They Don’t Build Them Like That Anymore!

I was in Graniteville last fall and took a few pictures on Willow Road West. I was so happy to see that a few of the simpler Italianate buildings that I remember from my youth were still standing. Italianate architecture is characterized by the presence of a low-pitched roof, decorative brackets under an ornamental cornice, and tall narrow windows that are sometimes shaped differently from story to story. These lovely buildings are usually two to three stories high.

The Graniteville structures were altered, but they were still standing. A rare occurrence for an older building on Staten Island. When I saw that one house had a year emblazoned across the top, I was thrilled. Seeing those years preserved on an historic building has brought me joy since I was a youngster. As I recall there were buildings in Port Richmond, Stapleton, and Rosebank that had this time-telling detail.

I was pleasantly surprised to recently find another year-bearing building on Amboy Road, south of Bloomingdale Road, in Pleasant Plains. The building is now home to a pizzeria. How ironic!