Junk Removal in Ward Hill, Staten Island, NY

Ward Hill is a neighborhood in Staten Island, NY, and is bordered on the south by Davis Avenue, on the west by Woodrow Road, and on the east by Henderson Avenue. Ward Hill is separated from the rest of Staten Island by a large hill.

Ward Hill is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Staten Island and has many historic buildings, such as the James V.C. Bodine House and St. Gregory’s Rectory (both listed on the National Register of Historic Places), as well as some mid-century modern houses.

In addition, Ward Hill has a large population of geese and is one of their favorite habitats. In the summer months many children can be seen feeding them breadcrumbs or crackers.

Ward Hill is famous for being the home of various famous people, including football player George Allen and television writer Rick Husky.

History

The neighborhood was originally owned by George Ward who purchased it from William Alexander Duer in 1790 for $8,000. The first house built was where the rectory of St. Gregory’s stands today.

Two infamous Staten Island families were said to have lived here, one being the McCallisters who had a farm on what’s now Henderson Avenue, and the other being the Aiellos who allegedly buried their victims in shallow graves along Woodrow Road after murdering them in their nearby farmhouse.

Historically, Ward Hill was a farming community with several dairies.

Notable Places

The neighborhood is now almost entirely residential, having very little commerce, except for a laundromat that closed in 2015 and has yet to be replaced. There are two small parks within the neighborhood, one on Woodrow Road between Kissam Avenue and Henderson Avenue, which was built sometime in the 1980s, and another on Henderson Avenue between Woodrow Road and Kissam Avenue, which is considerably older.

There are also three small churches in the neighborhood, including St. Gregory’s at 487 Henderson Avenue, Assumption Church on Gillette Street near where it intersects with Tompkins Avenue, and Our Lady of Angels on Ward Hill Circle.

The James V.C. Bodine House at 579 Henderson Avenue, the only example of Italianate architecture on Staten Island aside from St. Peter’s Basilica and the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, is a three-story brick house built in 1865 by famed architect James V.C. Bodine, which he lived in until 1876 when it was sold to the Staten Island Academy. The house is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Ward Hill is also home to a number of mid-century modern houses, including a few built by noted Modernist architect Richard H. Driehaus.