PHOTO by Bill Higgins

The Noble Maritime Collection is excited to present a four-part lecture series by Patricia M. Salmon called The Bridge and Staten Island: Unplanned Chaos and Disorder about the opening of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in 1964. Admission is by donation, and visitors may attend one, a few, or all four parts of the series.

Join us for Part 2 on Sunday, June 30 at 12:30 PM. Why was Staten Island of such interest to so many? Not only speculators and realtors, but also to residents of the other boroughs, immigrants, laborers, businessmen and a variety of institutions. And why not--land was plentiful and inexpensive, while blue collars jobs were there for the asking. Advertisements heralded open space, farmland, ferry service, churches, schools, roads, lack of crime, scenery, beaches, bridges to New Jersey, subways to other boroughs and more… Meanwhile New York City’s Master Planner Robert Moses was developing major strategies for connecting the five boroughs with the surrounding areas that would ultimately link New York City to the rest of the country and the United States interstate highway system. The Staten Island Expressway and The Narrows Bridge were two of the last pieces of his puzzle. We will discuss Robert Moses’ plans—what he wanted, how he got it and the first changes that arrived in Staten Island.