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Midland Beach, Staten Island
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Midland Beach, Staten Island
Midland Beach (formerly known as Woodland Beach) is a neighborhood of Staten Island in New York City. It lies along the east-central coast of the island, in the area known locally as the "Mid-Island, Staten Island" or the "East Shore".
To its immediate northwest is Grant City, to the southeast is New Dorp Beach, and to the northeast are Graham Beach and South Beach. Miller Field and Prescott Avenue form the southwest border (formerly, a lane called Maplewood Terrace paralleled New Dorp Lane); Poultney Street/Laconia Avenue is to the northwest; the Lower New York Bay is to the southeast, and Seaview Avenue is to the northeast. Father Capodanno Boulevard and Midland Avenue are Midland Beach's two main arteries.
Midland Beach is part of Staten Island Community District 2 and its ZIP Codes are 10305 and 10306. Midland Beach is patrolled by the 122nd Precinct of the New York City Police Department.
Midland Beach became a resort by the 1890s when the Staten Island Railway's South Beach Branch came to nearby Wentworth Avenue, where there were transfers to trolleys serving the area. It contained a 1,700-foot (520 m) pier jutting into the Atlantic Ocean, where visitors could catch the steamboat William Story to the Battery at the tip of Lower Manhattan. The pier was so long that the Midland Beach Railway Company operated a miniature railroad to take fishermen and other visitors to the end of the pier. Around 1900, there was a disagreement between operators of Midland Beach and the town to the south, Woodland Beach, due to the pier's location close to the border between the towns. A fence along the beach was repeatedly erected and torn down, and the dispute was only resolved several years later.
Nevertheless, Midland Beach became a popular destination, easily visible from Coney Island across the Lower New York Bay, and fireworks from Coney Island could be seen from Midland Beach at night. Like South Beach, it offered theater performances, a beach, picnicking areas, snack kiosks, an "Aquarama" panorama, and numerous hotels and bungalows. The attractions were also similar: they included Japanese bowling, a Thompson scenic railway, a dance pavilion, a carousel, a circle swing, and a theater. The beach also contained a boardwalk. Three separate wooden coasters were constructed along Midland Beach. Normally, no admission was charged, but the first admission fee was instituted at a carnival in June 1918, whereupon revenue from the 10-cent charge was donated to the American Red Cross. A saltwater swimming pool was added in 1924.
Midland Beach, like its northern neighbor South Beach, also saw several large fires and other severe incidents. For instance, a conflagration in 1916 damaged large portions of the resort. Rider incidents included a 1917 accident where a patron was left dangling from a roller coaster by his leg, and a miniature train derailment in 1918 that injured 12 people. An extreme thunderstorm in 1923 resulted in several buildings being set on fire by lightning, as well as trolley tracks being washed away by storm surges.
Midland Beach's downfall was caused by two clusters of fires in 1924, though it continued to operate for five more years. In August 1924, two fires occurred on the pier: a small fire at its west end, followed by a much larger fire that nearly destroyed the pier. The fire severely reduced the ability of boats to travel to Midland Beach. In late September, a few weeks after the end of the season, a large fire burned or damaged 15 of the 5,000 summer bungalows at Midland Beach, as well as destroyed four hotels and most of the rides in the Midland Beach Resort. Many of the structures could not be rebuilt because the owners lacked insurance. The year after, James S. Graham purchased much of the remaining resort and rebuilt many of the attractions, including a scenic railroad, Barrel of Fun, Old Mill, skee-ball, and other smaller amusements. However, a fire in 1929 destroyed one-fourth of the rebuilt park, and Midland Beach was subsequently used primarily for swimming, with the beach being restricted and visitors charged a 25-cent fee. The fee was repealed by order of the city in 1930.
Rainstorms on the island caused wind or water damage (such as flooded bungalows) in Midland Beach in the 1970s, due to its proximity to the coast and lack of storm sewers. The City of New York installed a large new storm sewer system down Greeley Avenue in 1979, which resolved the flooding issues for most of the newer housing stock in the neighborhood. Today, the bungalows built as summer homes are owned or rented by locals for permanent residence. According to data compiled by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, the parish of St. Margaret Mary, which serves Midland Beach, is a middle-class parish on Staten Island based on per-capita income.
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Midland Beach, Staten Island
Midland Beach (formerly known as Woodland Beach) is a neighborhood of Staten Island in New York City. It lies along the east-central coast of the island, in the area known locally as the "Mid-Island, Staten Island" or the "East Shore".
To its immediate northwest is Grant City, to the southeast is New Dorp Beach, and to the northeast are Graham Beach and South Beach. Miller Field and Prescott Avenue form the southwest border (formerly, a lane called Maplewood Terrace paralleled New Dorp Lane); Poultney Street/Laconia Avenue is to the northwest; the Lower New York Bay is to the southeast, and Seaview Avenue is to the northeast. Father Capodanno Boulevard and Midland Avenue are Midland Beach's two main arteries.
Midland Beach is part of Staten Island Community District 2 and its ZIP Codes are 10305 and 10306. Midland Beach is patrolled by the 122nd Precinct of the New York City Police Department.
Midland Beach became a resort by the 1890s when the Staten Island Railway's South Beach Branch came to nearby Wentworth Avenue, where there were transfers to trolleys serving the area. It contained a 1,700-foot (520 m) pier jutting into the Atlantic Ocean, where visitors could catch the steamboat William Story to the Battery at the tip of Lower Manhattan. The pier was so long that the Midland Beach Railway Company operated a miniature railroad to take fishermen and other visitors to the end of the pier. Around 1900, there was a disagreement between operators of Midland Beach and the town to the south, Woodland Beach, due to the pier's location close to the border between the towns. A fence along the beach was repeatedly erected and torn down, and the dispute was only resolved several years later.
Nevertheless, Midland Beach became a popular destination, easily visible from Coney Island across the Lower New York Bay, and fireworks from Coney Island could be seen from Midland Beach at night. Like South Beach, it offered theater performances, a beach, picnicking areas, snack kiosks, an "Aquarama" panorama, and numerous hotels and bungalows. The attractions were also similar: they included Japanese bowling, a Thompson scenic railway, a dance pavilion, a carousel, a circle swing, and a theater. The beach also contained a boardwalk. Three separate wooden coasters were constructed along Midland Beach. Normally, no admission was charged, but the first admission fee was instituted at a carnival in June 1918, whereupon revenue from the 10-cent charge was donated to the American Red Cross. A saltwater swimming pool was added in 1924.
Midland Beach, like its northern neighbor South Beach, also saw several large fires and other severe incidents. For instance, a conflagration in 1916 damaged large portions of the resort. Rider incidents included a 1917 accident where a patron was left dangling from a roller coaster by his leg, and a miniature train derailment in 1918 that injured 12 people. An extreme thunderstorm in 1923 resulted in several buildings being set on fire by lightning, as well as trolley tracks being washed away by storm surges.
Midland Beach's downfall was caused by two clusters of fires in 1924, though it continued to operate for five more years. In August 1924, two fires occurred on the pier: a small fire at its west end, followed by a much larger fire that nearly destroyed the pier. The fire severely reduced the ability of boats to travel to Midland Beach. In late September, a few weeks after the end of the season, a large fire burned or damaged 15 of the 5,000 summer bungalows at Midland Beach, as well as destroyed four hotels and most of the rides in the Midland Beach Resort. Many of the structures could not be rebuilt because the owners lacked insurance. The year after, James S. Graham purchased much of the remaining resort and rebuilt many of the attractions, including a scenic railroad, Barrel of Fun, Old Mill, skee-ball, and other smaller amusements. However, a fire in 1929 destroyed one-fourth of the rebuilt park, and Midland Beach was subsequently used primarily for swimming, with the beach being restricted and visitors charged a 25-cent fee. The fee was repealed by order of the city in 1930.
Rainstorms on the island caused wind or water damage (such as flooded bungalows) in Midland Beach in the 1970s, due to its proximity to the coast and lack of storm sewers. The City of New York installed a large new storm sewer system down Greeley Avenue in 1979, which resolved the flooding issues for most of the newer housing stock in the neighborhood. Today, the bungalows built as summer homes are owned or rented by locals for permanent residence. According to data compiled by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, the parish of St. Margaret Mary, which serves Midland Beach, is a middle-class parish on Staten Island based on per-capita income.