Our Lady of Mount Carmel Grotto
Why it's listed
Rising about thirty feet in a residential part of Rosebank on Staten Island, this grotto is a serpentine concrete, stone and brick structure decorated with pebbles, shells, glass marbles and bicycle reflectors. Italian immigrant members of the Society of Our Lady of Mount Carmel began building it in October 1937 on land the society owned, with most of the present appearance dating from 1937-38. The grounds also hold a c. 1920 frame meeting hall, a war memorial, pebble-encrusted shrines, a fountain, a brick walk, and sheds and booths used for the annual July festival. The property matters as an example of religious folk art created by lay immigrants rather than by the Catholic Church, reflecting southern Italian building traditions and the thrift of its makers. The meeting hall is one of the few surviving freestanding halls of an Italian immigrant mutual aid society in New York City. Members still use the site for worship, processions, feasts and social gatherings.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the grotto is an intact example of Italian American vernacular religious folk art, built by lay immigrant members of a mutual aid society without Church initiation. It is tied to the ethnic, social and religious history of the local Italian American community. The c. 1920 meeting hall is also noted as a rare surviving freestanding hall of an Italian immigrant mutual aid society in New York City.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 00001276, listed November 2, 2000. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 36 Amity St., Staten Island |
|---|---|
| County | Staten Island |
| Listed | November 2, 2000 |
| Reference number | 00001276 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1937 |
| Architect / builder | Russo, Vito; and other members of the Society of Our Lady of Mount Carmel |
| Architectural style | Other: Italian American grotto |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Art, European, Religion, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in use as a shrine, social meeting place and festival grounds; work on the grotto and its setting continues. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.61222, -74.07477 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 00001276.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.