Tom Crimmins Realty Blog

Wegener Park

Ralph Wegener (left) is the oldest relative of the Wegener family. This is during the renaming of the park with City Councilman Vincent Ignizio (right)(credit: silive)

Wegener is also known as Genesee Park. It is taken from the Iroquois phrase: "Zon-esche-o" which translates to "beautiful valley." The park is located in a residential area right next to Korean War Veterans Parkway. The City did not have rights to the park until 1961; it was purchased among the land purchase for the Richmond Parkway, which is now known as the Korean War Veterans Parkway.

At the time of its purchase, residents would use Wegener as an unofficial playground. In 1998, Commissioner Stern named the land Genesee Park. Although the park was a playground at one point, it is…

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Events for November 22nd Weekend

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Wolfes Pond Park

Wolfes Pond Park is one of Staten Island's largest natural and manmade park that includes a beach, preservation and recreation area located in Tottenville. The park is named after one of the first Staten Island families, the Wolfes.

In 1857 the New York State purchased Wolfe as a quarantine station for immigrants. However, fisherman and oysterman suspected the waters were contaminated and decided to burn down all stations in protest.

Wolfes Pond became a popular recreational site in the late 1920s when the City bought the land. A new dam was built to "protect the freshwater pond from the infusion of salt water from the bay." However the dam broke twice in the past twenty years and the saltwater had killed some of the freshwater fish (nycogovparks).

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No More Confusion, Understand Mortgage Jargon

A recent study of US and UK home buyers, conducted by the London based Nationwide Building Society, found that more than 40% of people buying homes were confused by the jargon that lenders used to describe mortgages. Saying “more than 40%” seems like an understatement.

According to another study, only 31% of homebuyers understood what the term “LTV” meant, an acronym that stands for “loan to value” and describes the ration between the amount of the mortgage and the value of the home. Not only did the survey show that many mortgage borrowers were confused about what the terms meant, but they also were shy about asking for explanations of words that they didn’t understand. It's just like in school when the teacher asks if anyone has questions and no one…

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1747 - First ferry established between Manhattan and North Shore

On Decemeber 31, 1747, Jacob de Hart petitioned for rights of a public ferry that will commute from Staten Island to Manhattan and to Bergen County, N.J.. However, in May the following year, John Beek and Jacob Corsen opposed de Hart's petition stated, from the Calender of Council Minutes 1668-1783, they "have for some years past, used to carry travellers from their lands to the City of New York and to the opposite shores of New Jersey."

Solomon Comes purchased De Hart's farm before his petition was reached, this meant the De Hart's  prior petition was revolked. On March 17, 1748, the Calender of Council Minutes recorded that Comes' petition was granted to have a public ferry that will run between Staten Island and New York. Comes' Ferry became the…

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How Does An Interest Only Mortgage Work?

When you have been researching your different options for a mortgage on your home, you might have heard of an “Interest Only Mortgage”. What exactly does this type of mortgage mean and how does it work?

Usually when you take out a loan, you must pay back the capital debt (the amount you borrowed) and the interest on that debt. An interest-only mortgage offers a cheaper option for purchasing a property, because you will only be making payments on the interest and not the capital. Compared to a repayment style mortgage where you are paying down the principle of the loan, an interest-only mortgage will have much lower monthly payments.

However, when you reach the end of the mortgage term with an interest-only mortgage, you will not have paid off any of…

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Events for November 15th Weekend

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1695 — Voorlezer’s House, now the nation’s oldest school building, is built

Built in 1696, the Voorlezer's House is the oldest schoolhouse in America. The clapboard house is also the oldest relic from the Dutch settlement on the Island from the 17th century. The word "voorlezer" comes from the Dutch which means "one who reads to other."

History

The house had three purposes: serve as a church, a school from boys and girls, and a residency. The house had numerous homeowners but the longest family lived in the Voorlezer's House for 150 years.

The school's population were children between the ages of 7 and 12. The parents paid for their children to learn reading, writing, arthimetic, religion and Dutch history. Arthimetic was taught to both boys and girls so they would learn how to maintain a home and business when they…

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White Playground

White Playground in Short Acres was named honoring Staten Island WWI vet John Edward White.

Born in Fort Wadsworth, Staten Island, White served as a trainman for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in St. George, Staten Island. Never marrying, White enlisted in the United States Army to fight in WWI, and became a member of the Allied Expeditionary Force. He gave his life assisting in the defeat of Germany.

White Playground is located in the Staten Island neighborhood of Fort Wadsworth, which takes its name from the nearby military installation overlooking the Narrows. At 300 years of age, Fort Wadsworth is the oldest continually manned United States military reservation, and, along with Fort Hamilton on the opposite side, monitors movement in the New…

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Events for November 1st Weekend

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