St. George-New Brighton

Understanding St. George-New Brighton

After Staten Island consolidated into New York City, the civic center moved from Richmond Town to St George. Borough Hall and the courthouse were the completed parts of a larger planned civic ensemble.

The lighthouse-museum site was first a Marine Hospital and later the Lighthouse Service’s manufacturing, supply and maintenance depot. Its surviving buildings explain a waterfront function that predates today’s ferry-side visit.

Thomas Davis and the New Brighton Association planned a ferry-connected suburb in the 1830s. Curving streets followed the hillside, and later Queen Anne, Shingle and Colonial Revival houses gave the district its residential character.

Places to explore

• Staten Island Borough Hall

  10 Richmond Terrace

  Look at the clock tower and harbor-facing civic architecture from the public streets. The building remains in civic use; its history does not establish a drop-in tourist tour of the lobby or offices.

  Read the NYFE place guide

• National Lighthouse Museum

  Former Lighthouse Service depot near the ferry

  Choose the museum for the work of maintaining lighthouse equipment and navigational aids. Use the actual visit page for current admission and hours; old depot expansion plans are not assumed complete.

  Read the NYFE place guide

• St George Theatre

  35 Hyatt Street

  The movie and vaudeville house survives as a performance venue with an ornate interior. Choose a current show or operator-arranged tour rather than assuming the auditorium is open whenever the box office is.

  Read the NYFE place guide

• St George/New Brighton Historic District

  St Marks Place, Carroll Place, Westervelt and Hamilton avenues

  Choose public sidewalks to compare the curving street plan, porches, projecting bays and wood-frame houses. The designated district is a specific collection of properties, smaller than the neighborhood; private homes and gardens keep their own access.