Junk Removal in Old Town, Staten Island, NY

Old Town is a neighborhood in Staten Island, NY, and is bordered by Clifton, Stapleton, St. George, and New Brighton.

Old Town is more like a residential neighborhood, with tree-lined streets lined with single-family homes and small apartment buildings. Old Town is also home to many of Staten Island’s landmarks such as the Kreischer Mansion and Historic Richmond Town.

Residents of Old Town are zoned to the New York City Department of Education, Staten Island Technical High School, or Port Richmond High School.

The entire area has many specialty shops located around it, including small cafes and coffee shops. There are also multiple places for recreation such as basketball courts, soccer fields, and playgrounds.

History

The neighborhood was formerly known as Kreischerville, after the man who started it all: Charles Kreischer. He and his family founded the settlement in 1851 to work in their brickyard and pottery business, which they built on Arthur Kill Road.

The area got its name “Kreischerville” when The Staten Island Railway stopped there in 1884. Around that time, the Kreischer brickyard was in full operation and covered much of what is now Kreischer Street (which runs along with the yard’s former location). The neighborhood became known as “Old Town” to differentiate it from New Dorp to its south, which was developing around two busy thoroughfares – Richmond Road (today’s Hylan Boulevard) and Amboy Road.

The Kreischer brickyard was the site of a massive fire in May 1895 that destroyed many of the buildings in the area, including several along Arthur Kill Road, home to much of Staten Island’s industry at the time.

After World War I, Germans began to settle into this working-class neighborhood. Beginning in the 1930s, Italian immigrants joined their German counterparts to make up a large percentage of Old Town’s population.

Today, Old Town is an ethnically diverse slice of New York City that never fails to capture the curiosity of passersby with its historic homes and brick-lined streets lined in front yards with lush green grass.

Notable Places

Due to Old Town’s rich history and attractions, there are many places of interest within the borders. St. Andrews Episcopal Church, St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church, and numerous other churches have been around since the 19th century.  The neighborhood also has a multitude of beautiful homes and buildings from times gone by.

The most notable structure in Old Town is a large mansion with a white stone façade called the Kreischer Mansion, which was built in 1885 for Charles Kreischer Jr., son of one of the founders of Kreischer Brick. The mansion has been renovated into a museum where visitors can tour the home and learn about the family that built it.