Livingston is a name sometimes applied to the northeastern portion of West Brighton, a neighborhood located on the North Shore of the

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey b ...

Geography

While official boundaries do not exist for any designated places on Staten Island, Livingston is most commonly regarded as being enclosed by Bement Avenue on the west, the

Kill Van Kull __NOTOC__ The Kill Van Kull is a tidal strait between Staten Island, New York and Bayonne, New Jersey in the United States. It is approximately long and wide and connects Newark Bay with Upper New York Bay. The Robbins Reef Light marks th ...

shoreline on the north, Henderson Avenue on the south, and the

Snug Harbor Cultural Center Sailors' Snug Harbor, also known as Sailors Snug Harbor and informally as Snug Harbor, is a collection of architecturally significant 19th-century buildings on Staten Island, New York City. The buildings are set in an park along the Kill Van K ...

on the east. It is dominated by large, older homes built before 1900, and its streets are shaded by spreading oak and elm trees.

History

One of the first Europeans to settle the area was

Francis Lovelace Francis Lovelace (c. 1621–1675) was an English Royalist and the second Governor of New York colony. Early life Lovelace was born circa 1621. He was the third son of Sir William Lovelace (1584–1627) and his wife Anne Barne of Lovelace Plac ...

, the second governor of the New York colony, who in 1668 started farming in the area that would become Livingston. An earlier name for the district was Elliotville, after a renowned

ophthalmologist Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a med ...

Samuel Mackenzie Elliott Samuel Mackenzie Elliott (1811–1875) was a Scottish-American medical doctor, pioneer of American ophthalmology, abolitionist leader, and a Union soldier who served as lieutenant colonel of the 79th New York Volunteer Infantry.< ...

, who by 1840 had acquired more than 30 homes in the community.Dr. Elliot's granite house from the 1840s still stands at 69 Delafield Place. The present name of Livingston was coined by officials of the

Staten Island Railway The Staten Island Railway (SIR) is a rapid transit line in the New York City borough of Staten Island. It is owned by the Staten Island Rapid Transit Operating Authority (SIRTOA), a subsidiary of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, ...

who bought the mansion of resident Anson Livingston and then gave that name to a station built near the current intersection of Richmond Terrace and Bard Avenue. This station was situated on the now-defunct North Shore branch of the railway, on which passenger service ceased in 1953; the tracks on this branch are still there, but all traces of the

Livingston Livingston may refer to: Businesses * Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010) * Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline * Livingston International, a North American customs ...

station have been removed, as is the case with the two other former stations on either side (

Sailors' Snug Harbor Sailors' Snug Harbor, also known as Sailors Snug Harbor and informally as Snug Harbor, is a collection of architecturally significant 19th-century buildings on Staten Island, New York City. The buildings are set in an park along the Kill Van K ...

and West Brighton).

Transportation

Livingston was formerly served by the North Shore Branch of the

, before it was closed. Livingston is now served by two pairs of bus routes: the , as well as the .

Notability

Robert Gould Shaw was a resident of Livingston as were many

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

s in the 19th century. Several of the 19th century homes, especially those along Davis and Pelton Avenues, were part of the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. ...

and have remnants such as hiding places.

George William Curtis George William Curtis (February 24, 1824 – August 31, 1892) was an American writer and public speaker born in Providence, Rhode Island. An early Republican, he spoke in favor of African-American equality and civil rights both before and after ...

, who married Shaw's sister Anna, was also a resident. Livingston was a filming location for movies such as ''

School of Rock ''School of Rock'' (titled onscreen as ''The School of Rock'') is a 2003 comedy film directed by Richard Linklater, produced by Scott Rudin, and written by Mike White. The film stars Jack Black, Joan Cusack, Mike White, and Sarah Silverman. ...

'' and '' A Beautiful Mind'', which was filmed on Kissel Avenue. The neighborhood was also used for the television program '' The Education of Max Bickford''.

Notes

References

{{Staten Island Neighborhoods in Staten Island Populated places on the Underground Railroad