FOR one, I’m glad Staten Island never got around to seriously numbering its streets. Oh, there’s 1st through 10th in New Dorp but even 5 and 6 are skipped in that scheme. Manhattan and Bronx were once the same county and share a street numbering scheme (and most Bronx streets are named, not numbered, east of the Bronx River; the eastern end of the Bronx joined NYC later than the west end). Queens had a numbering system imposed on it because its towns repeated names and numbers. Brooklyn is weirdest of all as it has several separate numbering schemes. Staten Island, patches of which remained rural even after the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge was built, remained blissfully free of numbers and has kept its names, soem of which are unique.
Van Duzer Street is one such; it skirts the edge of the hills in Stapleton, paralleling St. Paul’s Avenue much of its route. There are no other Van Duzer Streets in NYC; this is the one. I walked both Van Duzer and St. Paul’s on July 5, 2024, which turned out one of the hottest, humidest days of the summer. I have already covered both in my NE Staten Island series in 2015, but I’ll let photos of this trip ooze out gradually.
Stapleton contains patches of ancient buildings that are in hiding because few New Yorkers come out here and notice them. Many New Yorkers are allergic to Staten Island, thinking the ferry a venue for tourists, or a place to drive through to get to the mainland. That’s a mistake because historic treasures can be found. 364 Van Duzer is one, with its distinctive two-story porch replicated on the other side of Beach Street at #390 Van Duzer (seen in the link above).
I’ll copy and paste here from the Landmarks Preservation report of the building, landmarked in 1973, when the reports were banged out on typewriter:
Overlook Staten Island and, well, you’ll be missing some history…
Check out the ForgottenBook, take a look at the gift shop. As always, “comment…as you see fit.” I earn a small payment when you click on any ad on the site.
5/28/25
1 comment
Staten Island is probably the only borough that a 19th Century resident would recognize if they came back 150 years later. Many buildings and major streets are layed out almost exactly as they were in the 1850s and ’60s, if not earlier. And Richmondtown is an absolute gem. Get off that boat, folks!