West Brighton

By Jim Harkins and Cecelia N. Brunner

In the late 19th century, West Brighton became known as “Factoryville” after several industries set up shop in the vicinity. One of the largest, Barrett, Nephews, and Company, a dyeing and cleaning establishment, employed hundreds of Staten Islanders. Several prominent historical figures have resided in the region as well, including former first lady Julia Gardiner Tyler, who, in 1862, left the Confederacy (but not her Southern sympathies) to rejoin her family in West Brighton upon the death of former U.S. president John Tyler. The neighborhood is also the home of the famed Staten Island Zoo; the idyllic beauty of Silver Lake, Clove Lakes, and Walker Park lie within walking distance. But the most enduring trait of West Brighton is its people—the generations of families that have put down roots in one of the most scenic communities on Staten Island.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Release date: Jan 24, 2011
• ISBN: 9781439639047

Jim Harkins

Authors Jim Harkins and Cecelia N. Brunner are lifelong Staten Islanders. Harkins, through his company Kins Productions, has produced short and feature film projects. Brunner is proud of her West Brighton roots and is happy to tell the story of her neighborhood.

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INTRODUCTION

Today West Brighton is a predominantly residential community on the North Shore of Staten Island, New York. But during most of the 19th century, the area was dominated by privately owned estates. The legacy of these families is preserved in the street signs that still bear their names like Bard, Hoyt, and Delafield Avenues. For a large part of the 19th century, West Brighton was known as Factoryville because various industries set up shop in the vicinity. The largest industrial plant was C. W. Hunt Company, a retail coal business founded in 1872. Also Barrett, Nephews, and Company, a dyeing and cleaning establishment, employed over 600 Staten Islanders at the height of its success. Factoryville changed its name in 1871 when a new post office opened; it was designated the West New Brighton Post Office. Somewhere along the way, the new fell by the wayside, and now it is simply West Brighton.

When we started compiling photographs, we contacted various Staten Island historical institutions and publications. Some were very helpful, some not at all. Thus the main reason this book was completed was through the remarkable support of the West Brighton community. My mother and I are proud to call ourselves native Staten Islanders. And I believe it was those strong roots to the island that made our job so easy to reach out to the heirs of some of those long gone West Brighton places. When we started this project, we had a wish list of old West Brighton, which included people, places, and so on. And we were very fortunate—we were able to track down almost everything on our list. But in a few cases, photographs were not available. So those West Brighton memories will have to remain just that, memories.

Usually when we talked to someone about the book, they would give us five other people we should contact. People always talk about how much Staten Island has changed since The Bridge. And it is true, the population of Staten Island has grown in leaps and bounds since 1964. But we still think of West Brighton as a small, tight-knit community. Also, the neighborhood looks pretty much the same as it did 40 years ago, except some cheap duplex houses. I think this is true because the same West Brighton families are still here.

That is really what this book is about—the people of West Brighton. The most enduring trait of West Brighton is its people, the generations of families that have remained in this neighborhood.

It always comes back to the people. When we started asking for photographs, people would say, Do you want a picture of the bar or the bakery? I would respond yes, but we also want a photograph of your aunt who ran the bakery or your grandfather who opened the restaurant to put a face with the business name. The best thing we did while interviewing people was to show them some of the other photographs we scanned. This brought a flood of memories back to them. We heard things like, My god, Mrs. Stanzione—I haven’t seen her in fifty years! or Look, it’s Barth’s Deli! Remember the fish cakes? In some cases, their memories turned into indelible quotes. Like when Anthony Sullivan, who grew up on Seneca Street, saw the old P.S. 18 clock tower, he said, Every kid in West Brighton knew that clock tower. When it rang five o’clock, it was time to go home for dinner. So that is what lies at the heart of this book—the people of West Brighton. Some are gone and some are still around, but they all came from the same place.

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HISTORICAL

The William T. Garner House was located at Bard and Castleton Avenues. It was built in 1853 by Charles Taber in the Victorian French Renaissance style. It was once the St. Austin’s Episcopal School for Boys, starting in 1883. The name was later changed to St. Austin’s Military School. The school remained in this location until 1898 and then moved to Connecticut. (Courtesy of Staten Island Historical Society.)

In 1903, the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent’s de Paul of New York purchased the Garner Estate on Bard and Castleton Avenues and opened a 50-bed hospital, St. Vincent’s Hospital. A training school for nurses was founded the following year. This building still stands today. (Authors’ collection.)

The Pelton House, or De Groot-Pelton House, remains a well-preserved home at the foot of Pelton Avenue on Richmond Terrace. Originally erected in 1730, the central part of the house was added in 1776. During the American Revolution, Gen. Courtlandt Skinner was headquartered here while in command of the British forces occupying Staten Island. Daniel Pelton added the two-story brick section in 1832. (Courtesy of Karen Bergquist.)

Beginning in 1819, the Barrett family of