Apartment Restoration, Staten Island, N.Y.

Below are some photos of a fairly thorough re-do of an apartment in a two-family house in Staten Island.

The house was built in 1906, according to Polish language newspapers wrapped around the exterior studs. It is located about fifteen minutes walk from the Staten Island Ferry at 72 Layton Ave. The neighborhood was originally built as housing of the staff and store clerks serving the wealthy "up on the hill". In the 1920's is was a popular "move-up" neighborhood in the Jewish community. The building of the Verrazano bridge caused a shift in population and the area went into decline until the 1980's when it began to pick up a bit again.

Most of the fixtures are original, including the cast iron stove. The Chestnut wood molding and wainscoting is a replacement using molding from the period. The light fixture is also a period replacement.

Above is the bathroom upon demolition.	Above is the reconstructed bathroom in roughly the same view. The fixtures are original to the house, however the shower assembly is a reconstruction from Restoration Hardware.
	At left is the kitchen looking toward the street. The living room is at the rear of the picture and a bedroom to the right. The stove was originally a wood or coal burning stove converted at some point to gas.
	Again, at left, is the kitchen, this time looking to the rear of the house and the bathroom. The doors of the china hutch are original, but the body was recreated.