Arranged
and described by:
Ellen H. Belcher
January 1998
Dates:
1935-1941
HISTORICAL
NOTE
The Staten Island Rapid Transit Company owned and operated a
commuter railroad in Staten Island. This collection of photographs
documents a project to eliminate grade crossings and refurbish
stations dating from1935 to 1941. Starting in 1860, the company
operated several lines to the ferry terminal in Richmond. The
first line ran to Tottenville via New Dorp. In the 1880s and
1890s, other lines were added. In 1968 the SIRT was annexed
to the Metropolitan Transit Authority of New York.
An ongoing
project to eliminate grade crossings began in the 1930s and
continued into the 1940s, this project also included renovation
of stations effected by the elevation or recession of the tracks.
Grade crossings were removed and improvements made in the 1930s,
some of which are documented in this collection. Elimination
of several grade crossings was accomplished by building trestles
and viaducts, which raised the tracks above the crossing roads.
This collection documents portions of this project which occurred
between 1935-1941.
COLLECTION
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
This collection consists of photographs which document the work
of the Staten Island Rapid Transit Company, Engineering Departments'
elimination of grade crossings from 1935 to 1941. All phases
of the individual projects are documented from start to finish.
Included are many shots showing adjacent buildings and properties
as well as men at work Because of gaps in numerical sequences
and because only a few stations are recorded, it is possible
that this collection might not be a complete documentation of
this project.
The stations
photographed are: Fort Wadsworth (boxes 1-4); New Brighton (box
5); Mariners Harbor and Port Richmond (Boxes 6-16); Stapleton
(Boxes17-19); Rosebank (Box 20); Great Kills (Box 21-24); and
Tottenville (Box 25-27). The largest portion of the collection
pertains to renovations of the tracks between Port Richmond
and Mariner's Harbor from 1935-37. Included in this series are
photographs of the Tower Hill station as well. Not included
in this collection is documentation of later grade crossing
removal projects such as those between Grant City and Oakwood
Heights in the mid 1940s.
The only
written documentation accompanying this collection is on the
captions typed on the verso of most of the photographs. Most
captions include the following information:
Project number ( or case number)
Project name (usually station name or
names of a series of stations)
Direction of line of site
Object (exact subject of photograph
ie: street name, house owner),
Photographer
Witness
The date and number of the photograph appear on the front of
the photograph.
ARRANGEMENT
NOTE
The photographs were found arranged numerically with project
numbers interspersed. It was determined that this likely was
not the logical original order of the collection but probably
reflects a later reorganization of the photographs. During the
processing of the collection, the photographs were arranged
by project number and photograph number within that series.
The project number series are arranged numerically which also
reflects a general progression by date.
Provenance:
Donated by Saul I. Heller, in 1974.
Related
Collections:
Transit Museum Archives: 2 boxes of miscellaneous materials,
1 historical pamphlet.
Staten Island Historical Society: various materials.
References:
Available at LIU Library:
Fichler, S. Uptown, Downtown. NY: Hawthorn Books, 1976: pp.
167-8.
"Staten Island Opens Mile-Long Viaduct; Thirty-four Grade Crossings
are Eliminated."
The New York Times. February 26, 1937:
p. 3.
"Crossing Job Begun on Staten Island: Exercises Held to Mark
Start of $2,000,000 Project."
The New York Times. July 14, 1938: p7.
BOX LISTING:
PROJECT #2795A
Fort Wadsworth
BOX 1: 5(7-16-37) -8(7-16-37)
PROJECT
#2795
Fort Wadsworth
BOX 2: 400(5-9-35) - 427(8-7-36)
BOX 3: 500(12-5-35)
- 599(1-4-36)
BOX 4: 600(1-4-36)
- 726(10-22-36)
PROJECT
#2866A
New Brighton, Jersey Street
BOX 5: 101(11-13-36) -118(1-23-37)
PROJECT
#2866
Mariner's Harbor Port Richmond
BOX 6: 170(7-21-37) - 247(7-21-37)
BOX 7:
451(10-28-36) - 549(9-27-35)
BOX 8: 550(9-27-35)
- 599(11-18-35)
BOX 9: 600(11-25-35)
- 649(4-8-36)
BOX 10:
650(2-1-36) - 699(6-12-36)
BOX 11:
700(3-28-36) - 748 (7-2-36)
BOX 12:
750 (7-2-36) - 799 (8-24-36)
BOX 13:
800(10-14-36)-849(10-28-36)
BOX 14:
850(10-28-36) - 898(1-16-37)
BOX 15:
901(2-28-37) - 999(7-20-37)
BOX 16:
1000(7-20-37) - 1036(9-29-37)
PROJECT
#3149
Stapleton
BOX 17: 402(2-12-36) -592(3-13-36)
BOX 18:
601(4-14-36) - 699(8-19-36)
BOX 19:
700(8-19-36) - 763(12-13-36)
PROJECT
#3317
Rosebank - Saint Mary's Avenue
BOX 20: 18(3-25-37) - 24(3-25-37)
347(11-20-37)
- 283(2-9-39)
506(7-16-37)
- 543(11-20-37)
PROJECT
#3233
Great Kills - Huguenot
BOX 21: 246(10-3-38) - 386(2-24-38) [with gaps]
BOX 22:
501(10-26-38) - 698(10-22-39)
BOX 23:
700(10-22-39) - 849(4-28-40)
BOX 24:
850(4-28-40) - 1048(6-13-41)
PROJECT
# 3335
Tottenville
BOX 25: 1(7-7-38) - 28(9-17-38)
BOX 26:
501(8-10-39) - 617(3-25-40)
BOX 27:
1001(11-14-39) - 1033(5-15-40)
BOX 28:
Unidentified photos
Top
Of Form
Created
By: Ellen Belcher
Revised: 3/14/2000
