November 23rd, 2022

​Borough President Vito Fossella and Kamillah Hanks Council Member-D49 around the former site of Staten Island Hospital in Tompkinsville, which has been cleared for redevelopment. Nearby, the Department of Sanitation garage on Jersey Street is set to close soon. They called this a chance to improve and enhance the area for generations to come.

“We have a golden opportunity that comes along not just once in a generation, but rather once in several generations to help reshape and positively transform a historic piece of Staten Island,” said Borough President Fossella. “We look forward to working with Council Member Hanks and other community residents to begin to map out the future of this site. I also wish to thank and commend Mayor Adams for bringing this 50-year odyssey to a positive conclusion.”

​They discussed possibilities for the site, including building a new educational facility with additional school seats, as well as accessible housing for young people.
“I understand the significance of the site to the people of Staten Island, and I feel the best way to honor the site is to ensure its future development reflects the needs of our community,” said Council Member Hanks. “We are losing our young people to cooler, hip places like Hoboken. This site presents a great opportunity to begin to turn that tide and provide housing for young people so they can begin to build a future for themselves on Staten Island."

Built in 1890, it was initially named the S.R. Smith Infirmary after a local doctor, Samuel R. Smith, and was built in the shape of a castle. It was eventually renamed Staten Island Hospital and additional structures were added. When Staten Island Hospital moved to its present-day site in Ocean Breeze in 1979, the structures fell into disrepair. The City Buildings Department declared it a hazard in 2011 and demolished it a year later.