Spanish Camp
Spanish Camp, also known as Spanish Colony, was a private cooperative community on the shore of
five boroughs of New York City
. It existed from the 1920s to the first decade of the 21st century, when it was demolished.
History
Spanish Camp was started in 1923 by immigrants from
activist Dorothy Day
lived for years in one of the cottages.
In 2000 the grandchildren and great grandchildren of the founders sold the property for $7.1 million to a developer, John DiScala, against the will of most residents. Residents owned their homes, but the land was the property of the Spanish Naturopath Association, whose members were descendants of the founders. Residents were forced out, but the developer was blocked by various court actions brought by former residents, and by refusal of the
historic landmark
, and the developer then claimed there was no evidence she had ever been near the property.
As of 2006 DiScala's firm had declared bankruptcy, and he was trying to sell the otherwise vacant land to other developers.
References
- O'Shea, Karen (October 4, 2006). "$40M Pricetag for Historic S. Shore Site Former Spanish Camp, the Focus of Controversy, Being Marketed As 'Rare' Development Opportunity". Staten Island Advance. p. 1. Retrieved March 6, 2023 – via Historic Districts Council.
Further reading
- Burgos, Catherine (January 13, 2008). "My young summers at Spanish Camp". Staten Island Advance. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- O'Shea, Karen (October 19, 2009). "Developer cut out of his own deal in former Spanish Camp". Staten Island Advance. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- Chaban, Matt A.V. (October 27, 2015). "Dorothy Day's Retreat Is Now a Vacant Lot, but a Bid to Protect It Survives". New York Times. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- Somma-Hammel, Jan (October 23, 2018). "Then and now: Annadale was green, beautiful". Staten Island Advance. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- Somma-Hammel, Jan (February 19, 2021). "Flashback Staten Island: Spanish Camp was described by its past residents as paradise". Staten Island Advance. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- Paderon, Jason (February 20, 2023). "Dumping on history: Parts of former Spanish Camp property, once an oasis, now marred by construction debris". Staten Island Advance. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
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| Mid-Island (Community District 2) |
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