CENTER OF THE ISLAND
Bird ’ s-eye view of Richmond , photo by Frederick M . Simonson , ca . 1910 . This view looks southeast from the hill above St . Andrew ’ s Church . Among the numerous buildings visible are the Third County Courthouse and County Jail , the rectory of St . Andrew ’ s , the Washington Hotel , and the former Second County Courthouse .
Currently , Historic Richmond Town is going through change . And it is vital that the institution does . Since its founding , this historic town has always been a hubbub of activity and change . For many years it was the civic , commercial and mercantile nucleus of the Island . It was the county seat . Growing with the times was the key to its success . This was the center of the Island . People came here to shop , eat , and be entertained . They went to court and were sent to prison . They travelled by horse , carriage , trolley , car and even by water . Yes , the wetlands were alive back then . You could row your way into town .
To keep up with the times , from the 1600s to the mid-twentieth century , the town of Richmond was constantly evolving . Even its modest skyline changed with the decades . Large multistory buildings like the Dobler Tavern , the Richmond County Hall , Richmond Wagon Works , and the Richmond County Jail served the town . Homes filled in the empty lots around the bigger buildings making the town a bit more dense than it is today .
It ’ s only in the last few decades that
the Town has become static . What we see here today is a skewed representation of Richmond . This historic town wasn ’ t built to be a sparse quiet place . It was designed to be busy . When the town was abandoned by the city in the early twentieth century , the Staten Island Historical Society saved it from obscurity . They formed a plan to
Aquilino ’ s Pizzeria , photo by Michael Koledo , April 7 , 1963 . This one-story structure , located on Richmond Road at the corner of Court Place , was built by Nicola Aquilino sometime before 1927 . The Aquilino family lived in what is now Historic Richmond Town ’ s Edwards- Barton House ( seen in the background ), and they operated a grocery store , then a billiard academy , and finally a restaurant and tavern later known as Aquilino ’ s Pizzeria . This popular restaurant was one of the first such Italian restaurants on the Island .
The STaTen ISland hISTorIan 15