Sailors' Snug Harbor
Sailors' Snug Harbor is a cultural center comprising more than two dozen architecturally significant buildings on the North Shore of Staten Island in New York City, New York, US. Set in an park along the Kill Van Kull strait, they were constructed for and originally used by Sailors' Snug Harbor, a retirement home for sailors, in the 19th and 20th centuries. The buildings and grounds are used by various arts organizations under the Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden. The entire complex is a National Historic Landmark District, and several structures are New York City designated landmarks.
Captain Robert Richard Randall bequeathed funds and land for a sailors' home upon his 1801 death. Fights over his will delayed the complex's development and forced its trustees to find a new site, where building C, the first structure at Snug Harbor, opened in 1833. Additional structures were built on the grounds in later years. Following a prolonged preservation dispute and several redevelopment proposals, the institution moved to North Carolina in 1976. The Staten Island site became a cultural center operated by Snug Harbor Cultural Center, a nonprofit organization affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution. The cultural center has gradually renovated the grounds and many buildings over the years.
The buildings at Sailors' Snug Harbor are designed in the Greek Revival, Beaux Arts, Italianate, and Victorian styles. Among those are buildings A–E, five interlocking Greek Revival structures known as Temple Row. The buildings are set in extensively landscaped grounds, surrounded by a cast iron fence. The grounds also include other structures such as a chapel and the Music Hall, along with the Staten Island Botanical Garden. The Snug Harbor Cultural Center operates some of its own facilities and programs, including the botanical garden, the Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art, and the Music Hall. Other space is leased to institutions such as the Staten Island Children's Museum and the Staten Island Museum.
Use as sailors' home
Creation
Randall will and challenges
Snug Harbor was founded through a bequest after the 1801 death of Revolutionary War soldier and ship master Captain Robert Richard Randall. US Founding Father Alexander Hamilton and later US Vice President Daniel D. Tompkins are sometimes credited with having written Randall's will, though the extent of their involvement is disputed. The will bequeathed much of his estate for public use; his country manor in what is now Greenwich Village, Manhattan, was reserved as an institution for retired seamen, which he called "Sailors' Snug Harbor". The tract, which Randall had acquired in 1790, was assembled from the land grants of two 17th-century Dutch colonists. Retirement benefits for the elderly had not yet been established in the US, and sailors could not receive such benefits until well into the 20th century.Randall's will provided for the establishment of a board of trustees, which included the mayor of New York City, the president and vice president of the Marine Society, senior ministers of Trinity Church and First Presbyterian Church, the head of the New York Chamber of Commerce, and some later-abolished government positions. All changes not explicitly stated in the will required judicial approval, and external gifts were banned. Following delays, prompted by questions over whether governmental interests could legally have a vested interest in Randall's estate, the board of trustees was incorporated on February 6, 1806. The trustees held their first meeting on April 21. In the meantime, the Manhattan property was leased as a farm.
As early as 1817, the northward development of Manhattan had prompted the trustees to look elsewhere for a retirement home. Several challenges to Randall's will were also initiated, delaying further progress. One challenge came from a Stephen Brown, who alleged that Randall had been derelict in his duty as the executor of Brown's grandfather's estate; the trustees did not acknowledge Brown's claim. Another was initiated in 1826 by Anglican Bishop John Inglis of Nova Scotia, a distant cousin of Randall's, who claimed he was an heir to Randall's estate. Inglis, one of his cousins, and Brown filed claims against Randall's Manhattan property. Inglis's lawsuit was eventually escalated to the Supreme Court of the United States, which ruled in favor of the trustees.
New site and first building
By the time the will challenges were settled, the once-rural land around the Manhattan site had been developed, and Snug Harbor's trustees decided to maximize profits by renting out the land. They changed the proposed site of the institution to a plot on Staten Island overlooking the Kill Van Kull, which had belonged to Isaac Houseman. The initial site was purchased in May 1831. The trustees later bought and leased another ; their assemblage gradually expanded to. The institution retained the Manhattan property, leasing out the grounds for 21-year periods. Structures such as apartment buildings, department stores, the campus of New York University, and Washington Mews were developed on the sites.The institution then looked to develop the first of what was to become five Greek Revival buildings. The trustees began soliciting construction bids after buying the site and began constructing a dock in July 1831. Work on the first structure, now building C, had begun by September, with a cornerstone laying ceremony that October or November. Minard Lafever was involved with the original design but departed abruptly, leaving Samuel Thomson & Son to finish the work. Building C was completed in August 1833, initially housing 37 retired sailors. John Whetten was appointed as the institution's first governor that year. Snug Harbor may have been one of the US's first retirement homes, though it was patterned after older institutions abroad, such as the Greenwich Hospital, London. Many of the initial residents were poor or disabled, and annual operating costs initially ran to $88.50 per resident.
Operation
Tenancy at Snug Harbor was granted only to US citizens, who had served at least ten years on a foreign vessel or five years in the United States Navy or on an American civilian vessel. Residents were generally accepted if they were at least 60 years old or disabled, and sailors with sufficient tenure were accepted regardless of their demographics or rank. Residents could be rejected for moral turpitude, contagious diseases, or alcoholism, and other maritime tradesmen were refused admission if they were not sailors.The residents were described by 19th-century sources as "inmates", though this term was no longer used by the 20th century. Residents were locally also known as "snugs" or "snuggies". While staff addressed all residents as "captain" regardless of their real-world rank, in practice, there was an implicit hierarchy based on residents' real-world ranks and service. There were relatively few rules, other than that residents be well-behaved, keep their rooms tidy, and abide by a curfew. Outside of curfew hours, residents were welcome to come or go as they pleased, and they could stay with families or friends for extended periods. Initially, the only exception was Sunday, when they were required to attend church on-site, though even this was no longer compulsory by the 1890s.
The complex had a kitchen and infirmary, alongside various amenities such as workshops, recreation rooms, theater, library, chapel, and music hall. It had a dedicated fire department, power plant, and stores. Three meals were served daily in the complex's mess halls. There was also a farm, along with other structures such as a greenhouse, piggery, and creamery. Though residents had few responsibilities, some had voluntary side jobs, although they could not work off-complex. Residents grew food and crops such as tobacco and wormwood, and they engaged in other activities such as model shipbuilding and games such as cribbage, billiards, and pinochle. They also received regular allotments of liquor and tobacco, and two suits a year.
Snug Harbor was managed by a succession of governors, many of whom were former captains, and it employed matrons, who did housework. Deceased residents were buried in Snug Harbor's cemetery. More buildings were added over the years as the population increased. Until the mid-20th century, Snug Harbor hosted few outside events; the grounds were sometimes opened for golf tournaments.