"Snugs, "as residents were called, often built ship models from scratch. announ ced to modernize the facilities by building apartments and high-rise bui ldings to ho use the res ide nts. The only historical bui ldin gs that would be preserved were a chapel and one of the original 1833 Greek Revival-style buildings. The newlyfo rmed New York C ity Landmarks Co mmission became aware of the plan and qui ckly proposed landmark designati o ns for fi ve G reek Revi val-style buildings and the chapel. Th e buildings were designated as such and thus could not be touched by bulldozers . According to the documents from the National Register of Histo ric Places inventory nomination form, Snug Harbor was described as "a rare surviving example of urban planning, landscaping and buildings in the Greek Revival Style. Sailors' Snug has no equal in scale, extent or qualiry in America." THE M OVE TO SEA LEVEL, NORTH CAROLINA
In 1970, the Snug Harbor trustees proposed co nstructing a new facility for the 120 men who were living at the retiremem home, build ing on just ten acres of the Snug H arbor gro unds and selling the rem ain ing acres to finance the construction. Th ey also co nsidered plans to m ove Snug H arbor roan o ur-of-sta te facility. In February 197 1, the trustees announced SEA HISTORY 125 , WINTER 2008-09
plans to move Snug H arbor to Sea Level, North Carolina, a location selected because the D aniel Taylor family, pioneers in ocean shipping and railroading, owned land there and made an attractive offer for the relocation. Back in Staten Island, New York City M ayor John Lindsay bought thirteen acres of Snug H arbor's property for th e city; the remaining sixty- three acres were sold to an apartment developer. A strong public outcry against the developer's proposed high-density development led him to sell the remaining property to the city for park land. Lindsay rechristened the land the
Snug H arbo r C ultural Cem er, saying "it is irreplaceable and losing it is unthinkable." The Staten Island campus is also home to 1he Noble Maritime Collectio n, which maintains a strong link with mercham mariners throu gh its museum and stud y center. The Noble Maritime Co ll ection preserves and interprets "the art, writings, and maritim e artifac ts of m arine artist John A. Noble as well as the history of Sailo rs' Snug Harbor in its collections, exhib itio ns, and programs." At Snug Harbor's 120-room facility in North Caro lina, about half the rooms are occupied by retired seamen. They pay forty percent of th eir income (not asse ts) to live at the retirement communi ty. In 2001 , the facility was opened to mariners' spouses and others. "The trust is still alive and well, and marin ers are still very well cared for at this waterfront co mmunity,'' said Janet Grainge, Directo r of M arketing and Admissions at Snug H arb or. .1
Christina Abel is a reporter for the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville, FL. She graduated from Ripon College with a B. A . in journalism in 2 003 and earned her M. A . in journalism from the S. I Newhouse School of Public Communication at Syracuse University in 2005. Images and captions courtesy of the Noble Maritime Collection. (Snug Harbor on Nelson Bay, 272 H wy 70 East, POB 150, Sea Level, NC 28577; Ph. 252 225-4411; http://snugharborhome.com)
The Noble Maritime Collection The Noble M aritime Collection is a museum and study center located on the gro unds of the famous old rerirem em home fo r mariners, Sailors' Snug H arbor, now a cultural center in Staten Island, New York. The museum is housed in a landmark G reek Rev ival building, a former dormitory built in 1840 and rehabilitated with a $2.4 million allocation from the C ity of New York and $ 1,000 ,000 in donations. The museum's permanent exhibitions include the Dormitory Room and Writing Room, period recreations of original features of the retirement home, as well as the houseboat studio of John A. Noble (191 3-1983), one of America's preeminent maritime artists.
(The Noble Maritime Collection, 1000 Richmond Terrace, Building D, Staten Island, NY 103 01; Ph. 7 18 447-6490; www.noblemaritime.org.) 25