty-seven percent of residents eat some fruits and vegetables every day, which is the same as the city's average of 87%. In 2018, 77% of residents described their health as "good", "very good", or "excellent", equal to
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4704-707: The Paramount Theater began hosting acts such as The B-52s , Talking Heads , Squeeze , the Dead Kennedys , Burning Spear and the Ramones , but it ceased functioning as a concert hall by the late 1980s. Other former venues include Beer Goggles and Martini Red, which is now known as The Hop Shoppe. The NYC Arts Cypher is located on Broad Street, and occasionally hosts hip-hop concerts, which distinguishes it from most other local venues, which cater mainly to rock and alternative bands. In recent years,
4816-608: The Park Hill community, was recently restored by the current students of PS 57. Clifton is served by the intermediate school I.S.49 and the elementary school P.S.57. Staten Island Railway 's Clifton station is three stops from the Staten Island Ferry at St. George . Clifton is also served by the S51 and S81 buses along Bay Street, the S52 and S78 buses along Tompkins Avenue, the S74 and S84 buses along Targee Street/Van Duzer Street, and
4928-401: The Park Hill neighborhood was built in the 1960s in keeping with New York City's plan for urban renewal projects. It consists of 15 acres (61,000 m) of 6-story brick apartment buildings. The individual apartments contained within are quite large, with many having 2 or three bedrooms. As ownership has passed into private hands, upkeep on the apartments has dwindled, leaving many of them in
5040-515: The Stapleton Station post office at 160 Tompkins Avenue. Stapleton and the North Shore generally have a lower rate of college-educated residents than the rest of the city as of 2018 . While 37% of residents age 25 and older have a college education or higher, 15% have less than a high school education and 48% are high school graduates or have some college education. By contrast, 39% of Staten Island residents and 43% of city residents have
5152-527: The United States. From 1942 to 1945, they became the Staten Island Terminal facility of the Army's New York Port of Embarkation . The U.S. Coast Guard operated their Section Base 2 there from the early 1920s until 1967, when they moved to Governors Island . After World War II , the piers once again became a foreign trade zone, but their use declined and most of the piers were demolished by
5264-461: The United States. Walker was forced to give up, and was driven out of the country by a U.S. Navy officer. But the new Nicaraguan government refused to allow Vanderbilt to restart the transit business, so he started a line by way of Panama, eventually developing a monopoly on the California steamship business. When the Civil War began in 1861, Vanderbilt attempted to donate his largest steamship,
5376-439: The White population increases noticeably. Over the years 2000–2003, Clifton's unemployment rate increased by 3.2 percentage points, and average wages declined by 8.7 percent, the only Staten Island zip code that experienced a decline. Hundreds of local jobs in the health care and social assistance fields were lost in the downsizing of Bayley Seton Hospital , which had been a major employer of neighborhood residents. The bulk of
5488-717: The ages of between 0–17, 27% between 25–44, and 26% between 45–64. The ratio of college-aged and elderly residents was lower, at 10% and 13% respectively. As of 2017, the median household income in Community District 1 was $ 48,018, though the median income in Stapleton individually was $ 58,373. In 2018, an estimated 21% of Stapleton and the North Shore residents lived in poverty, compared to 17% in all of Staten Island and 20% in all of New York City. One in fourteen residents (7%) were unemployed, compared to 6% in Staten Island and 9% in New York City. Rent burden, or
5600-522: The annual Fleet Week in New York City. After sitting empty for a couple of years, the base site was used by a bagel manufacturer briefly. Then a proposal was made to have a movie studio occupy a 6-acre (2.4 ha) portion of the site. For never-explained reasons the city administration opposed this, and finally some of the civil courts took over a small part of the site, leaving most unused while various proposals were made for housing, parkland, and an educational complex, among others. On October 26, 2006,
5712-536: The area since the Victorian era, and that based in the public housing projects. As such, it is just as common to find Spanish bodegas and vibrant street art as winding roads, used book stores, and coffee shops. Popular places for the performance of local music include The Full Cup, located on Van Duzer Street, and the Bay Street Saloon and Dock Street, both of which operate on Bay Street. In October 1980,
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#17327986408765824-471: The base, the 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union led to a major cutback in military spending, and the still incomplete base was cancelled in 1993. Shortly thereafter, a plan was floated to build a race-track on the site, to be primarily used by NASCAR . The plan was quickly forgotten. Also headquartered at the site is one of three fireboats, FDNY Marine company 9 . The site is now also used as part of
5936-704: The canal, but he did start a steamship line to Nicaragua, and founded the Accessory Transit Company to carry passengers across Nicaragua by steamboat on the lake and river, with a 12-mile (19-kilometer) carriage road between the Pacific port of San Juan del Sur and Virgin Bay on Lake Nicaragua . In 1852, a dispute with Joseph L. White , a partner in the Accessory Transit Company, led to a business battle in which Vanderbilt forced
6048-601: The city's average of 78%. For every supermarket in Stapleton and the North Shore, there are 28 bodegas . The nearest major hospitals are Richmond University Medical Center in West New Brighton and Staten Island University Hospital in Dongan Hills. Stapleton is located within the ZIP Code 10304, south of Clinton Street and 10301, north of Clinton Street. The United States Postal Service operates
6160-447: The citywide average of 20%. Additionally, 73% of high school students in Stapleton and the North Shore graduate on time, about the same as the citywide average of 75%. The New York City Department of Education operates the following public schools in Stapleton: The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York operates Staten Island Catholic schools. Immaculate Conception School in Stapleton closed in 2013. The archdiocese stated that
6272-521: The civil war sent a representative to Clifton to collect testimony from Liberian nationals who experienced the Liberian Civil War and who currently reside in the neighborhood. While there are successful business leaders in the community, the vast majority of Staten Island's Liberian immigrants are employed in low-wage service or medical fields. Many of the current residents of Park Hill are struggling with illiteracy, difficulty in finding employment, and poverty. Liberian immigrants in Park Hill also suffer from
6384-478: The company just before these developments were announced. When he tried to convince the U.S. and English governments to help restore the company to its rights and property, they refused. So he negotiated with Costa Rica , which (along with the other Central American republics) had declared war on Walker. Vanderbilt sent a man to Costa Rica who led a raid that captured the steamboats on the San Juan River, cutting Walker off from his reinforcements from insurgent groups in
6496-562: The company to buy his ships for an inflated price. In early 1853, he took his family on a grand tour of Europe in his steamship yacht, the North Star. While he was away, White conspired with Charles Morgan, Vanderbilt's erstwhile ally, to betray him, and deny him money he was owed by the Accessory Transit Company. When Vanderbilt returned from Europe, he retaliated by developing a rival steamship line to California, cutting prices until he forced Morgan and White to pay him off. He then turned to transatlantic steamship lines, running in opposition to
6608-529: The congestion in the area. The placement of more "Stop" and "Yield" signs in the neighborhood is another pertinent goal. 40°37′12″N 74°04′41″W / 40.620°N 74.078°W / 40.620; -74.078 Cornelius Vanderbilt Cornelius Vanderbilt (May 27, 1794 – January 4, 1877), nicknamed " the Commodore ", was an American business magnate who built his wealth in railroads and shipping. After working with his father's business, Vanderbilt worked his way into leadership positions in
6720-422: The core of the Pisgah National Forest . George's widow Edith Stuyvesant Vanderbilt Gerry also had to sell off additional land to pay for the estate's upkeep. Stapleton, Staten Island Stapleton is a neighborhood in northeastern Staten Island in New York City , United States. It is located along the waterfront of Upper New York Bay , roughly bounded on the north by Tompkinsville at Grant Street, on
6832-516: The country who are on DED status. This new wave of immigration settled near the first small handful of Staten Island Liberians in the Park Hill Projects (now private apartments). As the Liberian civil war intensified, more immigrants followed, creating a vibrant community with African restaurants and businesses, and others working and building businesses across the area, notably in the Nostrand Avenue area of Brooklyn . The wife of soccer star (and former Liberian presidential candidate) George Weah owns
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#17327986408766944-459: The discrepancy of architectural styles between the modernist black-glass addition and the original structure. Due to its proximity to the Staten Island Ferry , Stapleton is well served by public transportation. The Staten Island Railway has a station of the same name at Prospect Street and Bay Street. Stapleton is also served by the S51 , S52 , S74 , S76 , S78 , S81 , S84 and S86 local buses. Express bus service to and from Manhattan
7056-501: The entire area of where the Park Hill Apartments are now. There was a big clubhouse on Vanderbilt Avenue. Many tournaments were held there until 1935, when it closed. The land was taken over by the government and used for military barracks during World War II. By the 1950s, it evolved into a middle-class, multi-ethnic community of civil employees including firemen, teachers, and doctors. The Park Hill Apartments, located on Vanderbilt Avenue and on Park Hill Avenue, were initially developed in
7168-477: The extreme sports scene has boomed on Staten Island. In July 2012, 5050 Skatepark was opened on Front Street across from the Homeport. 5050 Skatepark is New York City's only indoor skatepark, and one of the few skateparks open to BMX bikes, skateboarder, scooters, and rollerblades. The neighborhood also has a diverse selection of restaurants, including an American-style diner, a Gastropub, as well as Sri Lankan, Mexican, and Italian eateries. Chain restaurants also have
7280-425: The facility, closed it in 2004. (The property is sometimes reckoned as being in Clifton , Stapleton's neighbor to the south.) It was also for many years the site of a United States Public Health Service hospital. The neighborhood was the location of several springs which led to the establishment of several German-American breweries in the middle 19th century. The last brewery closed in 1963. In 1884, Stapleton
7392-717: The family name in court, William finally settled with his siblings. He gave Corneel an extra $ 200,000 in cash and a trust fund of $ 400,000. He gave Mary and Ethelinda the same settlement. Still, all told, this was comparatively very little from the—by far—largest estate in the world at that time. William's eldest son, Cornelius Vanderbilt II , received $ 5 million in the will, while his three younger sons— William Kissam Vanderbilt , Frederick William Vanderbilt , and George Washington Vanderbilt II —received $ 2 million apiece. Vanderbilt willed amounts ranging from $ 250,000 to $ 500,000 to each of his daughters. His wife received $ 500,000, their New York City home, and 2,000 shares of common stock in
7504-434: The first railroads in the United States were built from Boston to Long Island Sound, to connect with steamboats that ran to New York. By the end of the decade, Vanderbilt dominated the steamboat business on the Sound, and began to take over management of the connecting railroads. In the 1840s, he launched a campaign to take over the most attractive of these lines, the New York, Providence and Boston Railroad , popularly known as
7616-441: The gold returning to the East Coast, went by steamship to Panama , where mule trains and canoes provided transportation across the isthmus. (The Panama Railroad was soon built to provide a faster crossing.) Vanderbilt proposed a canal across Nicaragua , which was closer to the United States and was spanned most of the way across by Lake Nicaragua and the San Juan River . In the end, he could not attract enough investment to build
7728-421: The government. Edmund Randolph, a close friend of Walker, coerced the Accessory Transit's San Francisco agent, Cornelius K. Garrison , into opposing Vanderbilt. Randolph convinced Walker to annul the charter of the Accessory Transit Company, and give the transit rights and company steamboats to him; Randolph sold these to Garrison. Garrison brought Charles Morgan in New York into the plan. Vanderbilt took control of
7840-509: The heavily subsidized Collins Line , headed by Edward K. Collins. Vanderbilt eventually drove the Collins Line into extinction. During the 1850s, Vanderbilt also bought control of a major shipyard and the Allaire Iron Works , a leading manufacturer of marine steam engines , in Manhattan. In November 1855, Vanderbilt began to buy control of Accessory Transit once again. That same year, the American military adventurer , William Walker , led an expedition to Nicaragua and briefly took control of
7952-559: The inland water trade and invested in the rapidly growing railroad industry, effectively transforming the geography of the United States. As one of the richest Americans in history and wealthiest figures overall, Vanderbilt was the patriarch of the wealthy and influential Vanderbilt family . He provided the initial gift to found Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee . According to historian H. Roger Grant : "Contemporaries, too, often hated or feared Vanderbilt or at least considered him an unmannered brute. While Vanderbilt could be
8064-488: The late 1970s, a small number of Liberians, whose nation was founded by freed American slaves in the 1840s, settled in Staten Island. The First Liberian Civil War (1989-1997) led to a flight of Liberian immigrants, fleeing ethnic struggles between the Kru , Gola and Grebo communities, corrupt government, and political strife. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Liberian immigrants in huge numbers fled Liberia, mostly trapped in
8176-530: The legacy of poverty and violence in the wider community in which they live. While crime in the area has improved over the last 20 years, the reputation of Park Hill for gang and drug violence has afflicted some Liberian youth, already victimized by the Civil War. Liberian youths arrested while being refugee-status visa holders face deportation back to their homeland. Friction between the Liberians and some in
8288-399: The limbo of refugee camps on the borders of Guinea and Côte d'Ivoire . The United States government, always highly involved in Liberian affairs, began to offer refugee status ( Temporary Protected Status -TPS) to displaced Liberians, especially those who had family in the United States. The Liberian community in Clifton has been involved in a string of government lobbying campaigns since
8400-427: The local African-American community, over jobs, housing, and culture, has also been a source of tension for an already troubled community. Park Hill has environmental issues in regards to pollution and litter. The community's public school system plays a large role in environmental protection including park cleanup, lake maintenance, and litter removal. Eibs Pond , part of a 17-acre (69,000 m) wetland adjacent to
8512-430: The matter of their father's will to court, claiming he was not in his right mind in his old age when he drew up the will; that he had been behaving strangely and was under William's influence as well as that of a corrupt spiritualist in his employ, who'd allegedly been approached and paid off by William to do his bidding, according to eyewitness testimony. Allegedly, William paid the spiritualist (a Mr. Stoddard) to suggest
8624-490: The name "The People's Line", he used the populist language associated with Democratic president Andrew Jackson to get popular support for his business. At the end of the year, the monopoly paid him a large amount to stop competing, and he switched his operations to Long Island Sound. During the 1830s, textile mills were built in large numbers in New England as the United States developed its manufacturing base. Some of
8736-458: The nation's transportation infrastructure, contributing to a transformation of the very geography of the United States. He embraced new technologies and new forms of business organization, and used them to compete....He helped to create the corporate economy that would define the United States into the 21st century." The Commodore had lived in relative modesty considering his nearly unlimited means, splurging only on race horses. His descendants were
8848-585: The neighborhood are mostly one-family houses, but the last decade has seen the development of many attached homes and duplexes. Park Hill has been a predominantly black neighborhood for a while. However, there is a growing Asian and Hispanic population in the area. Census tract 4 has seen the second-highest growth rate in the Asian population of any census tract on Staten Island (with the highest growth rate being tract 231 in Mariners' Harbor). East of Tompkins Avenue,
8960-399: The neighborhood had a population density of 1 inhabitant per acre (640/sq mi; 250/km ). The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 37.5% (9,910) White , 19.3% (5,097) African American , 0.3% (72) Native American , 9.7% (2,565) Asian , 0% (12) Pacific Islander , 0.4% (102) from other races , and 1.6% (427) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 31.3% (8,268) of
9072-682: The number of shares a company could issue. But Gould bribed the legislature to legalize the new stock. Vanderbilt used the leverage of a lawsuit to recover his losses, but he and Gould became public enemies. Gould never got the better of Vanderbilt in any other important business matter, but he often embarrassed Vanderbilt, who uncharacteristically lashed out at Gould in public. By contrast, Vanderbilt befriended his other foes after their fights ended, including Drew and Cornelius Garrison. Following his wife Sophia's death in 1868, Vanderbilt went to Canada. On August 21, 1869, in London, Ontario , he married
9184-474: The number of students was too low and that the school could not receive enough income. It had 216 students in 2013. The New York Public Library (NYPL)'s Stapleton branch is located at 132 Canal Street at Wright Street. The Carrere & Hastings -designed Carnegie library was built in 1907. It underwent significant renovations and remodeling from 2011 to 2013, including the addition of a 7,600-square-foot (710 m ) building. A minor controversy arose over
9296-682: The old village hall of Stapleton, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. In addition to the Edgewater Village Hall and Tappen Park, the Boardman–Mitchell House , Houses at 364 and 390 Van Duzer Street , and St. Paul's Memorial Church and Rectory are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Stapleton and the North Shore are patrolled by the 120th Precinct of
9408-420: The ones who built the Vanderbilt houses that characterize the United States' Gilded Age . According to The Wealthy 100 by Michael Klepper and Robert Gunther, Vanderbilt would be worth $ 143 billion in 2007 United States dollars if his total wealth as a share of the nation's gross domestic product ( GDP ) in 1877 (the year of his death) were taken and applied in that same proportion in 2007. This would make him
9520-487: The ongoing conflict between Liberian and African-American youth, primarily between the ages of 10–14. The community organizations run after-school programs to help keep the youth occupied in a productive way. This helps curb gang and street violence. The community tension that occurs in Park Hill is based on poverty and unemployment. In the 1990s, the neighborhood became the center for an immigrant community from Liberia and West Africa around Targee Street. The residences in
9632-437: The percentage of residents who have difficulty paying their rent, is 51% in Stapleton and the North Shore, compared to the boroughwide and citywide rates of 49% and 51% respectively. Based on this calculation, as of 2018 , Stapleton and the North Shore are considered high-income relative to the rest of the city and not gentrifying . The portions of the neighborhood around the Stapleton Houses have been predominantly Black for
9744-412: The population. The entirety of Community District 1, which comprises Stapleton and other neighborhoods on the North Shore, had 181,484 inhabitants as of NYC Health 's 2018 Community Health Profile, with an average life expectancy of 79.0 years. This is lower than the median life expectancy of 81.2 for all New York City neighborhoods. Most inhabitants are youth and middle-aged adults: 24% are between
9856-478: The present-day Paramount Theater building on Bay Street (the theater itself having closed in the early 1980s). In the early 19th century it became the commercial center of Southfield Township. In 1832 William J. Staples , a merchant from Manhattan for whom the neighborhood is named, as well as Minthorne Tompkins , the son of Vice President Daniel D. Tompkins , acquired land from the Vanderbilts and laid out
9968-557: The proposal showed a net loss of civilian jobs on Staten Island (mainly due to expected job-seekers among naval dependents, but also due to a loss of businesses forced out by the naval presence). It was also controversial because of the belief that the Tomahawk cruise missiles aboard the Iowa and an accompanying Aegis cruiser would, in at least some cases, be carrying nuclear warheads. Following years of debate, which slowed development of
10080-404: The railroad industry. He was inducted in the "Railway Workers & Builders: North America" category. Statues of Cornelius Vanderbilt can be found at various locations, including Vanderbilt University and Grand Central Terminal. At Vanderbilt University, a statue of Cornelius Vanderbilt, designed by Giuseppe Moretti in 1897, stands near Kirkland Hall in commemoration of his gift to help found
10192-696: The railroads. Once in charge of the Harlem, Vanderbilt encountered conflicts with connecting lines. In each case, the strife ended in a battle that Vanderbilt won. He bought control of the Hudson River Railroad in 1864, the New York Central Railroad in 1867, and the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway in 1869. He later bought the Canada Southern as well. In 1870, he consolidated two of his key lines into
10304-551: The second-wealthiest person in United States history, after Standard Oil co-founder John Davison Rockefeller (1839–1937). Another calculation, from 1998, puts him in third place, after Andrew Carnegie . In real terms, however, Vanderbilt's peak wealth of $ 105 million in 1877 is only worth US$ 3 billion (in 2023 dollars). In 1999, Cornelius Vanderbilt was inducted into the North America Railway Hall of Fame , recognizing his significant contributions to
10416-424: The site of steadily increasing crime and drug abuse beginning in the early-1970s. By the late 1980s, it had gained the nickname of "Crack Hill" due to the many arrests for possession and/or sale of crack cocaine that were taking place in and around the development and the adjacent Fox Hills Apartments to the south. Crime in this area has dramatically decreased since the late 1990s. Community activists are addressing
10528-422: The south by Clifton at Vanderbilt Avenue, and on the west by St. Paul's Avenue and Van Duzer Street, which form the border with the community of Grymes Hill . Stapleton is one of the older waterfront neighborhoods of the borough, built in the 1830s on land once owned by the Vanderbilt family. It was a long-time commercial center of the island, but has struggled to revive after several decades of neglect following
10640-423: The steamboat. Though both Livingston and Fulton had died by the time Vanderbilt started working for Gibbons, the monopoly was held by Livingston's heirs. They had granted a license to Aaron Ogden to run a ferry between New York and New Jersey. Gibbons launched his steamboat venture because of a personal dispute with Ogden, whom he hoped to drive into bankruptcy. To accomplish this, he undercut prices and also brought
10752-460: The streets. Staples and Tompkins started a ferry service from the neighborhood waterfront to Manhattan and began advertising their new village in 1836. Seaman's Retreat, a hospital for sailors entering New York Harbor , opened in 1832 and later became Bayley Seton Hospital , the largest employer in the neighborhood until the Sisters of Charity , an order of Roman Catholic nuns which operated
10864-421: The surrounding region. First he took over Gibbons' ferry to New Jersey, then switched to western Long Island Sound . In 1831, he took over his brother Jacob's line to Peekskill, New York , on the lower Hudson River . That year he faced opposition by a steamboat operated by Daniel Drew , who forced Vanderbilt to buy him out. Impressed, Vanderbilt became a secret partner with Drew for the next thirty years, so that
10976-433: The tanker John B. Caddell ashore on a vacant part of Front Street. For census purposes, the New York City government classifies Stapleton as part of a larger neighborhood tabulation area called Stapleton-Rosebank. Based on data from the 2010 United States Census , the population of Stapleton-Rosebank was 26,453, a change of 2,405 (9.1%) from the 24,048 counted in 2000 . Covering an area of 26,453 acres (10,705 ha),
11088-485: The title of the largest privately owned home in the United States, though it is open to the public. The mansion contains 178,926 square feet (16,622.8 square meters) of total floor space and originally sat on 125,000 acres (50,600 hectares) of land. It now sits on 8,000 acres (3,200 ha) due to George's final wishes that 86,000 acres (35,000 ha) be sold to the government at $ 5 per acre ($ 12/ha)—a significantly cut rate and what George had originally paid—in order to form
11200-748: The two men would have an incentive to avoid competing with each other. On November 8, 1833, Vanderbilt was nearly killed in the Hightstown rail accident on the Camden and Amboy Railroad in New Jersey. Also on the train was president John Quincy Adams . In 1834, Vanderbilt competed on the Hudson River against the Hudson River Steamboat Association , a steamboat monopoly between New York City and Albany . Using
11312-489: The university. Additionally, a statue of Cornelius Vanderbilt is located on the south side of Grand Central Terminal, facing the Park Avenue road viaduct to the south. The 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 -foot-tall (2.6-meter) bronze statue was sculpted by Ernst Plassmann and was originally sited at the Hudson River Railroad depot at St. John's Park before being moved to Grand Central Terminal in 1929. Cornelius Vanderbilt
11424-498: The water. The area has many Victorian houses left from the late 1800s in the area from Vanderbilt to Norwood Avenues. In the 1880s, much of Staten Island was still very rural. Adjacent to the "village of Clifton," for example, was "a low range of grass hills" on which were pastured 438 goats by a Frenchman named Paul Chaulmier who provided goat's milk to wealthy New Yorkers. In 1900, the Fox Hills Golf Club encompassed
11536-492: The younger Vanderbilt received half the profit. He began his business by ferrying freight and passengers on a ferry between Staten Island and Manhattan . Such was his energy and eagerness in his trade that other captains nearby took to calling him "The Commodore" in jest—a nickname that stuck with him all his life. While many Vanderbilt family members had joined the Episcopal Church , Cornelius Vanderbilt remained
11648-526: Was replaced by Grand Central Terminal in 1913. In 1868, Vanderbilt fell into a dispute with Daniel Drew, who had become treasurer of the Erie Railway . To get revenge, he tried to corner Erie stock, which led to the so-called Erie War . This brought him into direct conflict with Jay Gould and financier James Fisk Jr. , who had just joined Drew on the Erie board. They defeated the corner by issuing " watered stock " in defiance of state law, which restricted
11760-442: Was buried in the family vault in the Moravian Cemetery at New Dorp on Staten Island. He was later reburied in a tomb in the same cemetery constructed by his son Billy . Three of his daughters and son, Cornelius Jeremiah Vanderbilt , contested the will on the grounds that their father was of unsound mind and under the influence of his son Billy and spiritualists whom he consulted on a regular basis. The court battle lasted more than
11872-487: Was childless when he committed suicide, in 1882, and George Washington Vanderbilt died during the Civil War, before having any children. All of the Vanderbilt multimillionaires descend through the oldest son Billy and his wife. Cornelius' youngest grandson through William, George Washington Vanderbilt II , built the 250-room Biltmore Estate in the mountains of Asheville , North Carolina, as his main residence with part of his inheritance from his grandfather. It still retains
11984-451: Was estimated to be 12%, the same as the citywide rate of 12%. The concentration of fine particulate matter , the deadliest type of air pollutant , in Stapleton and the North Shore is 0.0071 milligrams per cubic metre (7.1 × 10 oz/cu ft), less than the city average. Sixteen percent of Stapleton and the North Shore residents are smokers , which is higher than the city average of 14% of residents being smokers. In Stapleton and
12096-599: Was eventually added to Aertson's village name to create " van der Bilt " ("of the Bilt"). This was eventually condensed to Vanderbilt. Anthony Janszoon van Salee was one of Cornelius Vanderbilt's great-great-great-great-grandfathers. Cornelius Vanderbilt was born in Staten Island , New York, on May 27, 1794, to Cornelius van Derbilt and Phebe Hand. He began working on his father's ferry in New York Harbor as
12208-659: Was exhaustion, brought on by long suffering from a complication of chronic disorders. At the time of his death, aged 82, Vanderbilt had an estimated worth of $ 105 million ($ 3,004,312,500 in 2023 dollars). In his will, he left 95% of his $ 105 million estate to his son William (Billy) and four grandsons through him. This left his only other living son, Cornelius Jeremiah Vanderbilt , and 9 daughters (Phebe Jane, Ethelinda, Eliza, Emily Almira, Sophia Johnson, Maria Louisa, Frances Lavinia, Mary Alicia, and Catherine Juliette), to receive comparatively little inheritance; far less than even their young nephews. Corneel , Ethelinda and Mary took
12320-759: Was formerly the United States Public Health Service Hospital and housed the original headquarters of the National Institutes of Health (now located in Bethesda, Maryland ). In the 1840s, the Townsend family built a huge home that had turrets so it was called the Townsend Castle. It was located at what is now Townsend Avenue and Tompkins Avenue. In the 1870s, many roads and large homes were built near
12432-537: Was in the 1830s when he was first referred to as "commodore", then the highest rank in the United States Navy . A common nickname for important steamboat entrepreneurs, by the end of the 1840s it was applied only to Vanderbilt. When the California gold rush began in 1849, Vanderbilt switched from regional steamboat lines to ocean-going steamships. Many of the migrants to California, and almost all of
12544-470: Was incorporated as the village of Edgewater. The old Village Hall still stands, located in Tappen Park . In 1884, the Staten Island Railway extended its track from the neighborhood northward to St. George , with a stop at Stapleton station . Direct ferry service from the neighborhood to Manhattan was halted two years later in 1886. Between 1929 and 1931, Stapleton had its own NFL pro football team,
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