Huguenot is a neighborhood on the South Shore of

Staten Island, New York City Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull and f ...

. Originally named "Bloomingview", it was later named for the

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...

s, led by

Daniel Perrin Daniel Perrin (1642–1719) was one of the first permanent European inhabitants of Staten Island, New York. Known as " The Huguenot", he arrived in New York Harbor from the Isle of Jersey on July 29, 1665, aboard the ship ''Philip'', under the c ...

, who settled in the area during the late 17th and early 18th centuries to escape religious persecution. Huguenot is bordered by Arden Heights to the north, Woodrow to the west, Prince's Bay to the south, and Annadale to the east. The neighborhood is represented in the New York City Council by

Joe Borelli Joseph Charles Borelli (born July 27, 1982) is an American politician and the New York City Council member for the 51st district and Minority Leader of the New York City Council. He is a Republican. The district encompasses much of Staten Is ...

, who was born and raised there. Huguenot is represented in the New York State Senate by

Andrew Lanza Andrew Joseph Lanza (born March 12, 1964) is an American lawyer and Republican politician. He currently serves as a member of the New York State Senate, representing the 24th district, which encompasses most of Staten Island. He was first elec ...

and in the New York State Assembly by Michael Reilly.

History

The community was named after

French Protestants Protestantism in France has existed in its various forms, starting with Calvinism and Lutheranism since the Protestant Reformation. John Calvin was a Frenchman, as were numerous other Protestant Reformers including William Farel, Pierre Viret ...

fleeing persecution in Catholic-dominated France who settled in the area in the 17th century, and formed one of the first permanent settlements on Staten Island. The

Huguenot station The Huguenot station is a Staten Island Railway station in the neighborhood of Huguenot, Staten Island, New York. History The station opened on June 2, 1860, with the opening of the Staten Island Railway from Annadale to Tottenville. The s ...

along the Staten Island Railway opened when the railroad was extended to Tottenville in 1860. This station was given the name "Huguenot Park", even though no park was actually located nearby, and by 1971 the word "Park" had been dropped. The name survives in the Huguenot Park branch of the New York Public Library was opened one block west of the station.

Religion

The local

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

parish, Our Lady Star of the Sea, is one of the largest parishes on the South Shore, and has experienced overcrowding problems for many years because of the rapid boom of new residents in the area.

Library

The New York Public Library (NYPL) operates the Huguenot Park branch at 830 Huguenot Avenue, near the intersection with Drumgoole Road East. The branch opened in January 1985, replacing what was once the smallest New York Public Library building just east of the station (still standing). The Huguenot Park branch was possibly named in honor of the nearby Staten Island Railway station's former name. SIR Huguenot

Transportation

Huguenot is served by the Staten Island Railway at the

. Huguenot is also served by the local buses on Luten Avenue, and the local buses on Hylan Boulevard. Express bus service is provided by the along Huguenot Avenue and Woodrow Road, the along Woodrow Road, the along Foster Road, and the along Huguenot Avenue.

References

{{Staten Island Neighborhoods in Staten Island Huguenot history in the United States