Description
Book SynopsisWhat sets Staten Island apart from the rest of New York City? Kenneth M. Gold argues that the lack of a subway connection has deeply shaped Staten Island’s history and identity. He chronicles decades of recurrent efforts to build a rail link, using this history to explore the borough’s fraught relationship with the city as a whole.
Trade ReviewWith this book, Kenneth M. Gold assures us that the ‘Forgotten Borough’ will be forgotten no more. He offers an insightful picture of Staten Island before the bridge and brings to light the little-known story of the tunnel that never was. This book enhances and complicates our understanding of twentieth-century New York. -- Jeffrey A. Kroessler, author of
Sunnyside Gardens: Planning and Preservation in a Historic Garden SuburbThe Forgotten Borough helps rectify a long disservice to Staten Island by connecting it more firmly to New York City—despite the fact that the subway never did. Gold’s book is a worthy contribution to a place that is so close but has seemed so distant from the rest of Gotham. -- Martin V. Melosi, author of
Fresh Kills: A History of Consuming and Discarding in New York CityGold’s book is a definitive reference for anyone who studies Staten Island history or who is involved with urban planning in the five boroughs and beyond. It is a masterpiece of exhaustive research that will constantly be consulted now and by future generations. -- Pat Salmon, retired curator of history of the Staten Island Museum and author of
The Staten Island Ferry: A HistoryGold’s carefully researched book offers an unexpected and much-needed interpretation of New York’s ever-changing population. Gold reveals the contradictory implications of weaving together the five boroughs of New York City politically while leaving its transportation infrastructure incomplete. This book is a wonderful contribution to the field of urban and New York studies. -- Lori Weintrob, coeditor of
Beyond Bystanders: Educational Leadership for a Humane Culture in a Globalizing RealityTable of ContentsAcknowledgments
Abbreviations
Introduction
Part I: Consolidation and Its Aftermath1. Setting the Stage: Staten Island in the Late Nineteenth Century
2. Joining the City: Staten Island and the Consolidation of New York, 1898
3. Envisioning the Future: What Consolidation Would Bring to Staten Island, 1890–1909
Part II: A Subway for Growth4. Hitching a Ride: Early Efforts to Tunnel to Staten Island, 1900–1909
5. Leaving the Station: The Dual Contracts and Aftermath, 1909–1919
6. Planning the Region: The Hylan Tunnel and the Politics of Commerce, 1920–1923
7. Getting the Shaft: The Demise of the Hylan Tunnel, 1922–1925
Part III: Subway Persistence and Automobile Emergence8. Driving the Narrows: New Options for Connection, 1925–1932
9. Facing the Competition: Last Gasps for a Subway and a Tunnel, 1933–1945
10. Spanning the Narrows: The Triumph of the Verrazano Bridge, 1945–1964
11. Assessing the Disconnect: What the Distance Wrought
Conclusion
Epilogue: What the Bridge Wrought
A Note on Staten Island’s Historic Newspapers
Source Abbreviations
Notes
Index
