The Hills of Staten Island: TODT HILL | By Anthony Volpe

Perhaps you are fortunate enough to reside in one of Todt Hill’s most exquisite homes, or maybe you simply marvel at its many beauteous properties from afar. It goes without saying, Todt Hill is the most famous of Staten Island’s hills and features some of the borough’s most opulent and highly-coveted homes.

Staten Island’s Todt Hill was formed from a 401-foot-tall hill of serpentine rock. In fact, not only is Todt Hill the highest natural point throughout the five boroughs of New York City, it is also the highest elevation on the entire Atlantic coastal plain – from Florida to Cape Cod. The name “Todt” comes from the German word for "dead.” While that’s typically not something appealing regarding the origins of a neighborhood, it is believed to have come from its proximity to Moravian Cemetery, which opened in 1740 and is the Island's largest, located on the southwestern foot of the ridge.

At the beginning of the 20th century, many houses on Todt Hill were designed by famed architect Ernest Flagg, who had also lived there, and obviously for whom Flagg Place was named. Ernest Flagg (1857-1947), one of NYC’s most prolific architects, designed The Singer Tower in lower Manhattan, the Old Scribner Building in the Flatiron District, St. Luke’s Hospital, and the Flagg Court complex in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, just to name a few of his many projects. Flagg then went on to build his own huge colonial revival estate on Staten Island, 209 Flagg Place, on the slope separating Todt Hill from the neighboring towns along Richmond Road. The Flagg Estate would later become the grounds of The St. Charles Seminary.

Located at 95 West Entry Road and constructed in 1918 is one of the original gatehouses to the property, a landmarked building called Bowcot. It was the first of the experimental stone cottages Flagg built on the grounds of his estate to show off his ability to design economical yet attractive housing. Flagg observed that as the wall bent with the road, the house bent too, which is how Bowcot received its interesting name. At East Entry and West Entry Roads the walls turned a short distance northwest forming entry gates for Stone Court drive, leading to Staten Island’s first Borough President and New York State Senator George Cromwell’s property, which is now home to the Richmond County Country Club.

Flagg's central precepts regarding aesthetics and design are fully embodied with the Bowcot cottage, despite its small size. It is reported that Flagg considered his Todt Hill cottages to be an integral part of his legacy, of no less importance than the Singer Tower, which was the world's tallest building at the time of its completion in 1911.While Ernest Flagg was primarily known for building skyscrapers, he also designed hundreds of smaller homes and cottages throughout Todt Hill, New York State and the United States, many of which are landmarked.

The Todt Hill neighborhood of Staten Island not only offers a bucolic retreat for folks looking to get away from the chaos of city life, they will also find themselves in love with this historical and uniquely beautiful location. Todt Hill is a strict R1-1 zoning district: homes are vastly one-family homes on large properties with a lot of natural green areas and no sidewalks.

Interesting facts: 

• NY Mets Hall of Famer John Franco has called Todt Hill home for decades. 

• Todt Hill is home to the only private club in New York City, The Richmond County Country Club and the prestigious private school, Staten Island Academy.

Notable Recent Home Sales:

95 Circle Road - $4,850,000

76 Romer Road - $4,500,000

16 Buttonwood Road - $3,800,000

32 Circle Road - $3,450,000

69 Coventry Road - $3,000,000

Written By:

Anthony Volpe - NYS Licensed Real Estate Salesperson

anthonyvolpe@casandraproperties.com

Be on the look out for more of "The Hills of Staten Island" by Anthony coming soon...