Originally it was a rest home for retired sailors, the brainchild of captain and philathropist Robert Richard Randall. Today Snug Harbor is one of Staten Island’s greatest public cultural attractions, containing a contemporary art gallery, 20+ gardens of all descriptions, a museum on the life and works of sailor-turned-artist John A. Noble, a children’s museum, and the city’s second-oldest music hall on a beautiful 83-acre campus.
And what a campus it is! Its 26 historic buildings span a variety of architectural styles, but the most prominent are the five found at the southern end of the park, which form an uninterrupted Greek Revival row with their temple-like porticoes. The lineup almost looks like a street, but the majestic buildings open onto a broad green lawn, bounded at one end by a statue of its founder and on the other by a fountain featuring a serpent-riding Neptune.
The second building from the left, when facing the columned row, is home to the Noble Maritime Collection, a museum dedicated to John A. Noble’s work and the history of both 19th-20th century sailing and Snug Harbor itself. Among the museum’s most notable exhibits is Noble’s restored 1954 houseboat/studio, the artist’s base of operations for 40 years. Also featured are many of his paintings and a large collection of ship models from around the world.
The Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art, found just behind the main row of buildings, exhibits works by both Staten Island and international artists, supplementing them with workshops and lectures. The large building and sprawling grounds allows the Newhouse to display both larger works and sculpture on a scale unavailable to many Manhattan galleries. Among the regularly-scheduled shows are those of work by young MFA-graduate artists, made possible through a two-month residency program.
The 686-seat historic Music Hall, together with the smaller Veterans Memorial Hall and the outdoor South Meadow Stage, regularly features performances both theatrical (from several local troupes) and musical (past performers include David Bowie and Willie Nelson).
The Staten Island Children’s Museum, also on the Snug Harbor grounds, has a number of interactive displays for a fun-filled educational experience. Huge chess and checkers pieces allow kids to experience classic boardgames on a whole different scale, while explorable insect habitats reveal the world of invertebrates. Children can experience the worlds of firemen, sailors, actors and Arctic explorers all in a single afternoon.
But one of the biggest draws is the Botanical Gardens. Each of the different gardens offers something different. From its round Moon Gate to the tea house, the Chinese Scholar’s Garden, one of only two such authentic 18th century gardens in the United States, is a perfect place for rest and meditation. The Richmond County Savings Foundation Tuscan Garden is a replica of a formal garden in Florence, while the Connie Gretz Secret Garden features a hedge maze and a castle. Other gardens include one made up of highly-scented plants, another of exclusively white blossoms, and others with roses, peonies, dogwood or perennials—there’s even a hornbeam allée.
The center can be found at 1000 Richmond Terrace, New York, NY 10301.
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