Staten Island Borough Hall facts for kids
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Staten Island Borough Hall
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Richmond Terrace facade
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 Location in New York City
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| Location | 10 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, New York |
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| Area | 5 acres (2.0 ha) (including neighboring courthouse) |
| Built | 1906 |
| Architect | Carrere & Hastings |
| Architectural style | Beaux Arts, French Renaissance |
| NRHP reference No. | 83004150 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | October 6, 1983 (as Staten Island Borough Hall and Richmond County Courthouse) |
Staten Island Borough Hall is the main government building for Staten Island in New York City. It is located at 10 Richmond Terrace. You can find it next to the Richmond County Courthouse. It is also across the street from the St. George Terminal where the Staten Island Ferry arrives.
This important building is home to the Borough President's office. The Borough President is like a leader for the borough. Other city offices are also here, such as the Departments of Buildings and Transportation.
A Historic Building
The Staten Island Borough Hall was built in 1906. It was designed in the French Renaissance style. This style often features grand designs and detailed decorations. The building is made of brick and limestone.
Famous architects Carrere and Hastings designed it. They created the building after New York City became one big city in 1898. One of the architects, John Carrere, lived on Staten Island. He helped choose the perfect spot for the building on a hilltop.
The building is considered a special place by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. It was also added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. This means it is an important historical site.
Amazing Murals Inside
Inside Borough Hall, you can see a series of thirteen amazing murals. Murals are large paintings on walls. These murals show important events from Staten Island's history. A local artist named Frederick Charles Stahr painted them. He created these artworks as part of the WPA program. The WPA was a government program that helped people find jobs during the Great Depression.
Stories on the Walls
The Borough Hall was built with special arched spaces for these murals. Each space is about 13 feet tall and 6.5 feet wide. Frederick Charles Stahr grew up on Staten Island. He had studied art in Europe. He was promised the job of painting the murals. However, there was no money for them when the building was finished in 1906.
Thirty years later, in 1936, Stahr got funding through the WPA. He worked in a studio on the third floor of the building. Over two years, he created these oil paintings on canvas. As he finished them, they were carefully attached to the walls of Borough Hall.
The thirteen murals tell many stories:
- They show Verrazzano discovering Staten Island in 1524.
- Another mural shows Henry Hudson visiting in 1609 on his ship, the Halve Maen.
- Two panels show Lenape natives trading furs for small items.
- You can see French Huguenot farmers.
- One mural depicts British Admiral Howe taking control of the island in 1776.
- There's a painting of the 1776 peace meeting. This meeting included Howe, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Edward Rutledge at the Conference House.
- Another mural shows the "Battle of St. Andrew's."
- British ships are shown leaving during Evacuation Day in 1783.
- The building of Fort Richmond and Fort Tompkins is shown. These forts were built before the War of 1812.
- A stagecoach stops at the Black Horse Tavern. This tavern was torn down in 1934.
- The Hotel Castleton is featured. This hotel was run by freed Black men in the 1800s.
- The first railroad from Clifton to Tottenville in 1860 is shown.
- Finally, the Bayonne Bridge mural shows Othmar Ammann, the bridge's designer, watching its construction.
