Sailors' Snug Harbor National Register District

Sailors' Snug Harbor is a complex on Richmond Terrace in New Brighton, Staten Island, established as a home for retired seamen under the will of Captain Robert R. Randall. Its centerpiece is a row of five parallel Greek Revival buildings joined by a one-story corridor. The Administration Building, designed by Martin E. Thompson, was built in 1831-33 and set the style for the others, which followed between 1839 and 1880. Many architectural historians regard the group as the finest Greek Revival ensemble in the country. Other features include a trapezoidal gatehouse mixing several 19th century styles, a chapel completed around 1857 that blends Greek Revival and Italianate details, and a third-of-a-mile wrought iron fence designed by Frederick Diaper and erected in 1842. The trustees' 1965 plan to raze four of the buildings prompted a lawsuit against New York City's landmark designation, which the Appellate Division upheld. In 1971 the City announced plans to acquire the buildings for the Staten Island Museum and other public uses.