Emerson Hill is the name of a hilly area, and the neighborhood situated thereon, in

Staten Island, New York Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

, one of the five boroughs of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, United States. Some of the roads on Emerson Hill are private, and several gates were previously found at approaches to the enclave. Signage at the Douglas Road and Emerson Drive entrances to the area restrict truck traffic (except local deliveries) and through traffic. These areas lack gates and are not staffed by security personnel. The streets also lack signage denoting the roads as private. As such, it does not qualify as a

gated community A gated community (or walled community) is a form of residential community or housing estate containing strictly controlled entrances for pedestrians, bicycles, and automobiles, and often characterized by a closed perimeter of walls and fences ...

. Emerson Hill is separated from its nearby neighborhoods of Grymes Hill just north of the

Staten Island Expressway Interstate 278 (I-278) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in New Jersey and New York in the United States. The road runs from US Route 1/9 (US 1/9) in Linden, New Jersey, northeast to the Bruckner Interchange in the New York C ...

, and

Todt Hill Todt Hill ( ) is a hill formed of serpentine rock on Staten Island, New York. It is the highest natural point in the five boroughs of New York City and the highest elevation on the entire Atlantic coastal plain from Florida to Cape Cod. The s ...

— where private roads also exist — borders on the south. The neighborhood is zoned as residential and is part of the Special Natural Area District, which denotes its unique natural characteristics and requires the City Planning Commission to review proposals for site alterations. Removal of trees on private property in the area typically requires approval from the Department of Buildings to ensure compliance with the zoning protocols. The hill is named for Judge William Emerson — oldest brother of

Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, minister, abolitionism, abolitionist, and poet who led the Transcendentalism, Transcendentalist movement of th ...

— who lived with his wife, Susan, and children William, Haven and Charles in a long, brown shingle house known as The Snuggery. Willie and Haven were tutored in 1843 by

Henry David Thoreau Henry David Thoreau (born David Henry Thoreau; July 12, 1817May 6, 1862) was an American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher. A leading Transcendentalism, transcendentalist, he is best known for his book ''Walden'', a reflection upon sim ...

, who lived with the Emersons from May through October. It was the only time in his adult life that Thoreau lived anywhere but Concord, Massachusetts.Canby, Henry Seidel: ''Thoreau'', Houghton Mifflin (1939), pages 143-148 In 1971, two large mock Tudor homes at the end of Longfellow Avenue served as Casa Corleone for the filming of

Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola ( ; born April 7, 1939) is an American filmmaker. He is considered one of the leading figures of the New Hollywood and one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. List of awards and nominations received by Francis Ford Coppo ...

's classic movie ''

The Godfather ''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American Epic film, epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling The Godfather (novel), 1969 novel. The film stars an ensemble cast inc ...

''.

References

Neighborhoods in Staten Island {{StatenIsland-geo-stub