Tag: Architecture

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Christmas Displays on Staten Island

Staten Islands Christmas displays are as diverse as its architecture. Some are classically beautiful and some are wild and crazy fun.

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A classic display in West Brighton, Staten Island.

This gorgeous white house has architectural elements of Colonial and Tudor. Its Christmas display includes Christmas trees in every window, wreaths and bows, and spotlighted reindeer on the front lawn. it is an elegant, tasteful presentation.

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Christmas Greetings on Jewett Avenue.

This quaint Colonial with its charming decorations greets passers-by with warm Christmas wishes.

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Spring Street, Staten Island.

This Christmas extravaganza on quiet Spring Street drew a great deal of attention from the media as well as Staten Islanders from other neighborhoods.

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Bechtel House, Queen Anne style, Stapleton Historic District.

Bechtel House is the premiere historic house in the district filled with historic houses known as Stapleton Historic District. Its life-sized Christmas decorations and vibrant light show are vividly colorful and striking.

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St. George Theatre, Staten Island, New York

A dazzling cultural and performing arts center, the St. George Theatre in the historic St. George District is just a three-minute walk from the Staten Island Ferry.  It is a unique Staten Island treasure. It has been lavishly restored to its original 1929 gilded opulence. The interior is elaborately designed in the Spanish and Italian Baroque style, including life sized painted murals of Spanish villages and enormous stained glass chandeliers.

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The St. George Theatre, restored to its 1929 Baroque grandeur.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The theatre was designed to have unobstructed views of the stage and one of the largest cantilevered balconies ever built. Some of its other attributes include gilded balconies, grand staircases, enormous domed skylight, and Wurlitzer organ.

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The enormous cantilevered balconies of the St. George Theatre, in St. George, Staten Island.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The St. George Theatre hosts music concerts, comedy acts, dance troupes, and Broadway touring companies. It also offers educational programs and architectural tours, and serves as a unique television and film location, notably the finale of the 2003 film “School of Rock”.

 

 

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Staten Island: Pink Houses

 

I have a passion for pink houses. Whenever I see a pink house, I stop and take a photo.

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Sea View Playwright’s Theatre

Located on the grounds of Sea View Community Center, the Sea View Playwright’s Theatre offers classic and contemporary plays.  Its architecture transports me to the English cottages described in the Victorian style, with just a touch of  a hobbit house too.

 

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Sea View Playwright’s Theatre has the stained glass mullioned windows that add a touch of whimsy.

 

This large French villa, which sits atop Grymes Hill,  is one of the most impressive houses on Staten island. It has views of the entire New York Harbor.  You can see the Verrazano Narrows Bridge peeking through in the background.

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Grimes Hill, Staten Island

 

Staten Island even has pink condos along the Great Hills waterfront.  Boat lovers have the marina too.

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Great Kills waterfront and marina, Staten Island

Finally, a very charming Colonial located in Livingston, Staten Island near Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Gardens.

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Livingston, Staten Island Colonial.

As you can see, Staten Island represents a diversity of architectural styles, but what most attracts my eye, is a pink house.

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Spanish Revival Architecture on Grymes Hill, Staten Island

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This charming house, on Grymes Hill, is one of many diverse architectural styles seen in Staten Island, NY.
The luxury homes on Staten Island vary quite a lot in style. Those located in the hills often have the old world grandeur. Grymes Hill has some spectacular architecture, and none more fascinating than this one. Its terracotta tiled roof, stucco walls, and wrought iron grilles suggest Spanish Revival style.
Yet those same characteristics could also describe an elegant Italian country style villa.  The vibrant landscaping, with sidewalks of sunflowers, reminds me of Tuscany. The juliet balcony seems to me…well…Shakespearean.
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Sunflowers line the sidewalk on both sides, an uncommon sight on Staten Island.
Grymes Hill was part of a land grant in 1687 to Thomas Dongan, Governor of the Province of New York. In 1830, local developer Major George Howard purchased 42 acres, and built many of the hill’s earliest homes, and his name survives in Howard Avenue, the hill’s main street. Many of the homes overlook New York Harbor.
Across the street, another villa – of pink stucco with shuttered windows and embossed crest peeks out from behind its own small forest. Down the windy road, a yellow stucco house looks out to the NY Harbor.
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Secluded pink stucco villa in Grymes Hill, Staten Island.
 

I could spend hours showing you more of the hills of Staten Island. Stay tuned!

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