Willowbrook, Staten Island facts for kids

Willowbrook is a neighborhood in Staten Island, one of the five areas that make up New York City. It's located in the middle part of Staten Island. It sits south of Port Richmond, west of Meiers Corners and Westerleigh, north of New Springville, and east of Bulls Head.

History of Willowbrook

Willowbrook got its name from a small stream, or "brook," that used to flow through the farms in the area. Long ago, this neighborhood was mostly farmland.

A big change happened during World War II when a military hospital opened here. After the war, this hospital became the Willowbrook State School. This school was for children with intellectual disabilities. Sadly, in the 1970s, it was discovered that the children at the school were not being treated well. Because of these problems, the school had to close by 1987.

Six years later, a part of the College of Staten Island opened on the same land. Next to the college is Willowbrook Park, a large city park. Willowbrook was also home to Seaview Hospital, which was a special hospital for people with tuberculosis. This hospital was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005 because of its importance.

Another huge change for Willowbrook came in 1964 when the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge opened. After the bridge was built, many farms were sold. New houses were built on the land. Many Jewish families moved into these new homes. This made Willowbrook a main center for the Orthodox Jewish community on Staten Island. Before this, the community was mostly in Tompkinsville. In the 2010s, even more Jewish families moved to Willowbrook due to housing issues in Brooklyn.

People of Willowbrook

Willowbrook is home to Young Israel of Staten Island, which is the largest Orthodox synagogue (Jewish house of worship) on the island. There are also other smaller Orthodox Jewish groups here. While some non-Orthodox Jewish people live in Willowbrook, there are no non-Orthodox synagogues in the area. Many Italian-Americans also live in Willowbrook, along with people from East Asia, Africa, and South Asia.

Education in Willowbrook

Schools

P.S. 54, an elementary school, is located in Willowbrook. It is managed by the New York City Department of Education.

Libraries

The New York Public Library has a branch called Todt Hill-Westerleigh. It is located at 2550 Victory Boulevard, right on the edge of Willowbrook and Westerleigh. This library, which has three floors, opened in 1991.

Getting Around Willowbrook

Willowbrook is served by several local buses, including the S57, S61, S62, S91, S92, S93 routes. There are also express buses that go to other parts of New York City, like the SIM3, SIM4C, SIM31, SIM32, SIM33, SIM34 routes.