All about the Staten Island neighborhood Silver Lake
Staten Island is broken down into 14 different zip codes from 10301 to 10314 and into 67 different neighborhoods. Throughout this series of blogs, we will be discussing each and every neighborhood on Staten Island as well as breaking down the history, what stands there today and transportation and what community district it falls into. Staten Island is broken up into three different community districts which are: North Shore, Mid-Island, and South Shore.
Today we will be breaking down all the history about the Staten Island neighborhood, Silver Lake. This neighborhood is home to the North Shore & the zip code 10301. The boundaries of Silver Lake Park, which is situated on the north side of Staten Island, are Forest Avenue, Victory Boulevard, and Clove Road. The south basin of the reservoir at this location was once a spring-fed body of water known as Silver Lake, which was created at the end of the ice period. Maps indicate that by the middle of the nineteenth century, Silver Lake had replaced its previous name, Fresh Pond, and the two names were used interchangeably until around 1860.
Mark Silver, the founder of the foundation now known as the Hebrew Free Burial Association, is honored with the name Silver Lake. Previously, he had changed his name from Marks Silva to Americanize. The Silver Lake Cemetery was established by the Association and was used for altruistic interments. There are several graves there belonging to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire victims of 1911.
There is a long history of both commercial and recreational use of Silver Lake. There was a bar and casino on the lakeside in the 1800s, and various businesses gathered ice from it. During that time, Silver Lake was utilized by residents of Staten Island for ice skating and rowing. In February of 1897, Silver Lake played host to the National Skating Amateur Championship races.
Staten Island's population was expanding quickly toward the end of the 19th century, and locals were requesting that more space be set aside for parks. Famous Staten Island writer and resident John De Morgan appealed to the State Assembly Committee on Cities in February 1900, pointing out that it was too costly and time-consuming for families to visit Prospect Park in Brooklyn or Manhattan's Central Park. De Morgan requested funding to create Silver Lake Park.
After being condemned and bought in 1901, 1902, and 1904, the first lakefront properties for Silver Lake Park were established, and Staten Island parks authorities started to transform the region. In 1913, the Board of Water Supply emptied the lake and transformed it into a functional reservoir as ice harvesting was superseded by contemporary refrigeration. The Catskill water supply system was built in 1905 with the establishment of the state legislature. The present-day Silver Lake Reservoir was formed in 1917 when water was pumped in from the 119-mile-distance Ashokan Reservoir in Ulster County, New York. The reservoir's water would grow to be Staten Island's largest freshwater body. Beginning in 1921, the park's underbrush was cleared, and shrubs, spruce and pine trees, and flowerbeds were added to the area's native oaks, tulip trees, and sassafras.
In 1924, land from Marine Cemetery, a nineteenth-century resting place for the Tompkinsville Marine Hospital Quarantine, was given to the park. The area was turned into a golf course in 1928, but in 1994, researchers found records relating the location to its previous usage as a cemetery. The 18th fairway of the golf course is said to be buried beneath many thousand immigrants, many of them were Irish and who were fleeing the Great Famine of Ireland, who perished from communicable illnesses. The golf course was finished in 1929, and as Silver Lake Park grew in popularity as a gathering place for recreation, tennis, bicycling, softball, and playground amenities were added. Until the completion of the world's biggest underground storage tank system in 1971, the reservoir was utilized for the production of potable water. The reservoir is currently a component of the tank drainage system. President Ralph J. Lamberti of the Staten Island Borough donated $1.4 million in 1988 to construct a new administrative building and a play area for kids. Borough President Molinari allotted $700,000 once again in 1997 to resurface pathways and install new handball courts, play equipment, plants, seats, fences, and guardrails.
A baseball field, play area, dog run, tennis courts, and an 18-hole public golf course are just a few of Silver Lake Park's many attractions. Three cemeteries along Victory Boulevard and a number of sizable privately owned apartment complexes can be found in the area to the east and south. About eighty-eight residences make up the majority of the dead-end roadways that are a part of Silver Lake Park Association. The Silver Lake Tennis Courts are located at the very top of Hart Boulevard. A baseball field is next to the tennis courts. Grymes Hill, Wagner College, and Sunnyside—where the Mid-Island region is said to start—are located west of this neighborhood.
The neighborhood is served by two bus routes. the S48, S61, S62, S66, S91, S92 and S98 local/limited buses and the SIM30 express bus.
As you may see, Staten Island exudes so much history that is still honored throughout our neighborhoods. Silver Lake is home to many people from Staten Island. The neighborhood is covered in every corner with many food spots, transportation, parks and schools. This neighborhood is worth learning more about and living.
Looking to buy or sell your home on Staten Island? For all your real estate needs, look no further than Tom Crimmins Realty! Give us a call at (718) 370-3200, and we can provide you with professionally-trained agents who are flexible to all that you’re looking for!
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