FROM BEACH RESORT TO BEDROOM COMMUNITY: STATEN ISLAND AND THE IMPACT OF THE VERRAZANO-NARROWS BRIDGE BY Alina Durkovic B.A., Pace University, 2012 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF URBAN STUDIES AT FORDHAM UNIVERSITY NEW YORK, NY May 2014 UMI Number: 1561144 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI 1561144 Published by ProQuest LLC (2014). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, MI 48106 - 1346 Table of Contents Acknowledgments Vita Abstract Chapter I The Interdisciplinarity of the Study……………………………………….……1 Introduction & Research Question……………………………………………..4 Research Plan and Methodology……………………………………………….6 Review of Literature…………………………………………………………...10 Chapter II Background of Staten Island…………………………………………………..18 Beachfront Development in Staten Island……………………………………..22 Chapter III “Islandness”……………………………………………………………………28 Plans to Connect Staten Island to New York City……………………………..31 Public Response to Plans………………………………………………….…...34 The “Save Bay Ridge” Committee’s Fight for Their Community….……….…36 Chapter IV Robert Moses’ Vision……………………………………………………….....40 How Staten Island Became a Suburb……………………………………….…43 Moses’ Staten Island Plans Even After the Bridge…………………….………48 Suburbia and the Population Boom………………….………………………...50 Conclusion………………………………………………….…………………………55 Appendix………………………………………………………………………..….…57 Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………..66 Acknowledgments This thesis is lovingly dedicated to my husband Mirsad who supported me each step of the way. Your encouragement when the times got rough is something I will cherish forever. It was a great comfort and relief to know that you were willing to take care of our household activities while I completed my work. A very special thanks to my loving parents, Aljo and Sendiya Durkovic whose words of encouragement and push for tenacity will always ring in my ears. Also, to my sister Ariana who understands me like no one else does. My completion of this project could not have been accomplished without the support of my classmates, many friends and family who have supported me throughout the process. I will always appreciate all they have done, especially Alexa Dvorak for being by side through the whole graduate school experience. I cannot express enough thanks to my committee for their continued support and encouragement: Dr. Roger Panetta, my thesis advisor for his countless hours of reflecting, reading, encouraging, and most of all patience throughout the entire process and Steven Stoll, my second reader for all his help on getting this thing finally done. VITA Alina Durkovic, daughter of Aljo and Sendiya Durkovic, wife of Mirsad Bajrami, was born on January 12, 1990, in Flushing, New York. After graduating in 2008 from Bayside High School with an Advanced Regents Diploma, she entered Pace University as the recipient of the Pace Incentive Award and Trustee Recognition Award. In 2010, she became the co-president for Pi Gamma Mu an honor society in the social sciences, as well as Alpha Chi a national college honor society for students from all academic disciplines. In 2012, she received the Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. From April 2012 to December 2013 she worked for the New York State Assembly, the lower house of the New York State Legislature. She entered Fordham University in 2012 as a candidate for the Master of Arts degree in Urban Studies under the mentorship of Dr. Roger Panetta. In December 2013, she began working for the New York City Housing Development Corporation as a marketing specialist for affordable housing. Abstract This thesis will use historical, interpretive, and sociological methods to examine the process of suburbanization or “boroughization” of Staten Island using the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge as lens for the population growth that occurred from the 1950s through the 1970s. Specifically, this project will investigate the ways which the building of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge caused a increase residential communities in Staten Island. It is hypothesized that the Verrazano Bridge caused rapid growth and destruction of the idyllic lifestyle residents of Staten Island were accustomed to. The research in this thesis will investigate the extent to which the life on Staten Island changed and how the building of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge resulted in both positive and negative impacts from the 1950s to 1970. Although this thesis is mostly focused on population growth and change from 1950s through the 1970s, it is important to understand the historical background of Staten Island starting in the 1900s, which is where this study will begin. This inquiry will be conducted through a historical investigation of three specific points of interest in Staten Island and the Verrazano Bridge’s histories: (1) early plans for physically connecting Staten Island to the rest of New York city, including proposed tunnel plans which began in the early 1930s until the 1950s, (2) the vision of Robert Moses and responses from the communities in Staten Island, Bay Ridge and elected officials in the later 1950s and early 1960s, and (3) the building, completion and impact of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, 1964 through 1970. Interpretive analysis of historical and archival materials include—books, historical accounts, newspapers, essays, museum archives, exhibitions, photographs, maps, census data and articles—will focus on reconstructing the social and historical context in which Staten Islanders were affected by the building of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. Analysis will be guided by the hypothesis stated above, which is that the idyllic rural borough of Staten Island was disrupted with rapid growth by means of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, but will remain open to other social, historical or political explanations for the nature of suburbanization in Staten Island, New York. By focusing on historical archives, photographs, maps and census data, this research will contribute to urban studies specifically in the subject of suburbanization because the changes in Staten Island during this time period is very scarcely studied. I wish to bring light to the topic and illustrate the rich history the island possesses. This thesis will be a social history with historical and sociological analysis. Durkovic 1 The Interdisciplinarity of the Study The research in this thesis will be utilized two different traditions: sociology and history. These two disciplines are necessary because they illustrate a better understanding of the changes in beachfront development and transportation in Staten Island as well as its impacts on the residents in neighborhoods such as South and Midland Beaches. Looking at Staten Island from a sociological standpoint, I have conducted data collection and analysis using museum exhibitions, census data, planning documents, and theories of suburbanization in post-war America. From a historical standpoint, I have researched articles, newspaper stories, essays, non-fiction works, blogs and original documents/primary sources to provide context to the circumstances and conditions that influenced my study including the building and redevelopment of Staten Island’s beaches, boardwalks and residential communities. By definition in urban studies the suburbs represent a physical form of settlement, neither urban nor rural. Staten Island falls into the category of suburb because it is no longer as rural as it once was, it is the most “green” out of the other boroughs and still lacks a “downtown” or “city-like” component. Most Staten Islanders commute to and from Manhattan as the “central business district.” Areas lying outside large cities are defined together with those cities as “metropolitan statistical areas”.1 Historically, some suburbs start out as cities but were then absorbed by urban growth. 1 Harris, Chauncy D. "Suburbs." American Journal of Sociology (1943): n. pag. JSTOR. Web. Durkovic 2 In the case of Staten Island, the island started off as a rural countryside in the late 1800s that was later changed by growth after the building of the Verrazano- Narrows Bridge in 1964. Thus, by definition the study of Staten Island employs the traditions of both sociology and history. This thesis will show how the island started off as a rural region in New York City and transitioned into a suburb where people live but work commute to central business district, which is Manhattan in the case of Staten Island. During the 1950s, most of the United States was looking towards settling in the suburbs to be able to own a home and a car, which is discussed in Kenneth Jackson’s book, The Crabgrass Frontier. Many Brooklyn residents found this vision and the ability of the “American Dream” in Staten Island. The Verrazano Bridge made this connection with the American Dream possible. Suburban regions lack public space and rely exclusively on the automobile, which will be discussed in the context of the Verrazano- Narrows Bridge and increase in traffic flow on Staten Island. The study of suburban