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Farm Colony: 'Historic' or Not, It's a Jungle in There |
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| IT could be the "lost city" in some theme park. In the jungle-like overgrowth a visitor can see only 10 or 20 feet. Every 100 feet or so stone ruins loom. But there are no guides and admission is free: This is the Farm Colony, Staten Island's early-20th-century charitable complex. A 1988 project by the Department
of General Services to sell the site for housing has been set back
and this unusual group of buildings seems headed more towards archeology
than to restoration.
In 1893, the Poor Farm was renamed the Farm Colony, but Staten Island was merged into New York City in 1898 and the city centralized the planning and analysis for such efforts. A 1902 report said that the Farm Colony, at the time with a population of about 200, could produce vegetables to support 3,000 people. A new building began at this time and by 1915 there were seven dormitories and staff buildings in a campus-like setting with irregular rows and walkways. Four successive architectural firms designed buildings in this group but all followed the general styling of the original designers, Renwick, Aspinwall & Owen: walls of local dark rubble stone with occasional red brick infill and gambrel roofs. By the 1910's 63 acres of the 104-acre site were under cultivation, producing fruit, vegetables, swine and chickens. The 824 residents were supervised by 150 employees. In 1912, they produced $22,887 in food -- but over half the population was over 50 years old, one-quarter over 70. By the 1920's the policy had shifted from attempts at self-support and in 1932 the complex was described as "a haven for old people" with 1,428 residents. Around this time Charles B. Meyers built four H-shaped Georgian-style dormitories with brick facades. By the 50's, the complex had become a geriatric hospital and home. It closed in 1975 and in 1985 the landmarks agency designated it and the Seaview Hospital complex, on the other side of Brielle Avenue, a historic district. |
In 1988, the Department of General Services issued a Request for Expression of Interest to developers for the Farm Colony site. Calling it the Woodlands, the department sought preliminary responses from developers who would buy the site for new housing units -- 150, 344, 558 or 970. The 150-unit plan would have been straight rehabilitation of the existing buildings, the others would have involved new construction, too. Lisa Ryan, a spokeswoman for the department, said 10 complete responses were received, most favoring the 344-unit or 558-unit options. No one was interested in straight rehabilitation.
But while the department was evaluating the responses, new city regulations required an entirely new environmental impact statement at a cost of up to $100,000. MRS. RYAN said the department has not yet come back to the project and it is not clear when it will start moving again, if ever. Today a visitor going in through the open gate will find an allee of mature trees quickly developing into a tangled jungle. In the shadowy growth, a derelict building will be seen. Some structures are largely sealed up, most are wide open. Everywhere the jungle presses up close to the windows, making them into green filters. One building recently has been gutted by fire, with huge charred timbers leaning down, and metal doors swinging open into nothingness. Besides occasional vandalism,
the only fresh evidence of human presence is spray-painted marking
on the tree-choked roads locating fire hydrants that are completely
invisible in the undergrowth. The woodlands title for the development
may prove to be particularly apt; the jungle has now begun to invade
the interiors of the buildings with vines and seedlings. |
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