South Beach Wetlands

Qunitard St., Pearsall St., Frank Capodanno Blvd.

Staten Island

Directions via Google Maps

This text is part of Parks’ Historical Signs Project and can be found posted within the park.

These wetlands, which take their name from the surrounding community of South Beach, were assigned to Parks by the City of New York on December 30, 1999. The park’s 4.794 acres are undeveloped wilderness, home to an exciting variety of plant and animal species.

Originally part of a small 1661 Dutch settlement, the coastal neighborhoods of Middle and South Beach saw very little change until the 1880s. During that period, investors began to recognize the potential of opening the wide beaches to the teeming mass of Manhattanites trying to escape the city’s summer heat. With the additions of hotels, bathing pavilions, theaters, beer gardens, shooting galleries, carousels, and Ferris wheels, the beachfront property was transformed almost overnight.

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